If you have heard that your funding is about to be cut, take a breath. The NDIS budget resets starting in October 2026 are real, but they are narrower than the headlines suggest, and the NDIA has published exactly what they do and do not touch. This guide sets out what is changing, the four kinds of support the reset explicitly leaves alone, when the resets actually reach your own plan, and what to do before your next reassessment.
Every fact below comes from the NDIA’s own Securing the NDIS for future generations page. We quote it and link it, so you can check any of it in about a minute.
NDIS budget resets: quick summary
- The reset applies to two things. In the NDIA’s words, “support budgets for social, civic and community participation supports and capacity building daily activities will be progressively reset as participants’ plans are reassessed or renewed”.
- The NDIA explicitly excludes four support types. It says the changes “will not impact funding for” help with eating and drinking, education supports, employment supports, or disability related health supports.
- Nothing changes on 1 October for most people. The NDIS budget resets reach one plan at a time. Participants will not see changes to their funding until their plan is reassessed or renewed.
- Changes are not backdated. The NDIA states this plainly.
- There are two dates, not one. Budgets update from 1 October 2026 when a plan is reassessed or a new plan is approved, and from 1 February 2027 when a plan is renewed, rolling out over a 12 month period.
- Plans can still go up. The NDIA says plans may go up and down as needs change, and that this is not related to the reform changes.
- Unspent funds will not carry over into a plan renewal from February 2027.
- Plan suspensions arrive at the same time, and they are a separate change worth knowing about.
What the NDIS budget resets actually change
The reform calls this a support determination. Rather than each budget being built from scratch every time, the NDIA is moving to a more consistent method of setting the amount for certain supports.
The resets cover two areas. The first is social, civic and community participation supports. Alongside it sits capacity building daily activities. Those are the NDIA’s own words, and it is worth noticing that it does not name specific support categories, so neither will we.
For context on where those supports usually sit, your core supports budget can hold funding in up to three support categories, and one of them is assistance with social and community participation. Your capacity building budget can hold funding in up to nine, and one of those covers increased social and community participation. So the NDIS budget resets land on the parts of a plan that fund getting out, joining in, and building everyday skills.
One word matters more than any other here: reset, not cut. The NDIA has not published a figure, a percentage or an average for how far any budget moves, and anyone quoting one is estimating.
The four supports the NDIS budget resets do not touch
This is the part that gets left out of most coverage, and it is the part worth reading twice. The NDIA lists four things the changes “will not impact funding for”:
| Not affected by the reset | What that covers in practice |
|---|---|
| Help with eating and drinking | Mealtime assistance and support with eating and drinking safely. |
| Education supports | Disability supports that help you take part in study. |
| Employment supports | Disability supports that help you find work, keep work or return to work. |
| Disability related health supports | Health supports funded because they arise from your disability. |
Source: NDIA, Securing the NDIS for future generations, page current as at 28 August 2026.
If your plan is built mainly around those four, the reset is not aimed at you. That does not guarantee your plan will not change for other reasons, because plans move as needs move, but the reset itself leaves those four alone.
When the NDIS budget resets reach your own plan
Here is where most of the anxiety comes from, and it is the easiest thing to clear up. 1 October 2026 is not the day your funding changes. It is the day the new method starts, and the NDIA applies it one plan at a time.
The NDIA will update budgets over a 12 month period, on two triggers:
| From | What triggers the update |
|---|---|
| 1 October 2026 | When a plan is reassessed, or a new plan is approved. |
| 1 February 2027 | When a plan is renewed. |
So the date that matters to you is not in the news. It is on your plan. If your plan reassessment falls in March, that is when this becomes real for you, and not before.
Two more things the NDIA states directly, and both are in your favour. Changes to funding are not backdated. And participants will not see changes until their plan is reassessed or renewed, so there is no adjustment happening quietly in the background.
One term is worth knowing, because it changes in February 2027 too. A plan renewal will replace what the NDIA currently calls a plan continuation. When a plan reaches its reassessment date, either an NDIA planner reassesses it, or a new plan carries over the same supports as the old one. Unspent funds from the previous plan will not be carried over, which the NDIA states directly, so a renewal is not a way to bank what you did not use. Our guide to the new NDIS laws sets out every start date in the reform package.
Your plan can still go up
Most coverage skips this, so it deserves its own heading. The NDIA’s page says that “in the meantime, plans may go up and down as participants’ needs change over time. This is not related to the reform changes.”
In other words, the ordinary machinery still works. If your circumstances change, you can still ask. The NDIA confirms that all participants can continue to request a change to their plan where there is a significant change in their functional capacity or circumstances.
The NDIS budget resets change how the NDIA works out an amount. They do not put a ceiling on what you can ever receive.
If you need 24 hour care, there is a specific pathway
The NDIA is opening a new plan variation pathway for high support needs participants who require continuous 24 hour care to meet their disability related care needs.
Two details matter here. Those participants will be able to apply for a plan variation within 90 days of a support determination applying to them. And if needed, the NDIA can increase funding through a plan variation to make sure essential 24 hour disability supports continue.
Ninety days sounds generous until a plan lands in the middle of a difficult month. If this applies to you or to someone you support, put the date somewhere you will see it, and start the conversation early rather than at day 80.
Plan suspensions also start in October 2026
This is a separate change arriving at the same time, and it has nothing to do with budgets. From October 2026 the NDIA will have the ability to suspend a plan if a participant does not respond to requests for information.
The page defines the safeguard. Suspension would only follow after the NDIA has made reasonable attempts to contact you, and the page defines reasonable attempts as “attempting to contact you, your nominee or authorised representative at least 5 times over an extended period“.
The practical takeaway is unglamorous but genuinely useful: check that the NDIA has your current phone number, email and postal address, and that any nominee details are right. Most people who miss five contact attempts have simply moved house.
What to do before your next reassessment
None of this requires panic, and some of it rewards preparation. Because the NDIS budget resets land at your reassessment or your renewal, that meeting becomes the moment that counts.
- Find your plan end date. Everything above hangs on it. It is on your plan and in the my NDIS portal.
- Check your contact details with the NDIA, given the new suspension power.
- Know which of your funding sits in the affected areas, meaning social, civic and community participation, and capacity building daily activities. Then you know how exposed you actually are.
- Keep evidence of what you use and why. If a support is working, the record of it working is what a reassessment reads.
- Track your spending. Our guide to NDIS funding periods explains how funding reaches you across a plan, which matters more once the NDIS budget resets begin.
- If a support has become essential, say so, and say why. A significant change in functional capacity or circumstances is the recognised ground for asking.
How to check any of this yourself
Everything in this guide comes from one page, and it takes a minute to open.
- Open the NDIA’s Securing the NDIS for future generations page.
- Find the heading “Changes from October 2026”. The support determinations text, the four exclusions, the two dates and the plan suspension rule are all in that section.
- Scroll to the bottom and check the “This page current as of” date. The version behind this guide is current as at 28 August 2026.
- For the February 2027 change, read the heading “Changes from February 2027” on the same page.
- For what sits in each budget, read the NDIA’s pages on core supports and capacity building supports.
If somebody quotes you a percentage for the NDIS budget resets, ask which page it sits on. There is not one.
Frequently asked questions
Will my NDIS funding be cut in October 2026?
Not on that date, and not automatically. The NDIA says participants will not see changes to their funding until their plan is reassessed or renewed. It also says plans may go up and down as needs change. The word the NDIA uses is reset, not cut, and it has published no figure for how far any budget moves.
Which supports do the NDIS budget resets affect?
Social, civic and community participation supports, and capacity building daily activities. Those are the NDIA’s words. The NDIA explicitly excludes help with eating and drinking, education supports, employment supports and disability related health supports.
When exactly does my own plan change?
From 1 October 2026 if your plan is reassessed or a new plan is approved. From 1 February 2027 if your plan is renewed. The rollout runs over a 12 month period, so the date that matters is your plan date rather than the start date.
Will the change be backdated?
No. The NDIA states that changes to funding are not backdated.
Can I still ask for more funding?
Yes. All participants can continue to request a change to their plan where there is a significant change in their functional capacity or circumstances. That pathway stays exactly as it is.
What if I need 24 hour care?
The NDIA is opening a new plan variation pathway for high support needs participants who require continuous 24 hour care for their disability related care needs. They can apply for a plan variation within 90 days of a support determination applying to them, and the NDIA can increase funding through a variation to keep essential 24 hour supports going.
What is a plan renewal?
From February 2027, when a plan reaches its reassessment date, either an NDIA planner reassesses it or a new plan carries over the same supports as the old one. The NDIA calls that a plan renewal, and it replaces the process it currently calls a plan continuation. One detail matters for your budget: the NDIA says unspent funds from the previous plan will not be carried over.
Are there two different 90 day rules?
Yes, and they are unrelated. The 90 days above is the window for a high support needs participant to apply for a plan variation after a support determination applies to them. Separately, from December 2026, providers must submit claims within 90 days of delivering a support. That second one is a provider claiming rule, not a deadline for you.
Can the NDIA really suspend my plan?
From October 2026, yes, but only if you do not respond to requests for information and only after reasonable attempts to reach you. The NDIA defines that as attempting to contact you, your nominee or your authorised representative at least five times over an extended period.
How much will the NDIS budget resets change my budget by?
Nobody outside the NDIA can tell you, because the NDIA has not published a figure, a percentage or an average. Treat any specific number you see on this topic as an estimate rather than a fact.
Does this change what my plan manager or coordinator does?
Not directly, although the reassessment becomes more important. If you are choosing support, our guide on how to choose an NDIS plan manager covers the questions the NDIA itself says to ask.
How Centre of Hope can help
Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in New South Wales. We provide support coordination, and under the NDIS budget resets a reassessment is exactly the moment where coordination earns its place: knowing what is in your plan, what you have used, and what evidence supports the supports you want to keep.
We do not deliver your daily supports, which is why we can talk about your plan without an interest in what fills it. If your reassessment is coming up and you want someone to work through it with you, get in touch.
Related reading
- New NDIS Laws 2026: Every Start Date in the Reform Package
- A plain English guide to the NDIS reforms 2026
- What happens at an NDIS plan reassessment
- How NDIS funding periods release your money
- What sits in your core supports budget
- What sits in your capacity building budget
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personal advice about your situation. The information is current as at 6 September 2026 and reflects the NDIA’s Securing the NDIS for future generations page, current as at 28 August 2026, together with the NDIA pages on core supports, current as at 7 May 2026, and capacity building supports, current as at 16 July 2026. The NDIA is implementing the reform in stages and may publish further detail before October 2026. No figure, percentage or average for the size of any budget change appears in this article, because the NDIA has not published one. Any example is illustrative only and is not an entitlement to any support or funding. Please confirm current requirements at ndis.gov.au or with the NDIA on 1800 800 110 before relying on anything here. Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in NSW, registration 4050161679.
