NDIS Core Supports Explained 2026: What Your Funding Actually Covers

If you’ve just received your first NDIS plan, or you’re trying to make sense of an existing one, the words NDIS core supports are probably already familiar. Core Supports usually make up the largest part of a plan and the most flexible. But most participants and families don’t fully understand what’s in this budget, what they can spend it on, what they can’t, and how the rules are changing in 2026.

This guide explains exactly what NDIS Core Supports are, the 3 support categories, what each one covers, the rules around flexibility (and where flexibility ends), what hourly rates apply, why transport is no longer part of Core, and what’s changing under the new framework planning. All information is verified directly from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and the official NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, effective 1 July 2026.

What Are NDIS Core Supports?

NDIS Core Supports are one of 4 support budgets in an NDIS plan. The others are Capacity Building Supports (for skills development like therapy and support coordination), Capital Supports (for one-off purchases like equipment and home modifications), and recurring supports (which is where transport funding now sits).

Core funding is for the day-to-day support a participant needs to live their life. It pays for personal care, household tasks, community access, and consumable items related to disability. Transport used to sit here too, but the NDIA has moved it into a separate recurring supports budget, which is explained below. For most participants, Core is the biggest part of their plan because it covers the everyday support they use week after week.

The official NDIA definition is straightforward: Core Supports help with daily living activities, current disability-related needs, and working towards goals. The funding is built around the principle that participants should be able to use it flexibly, in ways that work for their life, rather than being forced into rigid line-by-line budgets.

The 3 Support Categories of NDIS Core Supports

The NDIA’s Core Supports page, current as at 7 May 2026, says your core supports budget “can have funding in up to 3 support categories”. You will not necessarily have funding in all of them, because your plan is built on your individual needs. Here’s the breakdown:

NDIS Core Supports Sub-Category 1: Assistance with Daily Life

This is the largest sub-category for most participants. It funds the support workers who help with personal care and the routines of daily living. According to the NDIA, Daily Life supports cover:

• Personal care: showering, dressing, grooming, toileting, hair washing, fingernail and toenail cutting
• Meal preparation: planning meals, shopping, cooking, eating support
• Household tasks: cleaning, laundry, dishwashing, basic yard work, lawn mowing, gardening
• Supervision and assistance: with daily routines and decision-making
• Supported Independent Living (SIL): 24/7 support in a shared or individual home
• Short-term and respite accommodation: when the regular support arrangement isn’t available
• Nursing care delivered at home: for participants with health-related disability needs

Hourly Rates for Daily Life Support (2026-27)

The NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, effective 1 July 2026, sets the maximum amounts a provider can charge for these supports. These are price limits, not fixed prices, and they apply to the national/MMM 1-5 area. The most commonly used rates are:

For full pricing across every category, see our NDIS Price Guide 2026-27. For a deeper look at why public holidays cost more, see the NDIS Public Holiday Rates 2026 guide.

NDIS Core Supports Sub-Category 2: Consumables

The Consumables sub-category funds everyday use items that a participant needs because of their disability. These are things that get used up and replaced regularly, rather than one-off purchases.

Common Consumables include:

• Continence products: pads, catheters, urinary drainage bags, skin care
• Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN): feeding tube formula, syringes, pump consumables
• Low-cost assistive technology: basic equipment under $1,500 like grab rails, shower chairs, walking sticks
• Wound dressing supplies: where related to a participant’s disability
• PPE related to disability needs: gloves, aprons, or masks for personal care

You purchase Consumables yourself or through a provider. Many participants buy continence products and low-cost AT online from registered NDIS suppliers, then claim back through their plan management or self-managed arrangement.

NDIS Core Supports Sub-Category 3: Assistance with Social and Community Participation

This sub-category funds support to take part in community, social, recreational, or economic activities. It’s about being part of life beyond the home, with the support needed to do it safely and meaningfully.

Examples include:

• Group activities: art classes, sports, music groups, day programs
• 1-to-1 community access: a support worker accompanying a participant to events, shopping, sports, or social outings
• Centre-based supports: structured programs delivered at a community centre
• Camps and short trips: with a support worker, where related to disability supports
• Social skills development through activity: supporting participation rather than direct teaching

Pricing for Social and Community Participation is similar to Assistance with Daily Life. The standard weekday rate for 1-to-1 support is $73.58/hr. Group activities have separate, lower hourly rates that reflect the lower staff-to-participant ratio.

Transport: No Longer Part of Core Supports

This is the change most likely to catch people out. Transport used to be described as the fourth Core sub-category, and many guides still describe it that way. The NDIA has moved it out of Core. Its Core Supports page, current as at 7 May 2026, says your core supports budget “can have funding in up to 3 support categories”, and lists only Assistance with daily life, Consumables, and Assistance with social and community participation.

Transport is now its own budget, called recurring supports. The NDIA’s page on recurring supports, current as at 28 May 2026, says recurring supports are “one of 4 support budgets in your NDIS plan” and that “recurring transport is the only category of recurring support”. So transport funding still exists and still works much as it did, but it sits beside Core rather than inside it, and you cannot move money between the two.

Recurring transport is for travel to work, study, community activities, day programs, and other social, recreational or leisure activities. It can pay for taxis, rideshare, and other private travel. The NDIA also considers what reasonable help your family, carers or community networks can give you with transport before deciding to fund it.

There are 3 recurring support levels. These are the amounts published by the NDIA on its recurring supports page, current as at 28 May 2026:

For a full breakdown of state taxi subsidy schemes and how to combine them with NDIS transport, see our NDIS Transport Funding Explained 2026 guide.

How Flexible Is the NDIS Core Supports Budget?

The official NDIA position is that “your Core Supports budget is the most flexible.” In most cases, you can use Core funding across any of the 3 Core support categories. So if you have $20,000 in Daily Life and $1,000 in Consumables, you can choose to spend more on Consumables and less on Daily Life if that suits your needs.

This flexibility has limits:

• You cannot move Core funding into Capacity Building or Capital. Core stays inside Core. If you need more therapy or equipment, you have to ask for a plan change.
• Stated supports are not flexible. If a Core support is “stated” in your plan, you can only spend it on that specific support. Stated supports are usually noted in the plan document.
• Transport sits outside Core. Recurring transport is its own budget, so you cannot move that funding into Daily Life or Consumables, and you cannot move Core funding into transport.
• SIL has its own rules. If you have Supported Independent Living, the SIL component is usually quoted separately and worked out in advance. It isn’t simply pooled into your other Core funding.

What Does “Stated” Mean?

A stated support is one that’s specified in your plan and ring-fenced for a particular purpose. The NDIA states clearly: “When a support is stated, this means you can only spend your plan funds on the supports described. You can’t use these funds to buy different supports.”

Common stated supports include SIL, certain assistive technology, and Home Enteral Nutrition. Always check your plan document to see which of your supports are stated and which are flexible.

NDIS Core Supports vs Capacity Building vs Capital

The 3 NDIS funding categories cover different purposes. Understanding the difference helps you make better decisions about your plan:

Most plans have funding in all 3 categories. The total amount and split depends on the participant’s support needs assessment, goals, and stated supports.

How to Use Your NDIS Core Supports Funding

Once your plan is approved, there are 3 ways the funding can be managed:

1. Self-managed: You manage the budget yourself, pay providers directly, and submit claims to the NDIA portal
2. Plan-managed: A registered plan manager handles invoices and payments on your behalf
3. NDIA-managed: The NDIA pays registered providers directly, and you can only use registered providers

You can choose different management for different parts of your plan. Many participants self-manage Consumables (because it’s just buying products) while having Daily Life plan-managed.

Tips to Make Your Core Funding Last

• Map out the year: weekend and public holiday support costs almost double, so map your hours against the calendar
• Don’t double up: if you have informal support from family for some days, don’t pay for paid support that day too
• Track your spend monthly: don’t wait until your plan ends to discover you’ve overspent or underspent
• Use Consumables wisely: continence products and low-cost AT bought online can be much cheaper than through some providers
• Check service agreements: providers should clearly state which rate they’re charging on which day
• Keep all invoices: especially under self-management, you need clear records for the NDIA portal

What’s Changing for NDIS Core Supports in 2026?

Two major changes affect Core Supports in 2026:

1. New Framework Planning

The Australian Government is introducing a new way of planning for the NDIS, called new framework planning. In its update of 9 February 2026 the NDIA said it was “aiming to start using this new way of planning with a small number of participants” from mid-2026, and that it “will be rolled out over a number of years, so many participants won’t notice any changes for some time”. As at the date of this review the NDIA has not published confirmation that the rollout has begun, so treat mid-2026 as the intended start, not a date on which anything changed for you. Current NDIS plans stay in place until a participant moves across. The planning process will gradually shift to:

• Support needs assessments, a guided conversation with a trained assessor. The NDIA says it will use the Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs (I-CAN v6) “as a base for developing” this assessment, alongside a new personal and environmental circumstances questionnaire. Some participants with more complex support needs may still be asked for reports from their treating health professionals.
• More flexible budgets: funding will be provided either as a stated item or as part of a flexible budget. Funding for stated supports must be used for a particular purpose. Funding in the flexible budget can be used flexibly on NDIS supports.
• Plans still approved by people. The NDIA states plans “will always be approved by real people who are trained NDIS staff”, not automated systems.
• Phased rollout, starting with a small number of participants. The NDIA has confirmed children under 18 years will not be part of these initial changes.

The new framework doesn’t mean Core Supports disappear. It means the rigid category structure becomes more flexible for many participants. The NDIA says funding will be provided “either as a stated item or as part of the flexible budget”, and that funding for stated supports “must be used for a particular purpose or support”. So some Core funding is expected to become part of the flexible budget, while items requiring tight oversight, such as SIL or restrictive practices, would remain stated.

For a full guide on the new framework, see our NDIS Planning Changes 2026 article.

2. Mandatory Provider Registration Expansion (1 July 2026)

From 1 July 2026, more provider categories must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, including SIL providers, platform providers, and providers delivering personal care, daily living supports, or supports in closed settings. For Core Supports participants, this means more of the workers and providers delivering your daily living support will be regulated under the same standards as registered providers.

Real Examples: How Participants Use NDIS Core Supports

To make NDIS core supports concrete, here are 3 examples of how different participants use their Core funding:

Example 1: A Participant Who Lives Independently

Sarah is 32, lives in her own apartment in Western Sydney, and works part-time. Her Core budget includes 14 hours of personal care per week (Daily Life), $1,200 a year for continence products (Consumables), and 6 hours per week of community access support to attend a local social club and exercise group (Social and Community Participation). Separately from Core, she has Level 2 recurring transport at $2,676 a year, which she cannot move into her Core categories. Across the year, roughly three quarters of her Core spend goes on Daily Life, most of the rest on Social and Community Participation, and a small share on Consumables. She uses her Core flexibility to pick up extra shifts in busy weeks and trim back when family is around to help. These proportions are illustrative: your own plan will differ.

Example 2: A Participant in Supported Independent Living

Mark is 45 and lives in a 3-person SIL home. The bulk of his Core budget is dedicated SIL funding (a separate Daily Life arrangement). The SIL component is quoted and stated, so it cannot be moved. He still has flexible Core funding for community access (Saturday outings, his football club, and shopping support) and a Consumables budget for his continence products. His Transport funding is Level 1 because he is not currently working or studying.

Example 3: A Family Caring for a Child Under 12

Priya is 9 years old and her parents manage her NDIS plan. Her Core funding covers school holiday programs (Social and Community Participation), some 1-to-1 support during after-school hours when her mum is at work (Daily Life), and a small Consumables budget for low-cost assistive technology like a weighted blanket and adapted utensils. She has no Transport allocation because her parents drive her everywhere. Most of her Core funding sits in Daily Life and Social and Community, used flexibly across the year as her parents see what works best.

Common Mistakes With NDIS Core Supports

Looking at the issues participants and providers most often run into:

• Overspending in early months: especially around Christmas with public holiday rates. Run out by month 8 or 9.
• Misunderstanding “stated”: trying to use stated SIL funding for community participation, or spending a stated support on something it was not funded for.
• Confusing Core with Capacity Building: trying to pay for a behaviour support practitioner from Core (it comes from Capacity Building Improved Relationships).
• Paying provider prices for items you can buy yourself: continence products are often much cheaper bought direct online.
• Missing out on Consumables: many participants forget they have a Consumables budget and underspend it.
• Not adjusting when needs change: if your support hours have grown but your plan budget hasn’t, you can request a plan reassessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are NDIS Core Supports?

NDIS Core Supports are one of 4 support budgets in an NDIS plan. They cover day-to-day support including personal care, household tasks, community participation, and consumable items. For most participants, Core is the largest part of their plan. Transport is no longer part of Core: it now sits in a separate recurring supports budget.

What are the support categories of NDIS Core Supports?

Core supports can have funding in up to 3 support categories: Assistance with Daily Life, Consumables, and Assistance with Social and Community Participation. Transport is no longer one of them. It now sits in a separate recurring supports budget.

Can I move money between Core Supports sub-categories?

In most cases, yes. The NDIA says core supports funding is flexible, so you can use the total amount in the budget across and within its support categories (Daily Life, Consumables, Social and Community). Transport sits in a separate recurring supports budget, so it cannot be moved to or from Core. Some supports in your plan may also be stated, which ring-fences them.

Can I use Core funding to pay for therapy?

No. Therapy comes from Capacity Building Supports, not Core. Core funding cannot be moved into Capacity Building or Capital Supports under current rules. If you need more therapy funding, you have to request a plan change.

How much is the standard support worker rate in 2026-27?

The standard weekday daytime rate for 1-to-1 support worker support under Core is $73.58/hr (national/MMM 1-5). High intensity support is $79.60/hr. Weekend, evening and public holiday rates are higher.

How much is NDIS recurring transport funding?

Recurring transport funding has 3 levels: Level 1, $1,784 per year (community access), Level 2, $2,676 per year (part-time work or study up to 15 hours a week, day programs, or other social and recreational activities), and Level 3, $3,456 per year (working or studying at least 15 hours a week). These are the amounts on the NDIA’s recurring supports page, current as at 28 May 2026.

What’s the difference between Core Supports and Capacity Building?

Core Supports fund day-to-day living support. Capacity Building Supports fund skills development like therapy, support coordination, and behaviour support. Core is mostly flexible within Core. Capacity Building has stricter rules about what each sub-category can fund.

What does “stated support” mean?

A stated support is one that’s ring-fenced for a specific purpose. You can only spend that funding on the support described. Common stated supports include SIL, certain assistive technology, and Home Enteral Nutrition.

Can I buy Consumables myself online?

Yes. If you self-manage or plan-manage, you can buy continence products and low-cost AT directly online and claim them back. Many participants find this much cheaper than going through a provider.

Are Core Supports changing in 2026?

Yes, in two ways. First, transport has moved out of Core into a separate recurring supports budget, so Core now has up to 3 support categories rather than 4. Second, the NDIA is introducing new framework planning, under which funding will be provided either as a stated item or as part of a flexible budget. The NDIA aimed to start with a small number of participants from mid-2026 and says the rollout will take a number of years, so most participants won’t notice an immediate difference. Children under 18 are not part of the initial changes.

How Centre of Hope Can Help

Understanding your NDIS core supports is the first step to getting the most out of your plan. At Centre of Hope, we help participants and families across Western Sydney and NSW:

• Map your annual Core spend across all 3 Core support categories so your plan lasts the full plan period
• Understand your stated vs flexible supports and what you can actually move where
• Find the right providers for daily living, community access, and consumables
• Coordinate Core with Capacity Building so your day-to-day support and skills development work together
• Plan around weekends and public holidays when costs nearly double
• Keep an eye on new framework planning, which the NDIA is introducing gradually, starting with a small number of participants

You don’t need to figure out Core Supports on your own. We’ll walk alongside you.

Your goals. Your plan. Our support.

📞 Call us: 0432 250 900
🌐 Visit: centreofhope.com.au
📝 Refer: Submit a referral

Related Reading

• NDIS Price Guide 2026-27: Every Official Rate Explained
• NDIS Public Holiday Rates 2026
• NDIS Transport Funding Explained 2026
• NDIS Funding Explained 2026
• NDIS Funding Periods Explained
• NDIS Planning Changes 2026
• Plan Management vs Support Coordination
• Positive Behaviour Support NDIS: Complete 2026 Guide
• Understanding NDIS Support Coordination
• How Does the NDIS Work? Complete Plain-Language Guide

Disclaimer: This article is general information only. It does not replace advice about your own situation, and it is not financial or legal advice. The information is current as at 10 August 2026 and reflects the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27 (effective 1 July 2026), the NDIA’s Core Supports page (current as at 7 May 2026), the NDIA’s recurring supports page (current as at 28 May 2026), and NDIA published updates on new framework planning. Any worked example is illustrative only and is not a statement of what you are entitled to: your budget depends on your own plan. Hourly figures are NDIS price limits, which are the maximum a provider may charge, not a fixed price. NDIS rules, pricing and processes change, so confirm anything that matters at the source. For advice specific to your plan, contact your support coordinator, the NDIA on 1800 800 110, or visit ndis.gov.au.