NDIS Eligibility Checklist: Are You Eligible in 2026?

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If you or someone you care for has a permanent disability, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can fund the supports that make daily life easier. But the rules around who qualifies are detailed, and 2026 brings the biggest changes since the scheme began. This NDIS eligibility checklist walks you through every requirement, in plain English, with the most current information from the NDIA, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and the NDIS Act 2013.

We have built this NDIS eligibility checklist for participants, families, carers, and support coordinators in New South Wales who want a clear answer to a simple question: am I eligible, or is the person I care for eligible? You will find the four core tests, the condition lists the NDIA uses, the application steps, and what the 2026 reforms mean for you.

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Free NDIS Eligibility Checklist 2026 PDF

The 4-point quick check on six clean pages. Built from the NDIS Act 2013 and the NDIA’s 2026 guidance. No email required.

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The Four-Point NDIS Eligibility Checklist

The NDIS eligibility checklist has four parts, and you need to meet all four to qualify:

Age: You must be younger than 65 on the day you apply.
Residence: You must live in Australia and be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or the holder of a Protected Special Category Visa.
Disability or early intervention: You must meet either the disability requirements (a permanent impairment that significantly reduces your functional capacity) or the early intervention requirements (early supports will reduce your need for support later).
Likely need for NDIS supports: You must be likely to need NDIS-funded supports for the rest of your life, or, for early intervention, the supports must be likely to benefit you.

That is the headline summary. The rest of this article goes through each test in detail, so you can work out exactly where you stand.

Test 1: Age Requirements

The NDIS is for people under 65. To apply, you must be younger than 65 on the day you submit your access request.

If you are already an NDIS participant when you turn 65, you can choose to stay on the NDIS or move to the aged care system.
If you are 65 or older when you first apply, you cannot enter the NDIS. You would access support through My Aged Care instead.
Children under 9 with developmental delay or disability follow a different access pathway, which we cover below.

Children Under 9: The Early Childhood Pathway

For young children, the NDIS uses an early childhood approach. Children younger than 9 who meet the residence requirements can be eligible under the disability requirements, the early intervention requirements, or both. The NDIS partners (Early Childhood Partners across Australia) help families connect with mainstream and community supports before, alongside, or instead of an NDIS plan.

From 2026, this part of the system is changing significantly. The Australian Government’s Thriving Kids program will roll out from 1 October 2026 and reach full scale by 1 January 2028. Thriving Kids will deliver state-based services for children aged 8 and under with low to moderate support needs from developmental delay or autism, instead of individualised NDIS plans. Children with high support needs and children with permanent significant disability will still access the NDIS. We cover this in detail later.

Test 2: Residence Requirements

You must live in Australia and hold one of the following:

Australian citizenship
Permanent residency
A Protected Special Category Visa (a visa available to some New Zealand citizens who arrived in Australia before 26 February 2001 and have lived here continuously since)

“Living in Australia” means Australia is your home and you spend most of your time here. The NDIA looks at where you usually live, not where you happen to be on the day you apply. If you are overseas temporarily for study, work, or to visit family, you can still meet this requirement.

People on temporary visas, bridging visas, or visitor visas are not eligible for the NDIS. They may be able to access state-based disability services in some cases, but those are separate systems.

If you become an NDIS participant and then travel overseas, you can use NDIS supports for up to 6 weeks as a grace period. For longer trips, you need to contact the NDIA in advance to explain why and for how long you need NDIS funding overseas.

Test 3: Disability Requirements (Section 24 of the NDIS Act)

This is the substantive part of the NDIS eligibility checklist. To meet the disability requirements under section 24 of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, all of the following must apply:

You have a disability that is caused by one or more impairments that are intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory, or physical, or you have one or more impairments to which a psychosocial disability is attributable.
The impairment is, or is likely to be, permanent.
The impairment results in substantially reduced functional capacity to undertake one or more of the following activities: communication, social interaction, learning, mobility, self-care, or self-management.
The impairment affects your capacity for social or economic participation.
You are likely to require NDIS supports under the scheme for your lifetime.

What “Permanent” Means

The NDIA considers an impairment permanent when there are no known, available, and appropriate evidence-based clinical, medical, or other treatments that would be likely to remedy the impairment. It does not mean nothing about your condition will ever change. It means the underlying impairment is long-term.

An important 2026 change: the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Bill 2026 introduced 14 May 2026 tightens this test. Under the new framework, an impairment will not be considered permanent unless you have tried every appropriate treatment available in Australia. This is one of the changes that has driven concern across the disability sector. Thriving Kids begins rolling out state services from 1 October 2026. NDIS access changes commence on 1 January 2028 and are limited to children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism at low to moderate support needs.

What “Substantially Reduced Functional Capacity” Means

This is the practical part of the test. The NDIA looks at six functional capacity domains:

Communication: Can you understand and be understood in conversation?
Social interaction: Can you make and keep friends, manage your emotions in social settings, and read social cues?
Learning: Can you understand and remember new information, follow instructions, and apply skills?
Mobility: Can you move around your home and community safely?
Self-care: Can you manage personal hygiene, dressing, toileting, and eating?
Self-management: Can you make decisions, plan ahead, solve problems, and look after your own affairs?

You need to show substantially reduced capacity in at least one of these areas. A functional capacity assessment by an allied health professional (often an occupational therapist or psychologist) is the most common way to document this.

Test 4: Early Intervention Requirements (Section 25 of the NDIS Act)

If your impairment is not yet considered permanent, you may still be eligible through the early intervention pathway. The early intervention requirements apply when the right supports now would reduce your need for support later.

To meet the early intervention requirements, you must have:

An intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory, or physical impairment that is, or is likely to be, permanent, or
A psychosocial disability caused by an impairment that is, or is likely to be, permanent, or
Be a child younger than 6 with developmental delay

And the NDIA must be satisfied that early intervention supports would:

Reduce your future need for support, or
Improve your functional capacity, or
Prevent your functional capacity from getting worse, or
Strengthen the sustainability of your informal supports (such as by building your carer’s capacity)

And the supports needed must be NDIS supports (not supports more appropriately provided by health, education, or another mainstream service).

What About the NDIS Condition Lists?

For several years the NDIA published four condition lists, usually called List A, B, C and D, which grouped diagnoses by how likely they were to meet the disability or early intervention requirements. Many guides still describe them in detail.

The NDIA no longer publishes these lists on its website. The dedicated guideline page has been retired and now redirects to the general guidelines index. As at August 2026, the lists do not appear on the NDIA’s eligibility pages, its evidence guidance, or its published guidelines. We have removed our detailed list content rather than repeat a framework we cannot verify is still in use.

This matters less than it sounds, because the lists were never the actual test. They were a shortcut for assessing evidence. The legal test has not changed, and it is what your application is decided against.

What the NDIA assesses instead

The disability requirements are set out in section 24 of the NDIS Act and published on ndis.gov.au. To be eligible:

You have a disability caused by a permanent impairment, or a psychosocial disability caused by a permanent impairment
That impairment significantly impacts your life and your ability to do everyday tasks
You will likely need NDIS supports for your lifetime

The impairment must be at least one of five types: intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical. The NDIA treats an impairment as a significant change in your body’s functions, your body’s structure, or how you think and learn. It does not matter what caused it.

In the NDIA’s own words: “The NDIS disability requirements are the same for everyone who applies.”

What this changes for your application

If you were relying on a diagnosis appearing on a list, the practical advice is the same as it has always been for everyone else: lead with functional evidence. A diagnosis establishes the impairment. Evidence of daily impact establishes whether it substantially reduces your functional capacity, which is the part the decision turns on.

Whatever your diagnosis, provide evidence from your treating professionals about how the impairment affects communicating, socialising, learning, moving around, self-care, and managing your life. That is what the NDIA asks for, and it is what a strong application contains.

How to Apply: The NDIS Access Request

If you meet the four tests in this NDIS eligibility checklist, the next step is to submit an Access Request. There are three ways to start:

Phone the NDIS: Call 1800 800 110 and ask to start an Access Request over the phone. This is the fastest option for most people.
Complete the Access Request Form: Download the form from the NDIS website, complete Parts A to E about your situation and disability, and ask your treating professional to complete Part F.
Ask your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or Early Childhood Partner: They can help you submit your access request and gather supporting evidence.

The 21-Day Decision Timeframe

Under the Participant Service Guarantee, the NDIA has 21 days to make an access decision once it has a complete application. The clock works like this:

Day 0: You submit your Access Request with all supporting evidence.
Within 21 days: The NDIA must either approve your access, decline it, or request more information.
If more information is requested: You have 90 days to provide it. After that, the NDIA has another 14 days to decide.

If you are approved, you become an NDIS participant and the planning process begins. For a step-by-step walkthrough of what happens next, see our complete guide to how the NDIS works.

If You Are Not Approved

If your access request is declined, you have options:

Request a review: You have three months to ask the NDIA for an internal review of the decision.
Submit new evidence: If new diagnostic or functional capacity evidence becomes available, you can submit a fresh access request at any time. The NDIA confirms there are no limits to the number of times you can apply.
External review: If the internal review still rejects your application, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for an external review.
Advocacy support: Free disability advocacy services can support you through the review process.

The 2026 Reforms: How They Change the NDIS Eligibility Checklist

2026 is the year of the most significant NDIS reform package since the scheme began. The Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Bill 2026, introduced 14 May 2026, sets out a multi-year transition that affects access decisions, plan budgets, and the services available outside the NDIS.

Foundational Supports

Foundational Supports are a new tier of state-run disability services for people whose support needs do not require an individualised NDIS plan. The Australian Government has committed funding to state and territory governments to deliver these supports through mainstream services. Around 160,000 people who would have entered the NDIS over the next decade are expected to be supported through Foundational Supports instead.

Thriving Kids (From 1 October 2026)

Thriving Kids is the first phase of Foundational Supports. From 1 October 2026, the program begins rolling out state-based services for children aged 8 and under with low to moderate support needs from developmental delay or autism. Thriving Kids is expected to be at scale by 1 January 2028.

Key points for families:

Children already on the NDIS will not be pushed off the scheme.
Children with high support needs or permanent significant disability remain eligible for the NDIS.
Children with low to moderate support needs will be supported through Thriving Kids services delivered through maternal and child health, early childhood education, and allied health in mainstream settings.
Joint government funding of $4 billion over 5 years has been committed, with at least $1.4 billion provided directly to states.

For background on early childhood NDIS changes, see our Thriving Kids explainer.

Support Needs Assessments from April 2027

The NDIA is introducing support needs assessments from April 2027 as part of its new way of planning. The NDIA describes them as an information-gathering step to create fairer budgets in plans, so they shape plan funding rather than the access decision. The NDIA has not published a date for retiring the access lists. The disability requirements in section 24 of the NDIS Act continue to apply, and they already turn on functional impact rather than diagnosis alone.

The argument for the change is fairness: two people with the same diagnosis can have very different support needs, and two people with different diagnoses can have very similar needs. The concern from the sector is that functional assessments can be inconsistent across assessors, and that the new test will exclude people who are currently supported.

What Has Already Changed (and What Has Not)

If you are applying in 2026 right now, the existing rules in this NDIS eligibility checklist still apply. The four-test framework is unchanged. The condition lists still apply. The 21-day Participant Service Guarantee still applies.

What is changing first is the package of supports and how some budget categories work. Thriving Kids state services begin rolling out from 1 October 2026. NDIS eligibility does not change on that date. From 1 January 2028, NDIS access arrangements change for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism at low to moderate support needs. The changes require amendments to the NDIS Act 2013.

For a comprehensive look at the reform package, see our 2026 NDIS Planning Changes guide.

Evidence You Will Need: A Practical Checklist

When you submit an Access Request, the evidence you provide drives the decision. Here is what to gather before you apply:

Proof of identity: Drivers licence, passport, Medicare card, or another government-issued ID.
Proof of residence: Citizenship certificate, visa documentation, or a current Australian utility bill if you are a citizen.
Diagnosis and date of diagnosis: A report from the specialist who diagnosed the condition.
Severity or stage of condition: Particularly important for autism (DSM-V level), cerebral palsy (GMFCS level), and intellectual disability (mild, moderate, severe, profound).
Functional capacity evidence: A report from an occupational therapist, psychologist, or other allied health professional showing how the disability affects daily life across the six functional domains.
Treatment history: Evidence of treatments tried, particularly for the 2026 framework that asks whether you have explored available treatments.
Reports from your treating team: GP, specialist, and any allied health professionals involved in your care.

The general rule: stronger evidence leads to better decisions and fewer reviews. If you are unsure what evidence will help most for your situation, speak with a Local Area Coordinator or a support coordinator before you submit.

NDIS Eligibility Checklist FAQ

Can I apply for the NDIS without a formal diagnosis?

For children under 6 with developmental delay, yes: a formal diagnosis is not always required because developmental delay itself can support an early intervention application. For adults, you will generally need at least one formal diagnosis from a relevant specialist before the NDIA can make an access decision.

Does autism automatically qualify for the NDIS?

It depends on the severity level. No autism diagnosis qualifies automatically. The NDIA assesses whether a permanent impairment substantially reduces your functional capacity, not the diagnostic level. A Level 2 or Level 3 diagnosis is strong supporting evidence because those descriptors (“requires substantial support” and “requires very substantial support”) describe real functional impact, but the NDIA still asks for evidence of that impact. Autism at Level 1 is not automatic and requires functional capacity evidence showing substantially reduced capacity. Our access changes for children under 8 guide covers what is changing here.

What if my condition is rare or not well known?

You can still qualify. The NDIA assesses the functional impact of a permanent impairment, not whether your diagnosis appears on any particular list. Provide diagnostic evidence from a relevant specialist plus evidence of daily impact, showing that the impairment is likely to be permanent and substantially reduces your functional capacity. A rare diagnosis is not a barrier; thin functional evidence is.

How long does it take to get a decision after I apply?

The NDIA must make an access decision within 21 days of receiving a complete application. If they need more information, you have 90 days to provide it, then they have another 14 days. In practice, decisions usually come within four to six weeks when evidence is complete.

What if I am 65 or older when I apply for the first time?

You cannot enter the NDIS. The age cap is firm. Support for people 65 and over is delivered through the aged care system via My Aged Care. People who are already NDIS participants when they turn 65 can choose whether to stay on the NDIS. If you are a First Nations person and an NDIS participant, you can choose to access aged care supports from age 50 or continue as an NDIS participant.

Am I eligible if I am on a temporary or bridging visa?

No. You must hold Australian citizenship, be a permanent resident, or hold a Protected Special Category Visa. People on temporary, bridging, or visitor visas are not eligible for NDIS funding.

Will the 2026 reforms remove me from the NDIS if I am already a participant?

The Australian Government has stated that existing participants will not be pushed off the scheme. The reforms primarily affect new applicants and the supports available outside the NDIS through the new Foundational Supports tier. Existing participants will continue to be reassessed under the scheme’s usual plan review processes, though those processes themselves are evolving.

What is the difference between the disability requirements and the early intervention requirements?

The disability requirements (section 24 of the NDIS Act) apply when your impairment is already permanent and you need supports for life. The early intervention requirements (section 25) apply when supports now will reduce your need later, even if your impairment is not yet considered permanent. Many young children qualify through early intervention before later transitioning to the disability pathway.

Do I need to re-apply each year?

No. Once you are an NDIS participant, you stay a participant. You will have regular plan reviews (now called reassessments), but these are about your plan budget and goals, not about re-proving your eligibility.

Can I get help to apply?

Yes. Free help is available from Local Area Coordinators, Early Childhood Partners (for young children), disability advocacy organisations, and registered support coordinators. Many people find the process easier when they have someone to help with paperwork and evidence gathering.

How Centre of Hope Can Help

Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in New South Wales. We support people who are already participants in the NDIS through:

Support Coordination (Level 2): We help you understand your plan, choose providers, and use your funding well.
Specialist Support Coordination (Level 3): For participants with complex support needs, we coordinate across multiple services and advocate on your behalf.
Psychosocial Recovery Coaching: Specialist support for participants with mental health conditions.
Employment Coaching: Help with finding, applying for, and keeping a job that fits your goals.
Justice and Re-Entry Support: Specialist support for participants involved in the justice system.

If you are applying for the NDIS for the first time, we recommend starting with your Local Area Coordinator (find yours at ndis.gov.au) or a disability advocacy organisation, since access decisions sit with the NDIA. Once you are a participant, Centre of Hope can help you make the most of your plan.

Your goals. Your plan. Our support.

The NDIS eligibility checklist is the first step. The real work begins after you are approved: choosing the right providers, building a plan that reflects what matters to you, and using your funding to live the life you want.

If you are an NDIS participant in New South Wales and want a support coordinator who explains your plan in plain English, advocates for what you need, and helps you choose providers who genuinely care, get in touch.

Call us: 0432 250 900
Visit: centreofhope.com.au
Email: hello@centreofhope.com.au
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