NDIS Goals Examples: How to Write Goals for Your Plan

Home » NDIS Goals Examples: How to Write Goals for Your Plan

Looking for NDIS goals examples before a planning conversation is one of the most sensible things you can do. After all, goals sit at the front of every NDIS plan, they shape the conversation with your planner, and a planner will often ask about them with very little warning. This guide gives you real NDIS goals examples, including the NDIA’s own published wording, and explains what a goal does and does not do. It also covers how to change your goals later without waiting for a new plan.

NDIS goals examples: quick summary

Before the NDIS goals examples themselves, here are the rules that govern them.

You must have at least one goal in your plan. There is no maximum, and the goals you set are completely up to you.
Goals can be small and short term or big and long term. They can be specific, like learning to drive, or broad, like becoming more independent.
Setting more or bigger goals does not mean the NDIA will fund more or bigger supports.
Goals inform what is funded, but they do not link directly to funding. Helping you pursue a goal is only one of the funding criteria.
You can set a goal even if the NDIS will not fund supports for it.
You can change your goals at any time without getting a new plan. That is treated as a small change to your plan.

What an NDIS goal actually is

First, the NDIA describes goals simply. Goals are the things you want to work towards, and they help other people understand what you need. They also help you think about your strengths, they give you motivation to try new things, and they give you something to measure progress against.

Then, once you become a participant, your goals do a specific job. They help the NDIA understand how to support you, what NDIS supports and funding might be needed in your plan, and what other community and mainstream supports might help you. That last part is easy to miss, and it explains why a goal that the NDIS will not fund is still worth writing down.

Meanwhile, the NDIA’s advice on the shape of a goal is short: your goals should be simple and clear. There is no required format, no word limit, and no official template. That is exactly why NDIS goals examples are so useful. Since nothing is prescribed, seeing how other people phrase a goal does more good than any rulebook.

The NDIA’s own NDIS goals examples

These NDIS goals examples come from the NDIA itself. They are worth starting with, because they show the level of detail that actually works. In practice that is more concrete than most people expect, and far less clinical than most people fear.

Short term goals

Firstly, the NDIA describes short term goals as ones you can usually work towards in 12 months or less. Its published examples are:

“This year, I want to learn to use public transport by myself, so I can go to the library or out with friends and not rely on my Mum.”
“Within the next four months, I want to be able to shower myself, without a support worker.”
“I want to learn how to make dinner for myself and cook 2 times a week.”

Medium to long term goals

Secondly, these may take several years, and the NDIA notes that it is important to identify the steps towards pursuing them. Its published examples are:

“In the next few years, I want to move out of home, maybe with a friend.”
“By next Christmas, I would like to get a job so that I can pay my own bills.”

Notice the pattern running through all five NDIS goals examples above. Each one names the thing, gives a rough timeframe, and then says why it matters. That final clause is what turns a task into a goal.

More NDIS goals examples by life area

The NDIS goals examples below follow the same style. However, they are illustrations only, not NDIA wording, and definitely not a menu to pick from. Use them to see the shape, then write your own in your own words.

Life area	Example goal
Daily living skills	Over the next year I want to manage my own morning routine, so I can get myself ready without prompting.
Getting around	Within six months I want to travel to my TAFE campus and back on my own, so I am not depending on lifts.
Work	This year I want to find part time work in retail, so I have my own income and a reason to leave the house.
Study	By the end of next year I want to finish a certificate course, so I can apply for the jobs I actually want.
Social life	I want to join one community group and go regularly, so I see people outside my family each week.
Communication	Over the next year I want to be understood by people who do not know me, so I can order for myself and ask for help.
Home and living	In the next two years I want to move into my own place, so I can decide how I live day to day.
Health and wellbeing	This year I want to get to my appointments without someone reminding me, so I stay on top of my own health.
Managing your plan	Over this plan I want to understand my budget well enough to choose my own providers with less help.
Relationships	I want to rebuild regular contact with my brother and his kids, so my family life is not only appointments.

The questions the NDIA uses to help you set goals

Plenty of people freeze when a planner asks what their goals are. The NDIA publishes prompt questions for exactly that moment, grouped into four areas.

Your life now. What is working well in your life now, and how do we keep those things happening? Is anything not working well, and what needs to change so the situation improves? What is the most important thing to you right now?

Your future. When you think of yourself being happy and living a good life, what comes into your mind and what do you see? Does anything need to change so you can have that life? What do you see your life looking like by the end of the year or your next birthday, and what would be different from now?

Work or study. Are you working or studying now, and do you want to in future? Perhaps you are looking for a job, or you are in your final year of school. Are you thinking about pathways such as education, vocational training, community participation, volunteering, or new skills like using public transport, managing daily routines or reading social cues?

Social life and community. Are you involved in social and community activities? Do you want to be more involved, now or in future? What are the things you would most like to change?

The NDIA also suggests a practical technique: include short term goals that help you work towards your bigger, longer term goals. So a goal about moving out of home can sit alongside a goal about cooking twice a week, and the second one becomes a step towards the first. Most good NDIS goals examples pair up like that.

What NDIS goals do not do

This is where most disappointment comes from, so it is worth being blunt. No amount of polished NDIS goals examples will change the rules underneath.

The NDIA states that helping you work towards your goals is only one part of the decision about whether a support is an NDIS support for you. Its guideline on reasonable and necessary supports lists the criterion as whether the support will help you pursue the goals, objectives and aspirations in your plan. A support has to meet all of the criteria, not just that one.

Therefore the NDIA sets out three things to remember whenever you write goals:

Setting more or bigger goals does not mean it will fund more or bigger NDIS supports.
Setting a goal does not mean the NDIA must give you supports to help you work towards it.
A goal might need supports that the rules say cannot be funded.

The NDIA puts it another way on its goal setting page: your goals do not link directly to funding, but they do help inform what NDIS supports should be included in your plan. Consequently, a goal is not a request. Writing “I want 10 hours of support work” as a goal does not function as an application for 10 hours. Write the life outcome instead, then discuss supports in the meeting.

Writing your goals before the plan meeting

The NDIA recommends writing your goals down in your own words before your plan meeting. If you cannot write them down, your NDIA planner can do it for you during the meeting. Reading a few NDIS goals examples first often makes that job much easier.

Furthermore, its advice on preparing covers your day to day needs, who is in your support network, and how you would like to manage your funding. Your planner will then talk with you about your goals and support needs, how your plan was created, the NDIS supports included in it, how you want to manage your funding, and how long your plan will be in place.

Finally, if you are not sure where to start, the NDIA suggests talking it through with a family member, a friend, your my NDIS contact, a support coordinator or a recovery coach. A second person is genuinely useful here, because goals are hard to see from inside your own routine.

How to change your NDIS goals

Goals age faster than plans do. You might meet a goal earlier than expected, or your situation might change, or you might simply be approaching the end of a plan and thinking about what comes next. Notably, all three are reasons the NDIA itself names for changing goals. So it pays to revisit NDIS goals examples whenever your life shifts.

Fortunately, none of that requires a new plan. The NDIA can make small changes to your plan at any time, and updating your goals counts as one of them. It calls that kind of small change a plan variation, and you can keep using your plan while you wait. Afterwards, you will see the updated goals in the my NDIS participant portal, the myplace portal or the my NDIS app. Anyone you have given consent to see your plan will see the updated goals too, which may include your providers, plan manager, support coordinator or recovery coach.

To start the process, simply call the NDIA on 1800 800 110, submit an enquiry through its service hub, or talk to your my NDIS contact in person.

However, one caution applies, in the NDIA’s own words: changing your goals does not mean you will have more NDIS supports or funding added to your plan. It also asks you to tell it whenever your goals change, so your plan stays accurate.

How to check any NDIS goals rule yourself

Plenty of advice about NDIS goals circulates online, and a good deal of it has no source at all. Because of that, treat any NDIS goals examples you find elsewhere as a starting point rather than as rules. Here is how to check the rules at the source in about five minutes.

Read the NDIA’s page on what goals are. It states the minimum of one goal and the caveats about funding.
Read its companion page on how to set goals for the prompt questions and the worked example.
Read how to change your goals for the variation process.
Scroll to the bottom of each page and check the “This page current as of” date. The dates behind this article are 10 June 2026, 10 June 2026 and 17 July 2026.
If something you have been told is not on any of those pages, ask where it comes from before you act on it.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find official NDIS goals examples?

The NDIA publishes worked examples on its goal setting page and in Booklet 2, Creating your NDIS plan. Those are the NDIS goals examples quoted earlier in this guide. Everything else you find online, including our own life area table, is illustration rather than official wording.

How many goals should an NDIS plan have?

At least one. The NDIA says you can have as many as you want, and that the goals you set are completely up to you. Most people find that a handful of goals they genuinely care about works better than a long list.

Do NDIS goals have to be SMART goals?

No. SMART is a general goal setting framework, and the NDIA does not require it. Its own guidance simply asks that goals be simple and clear. A rough timeframe and a reason still help, as its published examples show.

Can I have a goal the NDIS will not fund?

Yes. The NDIA states that you can set any goals you like, even if they are about things it will not fund supports for. Those goals still help it understand what community and mainstream supports might help you.

What is the difference between a short term and a long term NDIS goal?

Short term goals are ones you can usually work towards in 12 months or less. Medium to long term goals may take several years, and the NDIA suggests identifying the steps towards them.

Do my goals decide how much funding I get?

Not directly. Goals inform what supports belong in your plan, but a support must meet all of the funding criteria to be funded. Helping you pursue a goal is only one of those criteria.

Can I change my NDIS goals mid plan?

Yes. Updating your goals is treated as a small change, made through a plan variation, and you can keep using your plan while you wait. Our guide to NDIS plan reassessment explains the bigger changes.

Who can help me write my NDIS goals?

A family member, a friend, your my NDIS contact, a support coordinator or a recovery coach. The NDIA names all of these as people you can talk to if you are not sure how to start.

What if I cannot write my goals down?

Your NDIA planner can write them down for you during your plan meeting. Writing them beforehand is a recommendation, not a requirement.

Should my goals mention specific supports or providers?

Generally no. A goal describes what you want to work towards, not the service you want to buy. You can talk about how your goals link to funded supports during the plan meeting.

Where do I see my goals once the plan is approved?

In the my NDIS participant portal, the myplace portal or the my NDIS app. People you have given consent to, such as your plan manager or support coordinator, can also see them.

How Centre of Hope can help

Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in New South Wales, and we work with people before, during and after their planning conversations. Writing goals is usually the part people most want a hand with, because it asks you to describe a life rather than a problem. Reading NDIS goals examples helps, although a conversation helps more.

Our Support Coordination team can help you draft goals, prepare for a plan meeting, and connect the goals to the right supports afterwards. For more complex situations, Level 3 Specialist Support Coordination is available. If your goals are about work, our Employment Coaching service focuses on exactly that, and our Psychosocial Recovery Coaching service supports recovery focused goals over a longer horizon.

You can call us on 0432 250 900.