Reading your plan budget

The three budget types

Plans issued under the current arrangements group funding into three budgets. Understanding which budget a support sits in tells you how flexibly you can spend it.

• Core — everyday supports: assistance with daily life, consumables, social and community participation, and transport. Core is usually the most flexible.
• Capacity Building — building skills and independence: therapies, life skills, employment supports, support coordination. Funding generally has to stay within its category.
• Capital — higher-cost items: assistive technology, home modifications, and specialist disability accommodation. Almost always stated, and often quote-based.

Stated versus flexible

Flexible funding can be moved between supports inside its budget. Stated funding must be spent on the specific support named in the plan, and cannot be redirected — this is common for Capital items, Specialist Disability Accommodation and some behaviour support.

Funding periods

The NDIA has introduced funding periods, which release a portion of the plan budget across set intervals rather than the full amount up front. The intention is to help plans last their full length. In practice it means the pace of spending matters: if you plan a large block of support, check with your plan manager or the NDIA that the funds for that period will cover it.

Practical habits that prevent trouble

• Check your remaining balance monthly, not at plan review time
• Keep invoices and service agreements together in one place
• Tell your provider early if hours need to change — rosters are set weeks ahead
• Ask for a spending projection before you commit to a new ongoing service