Understanding your NDIS plan: a plain-language guide
Your NDIS plan is split into three budgets: Core, Capacity Building and Capital. Here's what each one means and how to make them work for your goals.
Receiving your first NDIS plan can feel overwhelming. There are budgets, categories, line items and a lot of acronyms. The good news? Once you understand how a plan is structured, it becomes far less daunting, and far more useful.
The three budgets in your plan
Every NDIS plan is organised into three types of funding.
1. Core Supports
This is usually the most flexible budget. It funds the everyday supports that help you live your life: assistance with daily activities, consumables, social and community participation, and transport. In most cases you can move funding between Core categories as your needs change.
2. Capacity Building Supports
This budget is all about building your independence and skills over time. It’s where Support Coordination sits, along with supports like improved daily living, finding and keeping a job, and improved health and wellbeing. Unlike Core, Capacity Building funding is allocated to specific categories and can’t be moved between them.
3. Capital Supports
This funds higher-cost items like assistive technology, equipment and home or vehicle modifications. Capital funding is highly specific: it can only be spent on the items it was approved for.
Where Support Coordination fits in
If your plan includes funding under Capacity Building: Support Coordination, you’re entitled to work with a Support Coordinator. Their job is to help you understand all of the above, connect you with quality providers, and make sure your supports are actually working toward your goals.
A good Support Coordinator turns a confusing document into a clear, practical plan of action.
A few tips to get started
- Read the goals section first. Everything in your plan flows from your goals. They’re the “why” behind your funding.
- Don’t rush to spend. Take time to understand what each budget is for before committing to providers.
- Ask questions. There’s no such thing as a silly question when it comes to your plan.
If you’d like a hand making sense of your plan, get in touch. We’re always happy to help you check what’s there and what it means for you.
