Understanding Your NDIS Funding
Every plan organises funding into support budgets, and understanding what each one actually covers is one of the most useful things a participant can learn. Here's a plain-English breakdown of all 4, straight from the official guidelines.
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The Basics
A plan reflects individual needs and goals, so most participants only carry funding in the budgets that actually apply to them, not all 4 at once. Overall, the system breaks funding into 4 support budgets, and each budget further splits into specific support categories, 21 in total across the scheme.
Some categories offer flexibility, meaning a participant can spend the total across different supports within that budget. Others are "stated," which means the funding has to go exactly where it's described, without shifting to something else.
Core Supports
This is the most flexible of the 4 budgets, helping with everyday activities and community involvement. Because it's flexible, a participant can generally spend it across its own support categories as needed, rather than locking it to one specific use.
- Assistance with daily life (help with self-care, household tasks, personal domestic activities)
- Transport
- Consumables (everyday items like continence products)
- Assistance with social and community participation
Capacity Building Supports
This budget builds skills and independence over time, working directly towards the goals in a plan. It can span up to 9 support categories, though funding here is generally stated rather than fully flexible, so a participant needs to spend it within the described category, while still choosing which specific supports to buy inside it.
Support Coordination usually sits within this budget. In practice, it funds the skills and confidence to coordinate supports and providers more independently over time.
Capital Supports
This budget covers higher-cost investments, and a plan restricts it to specific identified items. That includes:
- Assistive technology and equipment
- Home or vehicle modifications
- Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
Most items here count as "quotable," so a provider needs to negotiate and agree a price before supplying them.
Recurring Supports
This budget pays out on a regular, ongoing basis rather than as a lump sum. Transport funding is a common example, relevant for participants who can't travel or use public transport independently. If someone doesn't need transport funding, their plan simply shows a zero-dollar amount here rather than leaving it out entirely.
A note on flexibility: funding generally can't move between budgets. For example, a participant can't reallocate Core Supports funding to Capital Supports, even with money left over. Understanding this distinction early really helps, since it shapes how someone can realistically use a plan day to day.
Continue Learning
This guide is part of our full "Understanding the NDIS" series:
Frequently Asked Questions
How many support budgets are there?
There are 4: Core Supports, Capacity Building Supports, Capital Supports, and Recurring Supports. Most participants only carry funding in the budgets that match their individual needs, not all 4 at once.
Which budget is the most flexible?
Core Supports generally offers the most flexibility. A participant can typically spend it across its own categories based on their goals and circumstances.
Can I move funding between budgets?
No. A participant generally can't reallocate funding from one budget to another, for example, moving Core Supports funding into Capital Supports isn't allowed.
What is Support Coordination and which budget is it in?
Support Coordination usually sits within the Capacity Building budget. It funds the skills and confidence needed to manage supports and providers more independently over time.
What counts as a Capital Support?
Higher-cost items like assistive technology, home or vehicle modifications, and Specialist Disability Accommodation. For most of these, a provider needs to negotiate and agree a price before supplying them.