What Does the NDIS Cover?
Every funded support has to pass a specific test before it makes it into a plan. Understanding that test genuinely clears up most of the confusion around what gets funded, and what doesn't.
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The Reasonable and Necessary Test
Every support included in a plan has to meet what's officially called the "reasonable and necessary" criteria. This isn't one single rule, several factors get weighed together:
Related to disability
A genuine, direct link needs to exist between the support and the disability itself.
Value for money
The cost needs to make sense relative to the benefit it provides.
Effective and beneficial
Genuine evidence needs to show the support actually works and helps.
Most appropriately funded by the scheme
Some needs are better met elsewhere, through health, education, or other government and community systems.
Importantly, a plan gets approved as a whole package, not support by support. Everything included needs to work sensibly together, not just tick each box individually.
What Generally Gets Covered
Typically funded
- Personal care and assistance with daily tasks
- Support to access work, study, or community activities
- Therapy and skill-building supports
- Assistive technology and home modifications directly related to disability
- Support coordination and plan management
Typically not funded
- General day-to-day living costs like rent, groceries, or utility bills
- Costs unrelated to disability support needs
- Supports better provided through mainstream services like health or education
- Payments to family members for supports they'd reasonably provide informally
An important exception: everyday costs can sometimes still be funded if they exist solely and directly because of disability support needs, rather than being a cost anyone would face regardless.
What Generally Doesn't Get Covered
A few situations come up often enough to be worth naming specifically. Health treatments unrelated to disability generally sit outside the scheme, since medical systems already exist to handle them. Ordinary household items, like a fridge or basic furniture, usually stay a personal responsibility too, though a specific modified or adapted version of an item might genuinely qualify.
Family members generally don't get paid to deliver support either. This isn't arbitrary, evidence shows that paying family for support that would otherwise be informal can actually strain relationships and affect wellbeing over time.
Not Sure About a Specific Item?
A specific "Would we fund it" resource exists precisely for this reason, it walks through commonly requested items and explains, with real examples, how funding decisions typically get made for each one. It's genuinely worth checking before assuming something either will or won't be covered.
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This guide is part of our full "Understanding the NDIS" series:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the "reasonable and necessary" test?
The set of criteria every funded support has to meet, including being related to disability, value for money, effective and beneficial, and most appropriately funded by the scheme rather than another system.
Does the NDIS cover rent or groceries?
Generally no, these count as everyday living costs. An exception can apply if the cost exists solely and directly because of a disability support need.
Can family members get paid to provide support?
Generally not, since evidence suggests this can affect family relationships and wellbeing. Exceptions exist in specific individual circumstances.
How do I know if something specific will be funded?
The official "Would we fund it" resource explains how decisions are typically made for commonly requested items, using real examples.
Does my whole plan need to make sense together, not just each item?
Yes, a plan gets approved as a package. Every included support needs to work sensibly alongside the others, not just meet the criteria in isolation.