Your first look at an NDIS plan can leave you with more questions than answers and that’s okay Core Supports, Capacity Building, Capital Supports: three budget categories, each with its own rules and it's not always obvious which one pays for what.
Getting this wrong can mean funds sitting unused, or hitting a limit sooner than you expected. On the other hand, understanding your budget is one of the most simple ways to get more out of your plan.
This guide breaks down what each category covers, from everyday disability home care in Sydney to support coordination and equipment. If you're currently looking for NDIS support in Sydney, we hope that it helps you work out where your funding fits.
There are three main support budgets that your NDIS plan is split into: Core, Capacity Building and Capital. We’ll have a brief look before taking a deeper dive.
Of the three types of budget, this is your most flexible. You can easily move money between the four sub-categories to help yourself out.
This budget is used to help build your long-term independence. The money is put into specific categories and cannot be moved around.
Of the three budgets, this is the strictest. It is for big-ticket items and once-only purchases for your home or transportation. You cannot move money from here to other budgets.
Now let's look at the three budget types in more detail.
The Core Supports budget covers your assistance with daily life, consumables related to your disability and participation in social and community activities.
This budget allows you to move funds around as you need. If your weekly routines change and you need more consumables, or if there is a big social occasion, you can move funds around so you’re not coming up short.
You can’t move funds from the Core Supports budget into the other two budgets, however.
Core Supports is made up of four categories and there's a fifth area, Home and Living, that isn't part of Core but is closely connected to it:
Assistance with Daily Life: Support workers may help you with everyday tasks at home, such as showering, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, cleaning, laundry and managing medication.
This part of the budget may also help with household tasks like gardening or home maintenance. This category also funds Supported Independent Living (SIL), where support is provided around the clock in a shared home. Support can be a few hours a week or daily, depending on what's in your plan.
Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation: A support worker helps you take part in community life. That includes social outings, recreational and sporting activities, classes and group programs, volunteering and supported employment-related activities.
Funding covers the worker's time and their reasonable costs, but not your own entry fees or the activity itself.
Consumables: Everyday disability-related items you buy regularly. That includes continence products, wound care supplies, low-cost assistive technology (such as pill organisers, adapted cutlery or simple mobility aids) and some communication aids. Higher-cost assistive technology sits in the Capital Supports budget.
Transport: Funding to help with travel costs. It's usually paid as a set annual amount based on your needs and circumstances, and it's not tied to individual trips.
You can use it for things like taxis or rideshares, public transport, or vehicle costs, to get to work, study, appointments or community activities. It is mainly for individuals who are unable to use public transport or drive.
Home and Living: This isn't one of the four official Core categories. Home and Living is a separate area of NDIS funding for supports tied to where and how you live. Supported Independent Living (SIL) is the main example and it's paid out of the Assistance with Daily Life category. Other options include Individualised Living Options (ILO), which are more flexible arrangements for people who want to live in their own home, with a housemate or with family.
These supports cover the cost of help at home, not rent, groceries or general living costs, which you pay individually.
Capacity Building is a dedicated category designed to help you build long-term skills and the confidence to navigate and manage life independently. Support Coordination, a fourth pillar of the NDIS budget, currently sits inside the Capacity Building budget.
Unlike Core funding, where the allocations of funds are flexible, Capacity Building funds are 'stated', which means you can't move money from therapies into Support Coordination, for example.
A Capacity Building budget is not automatically granted. It's only included in your NDIS plan if the NDIA agrees to it.
Capacity Building is made up of three main categories, each set aside for a specific purpose and focused on helping you build skills and independence over time:
Therapy Services: Therapy supports help you build skills, manage everyday tasks and become more independent. This includes speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy and can extend to other allied health supports like psychology and dietetics, depending on your plan.
Funding covers assessments, therapy sessions and training for you, and sometimes for your family or support workers. It doesn't replace health care covered by Medicare or the public health system.
Support Coordination: A support coordinator helps you understand your plan, find and connect with providers and make the most of your funding. They can organise service agreements, check in on how your supports are going and help when something needs to change.
The funding pays for the coordinator's time, not the supports themselves. Some people get a basic level of help to get started, while others with more complex needs receive more intensive support. However, Support Coordination is gradually being phased out within individual organisations, with new models of support coordination services expected to be introduced.
Employment and Training: This funding helps you prepare for work and build the skills to find a job. It can cover job readiness, skill building, career training and support to settle into a workplace. It's also available for school leavers working towards their first job. You might use it for things like résumé help, interview practice or on-the-job support.
A support coordinator helps you turn your NDIS plan into real-world supports, and the role covers four main areas:
There are three levels of Support Coordination funding:
The Capital Supports budget provides help with higher-cost equipment and structural home modifications to improve your quality of life. This can include grab rails, ramps or specialised equipment.
The budget is non-flexible. You can only use the funds in a Capital Supports budget for at-home modifications. Expensive items require both a professional therapist's assessment and multiple vendor quotes before being approved. Standard items and furniture aren't included in this budget. Capital Supports is the budget for bigger, one-off purchases that help you live more independently at home and in the community. It covers three main areas:
Assistive Technology: This covers higher-cost equipment that helps you with mobility, communication, hearing and everyday tasks. It includes wheelchairs, hearing aids and communication devices. Your plan will say whether you need a quote before you buy the item.
Home Modifications: Changes to your home that make it safer and easier to get around. Examples include ramps, bathroom adjustments and handrails. Quotes are usually requested for these modifications.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA): Specialised housing designed for people with high support needs. SDA funding covers the cost of the purpose-built home itself, not the supports delivered there or rent, and it's only included in your plan if you're eligible.
Every NDIS plan is built differently, but the logic behind the budgets stays the same. Core Supports cover day-to-day life and can be moved around as your needs change. Capacity Building is set aside for skills and independence, with Support Coordination helping you put your plan into action. If your plan still feels overwhelming, you don't have to work it out alone. Interaction Services provides NDIS support in Sydney, including community access, support coordination and behaviour support, and helps you turn your funding into supports that fit your life.
Whether you're looking for disability home care in Sydney or NDIS support coordination in Windsor, our team can walk you through your budgets and connect you with the right services.
Get in touch with Interaction Services today to talk through your plan and find the support that works for you.
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