NDIS Changes in 2026: What Has Changed and What Comes Next

This guide is accurate as of 26 October 2026. NDIS reforms are being rolled out in stages and dates can move, so check the official timeline linked below before you rely on any one date.

If you have searched for "NDIS changes" lately, you have probably found a mix of news, rumour and guesswork. This guide sticks to what the Australian Government and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (the NDIS Commission, which registers and regulates providers) have published, with a date and a link for each change.

The law behind most of the changes

Most of what is changing comes from one law. The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill was passed by Parliament on 19 August 2026 and received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026, becoming an Act, according to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Not everything started that day. The department's reform timeline says some measures began 7 days after Royal Assent, and others are phased in through 2027, 2028 and beyond.

What has already changed in 2026

Date	What changed
1 July 2026	Supported Independent Living (SIL) and NDIS digital platform providers must be registered
27 August 2026	Tighter rules for unscheduled plan reassessments; new record-keeping rules; stronger fraud powers and penalties; the Minister becomes the decision-maker on NDIS pricing
1 October 2026	Thriving Kids rollout begins; some budgets adjusted as plans are reassessed or renewed; new plan variation pathway for people needing 24-hour care

Mandatory registration for SIL and digital platforms (1 July 2026)

Supported Independent Living is help with daily life for people who need support at all or most times of the day, delivered as a package by a provider. From 1 July 2026, SIL providers and NDIS digital platform providers need to be registered with the NDIS Commission, which means independent audits, worker screening and incident management (NDIS Commission).

The Commission set up transition pathways for providers who were already delivering SIL. Its SIL page refers to 1 October 2026 for providers who had not applied, and says a provider delivering SIL that chose not to apply will need to stop. The Commission also says it is not SIL if you only receive a few hours of support a day or week, or if you choose and manage your own support workers.

Mandatory registration for support coordination was also considered, but the Commission says that reform is paused.

Plan reassessments and record keeping (27 August 2026)

From 27 August 2026, according to the timeline:

• Unscheduled plan reassessments have tighter criteria. You can still ask for one when there has been a significant and ongoing change in your support needs, but only participants, plan nominees or guardians can request it.
• Records: participants and plan managers need to keep records relating to NDIS claims for 3 years, and providers for 7 years.
• Fraud: the NDIA (the National Disability Insurance Agency, which runs the scheme), the NDIS Commission and other authorities have stronger powers, and new offences cover things like giving false information or misusing a position as a participant's nominee.
• Pricing: the Minister for Disability and the NDIS now makes decisions on NDIS pricing.

1 October 2026

Three things began on 1 October, according to the timeline:

• The phased rollout of Thriving Kids, which lets children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism and low to moderate support needs, and their families, access supports outside the NDIS.
• Budgets for social, civic and community participation and capacity building daily activities are progressively reset as plans are reassessed or renewed. This is limited to those support types and happens plan by plan. There was no scheme-wide funding reset on 1 October. The department says these changes will not affect supports essential to participants' critical care and daily living needs (health.gov.au).
• A new plan variation pathway for participants with high support needs who require continuous 24-hour care.

What is scheduled next

These dates come from the September 2026 timeline. The department says it will update the timeline as dates are confirmed.

Date	What is scheduled
27 November 2026	Ban on providers offering kickbacks and inducements begins
1 February 2027	Plan rollovers end as plans are renewed; tighter "reasonable and necessary" assessment for new entrants
27 February 2027	New rules about debt recovery
1 April 2027	Participants start moving to new framework planning
1 July 2027	Expanded mandatory registration begins for higher risk supports; new provider enrolment system; whistleblower protections
1 October 2027	New panel of plan management providers, with a 6-month transition
1 January 2028	Access changes for new applicants; Thriving Kids fully operational
1 July 2028	New support coordination and connection function
31 December 2030	All participants moved to new framework plans

A few of these are worth explaining.

Plan rollovers (1 February 2027). When your plan reaches its scheduled reassessment date, a renewed plan will be created and unspent funds from the old plan will not carry over. The new "reasonable and necessary" criteria apply to new entrants first and then to current participants as they go through their usual reassessments.

New framework planning (1 April 2027). This is a new way of working out budgets, using a support needs assessment. The department delayed it to 1 April 2027 after consultation, and the transition runs until the end of 2030, so most people will not move on day one.

Expanded registration (1 July 2027). Rollout of mandatory registration expands to providers of higher risk activities such as personal care, daily living supports and supports in closed settings, with all providers in scope to be registered by December 2030.

Access changes (1 January 2028). For new applicants, eligibility will be based on a standardised assessment of functional capacity. Existing participants will be reassessed over a transition period, which the timeline puts at 3 years.

What this means when you are choosing a provider

A few of these changes are worth checking against any provider you are considering.

If you receive or are looking for SIL, the provider must now be registered for it. You can check a provider's registration on the NDIS Commission's provider register. Our guide on how to check an NDIS provider's registration walks through it, and our SIL explainer covers what SIL pays for.

Watch for inducements. From 27 November 2026, providers will be banned from offering kickbacks and inducements. A gift, voucher or "bonus" offered for signing up is a reason to be cautious now, not just after the ban starts.

Keep your own records. If you self-manage, keep invoices and receipts for NDIS claims for at least 3 years.

Plan ahead of a renewal. If your plan is due for reassessment after 1 February 2027, unspent funds will not roll over. Talk to your support coordinator, plan manager or Local Area Coordinator early about what you need, rather than counting on a balance carrying forward.

More providers will need registration from July 2027. If you use an unregistered provider for personal care or daily living, ask whether they plan to register, so you are not looking for someone new in a hurry later.

Finding a provider while things change

CareLocate is built from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's public register and covers more than 6,000 businesses. Where a provider has told us whether they are taking new clients, the listing shows it, with the date they last confirmed. You can search by suburb and support type, or describe the support you need through our Find Care form.

For anything about your own plan, the NDIA is the place to ask: call 1800 800 110 or contact your Local Area Coordinator. For the full list of reforms and the latest dates, keep the official timeline bookmarked.