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NDIS Budget Tools

Know exactly what your plan can buy.

Three calculators built for NDIS participants. No jargon, no line item codes — just clear answers about your funding.

Why most participants under-use their NDIS budget

$4.3 billion in NDIS funding goes unspent every year in Australia. The single biggest reason is that participants do not know how far their money goes.

$4.3B

in NDIS funding left unspent annually

62%

of participants find plan budgeting confusing

1 in 3

participants run out of Core funding before plan end

Understanding your three NDIS budgets

Every NDIS plan is divided into three distinct funding buckets — Core Supports, Capacity Building, and Capital Supports. Each bucket has specific rules about what you can spend it on and how much flexibility you have to move money between items. Most participants understand their total plan value but not how it splits — which leads to one budget running dry while another sits untouched at plan end.

Core Supports — your most flexible budget

Core Supports is typically the largest portion of an NDIS plan. It covers day-to-day disability-related assistance: support workers for personal care and domestic tasks, community access and social participation, consumables, and transport to appointments. Core is the most flexible — you can generally move money between support categories within Core without needing a plan variation.

The NDIS Pricing Arrangements 2025–26 sets a maximum of $70.23/hr for a weekday support worker, rising to $98.32 on Saturdays and $126.42 on Sundays. These rates compound quickly across a week — the Hours Calculator shows you exactly how many weeks your budget lasts.

Capacity Building — your therapy and skills budget

Capacity Building covers allied health therapies (OT, speech pathology, physiotherapy, psychology), support coordination, and skill-building. Unlike Core, CB is less flexible — funding in one sub-category generally cannot be moved to another without a plan variation.

Most therapies are capped at $201.65/hr nationally, with psychology at $231.80/hr. A $10,000 CB budget covers roughly 49 hours of OT or 43 sessions of psychology — the Hours Calculator runs this maths instantly for any amount and frequency.

Capital Supports — equipment and home modifications

Capital Supports fund one-off purchases: assistive technology (wheelchairs, communication devices), vehicle and home modifications, and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). These are the most tightly controlled — purchases above certain thresholds require quotes and prior NDIA approval. The Budget Splitter flags when your Capital allocation is unusually high and gives context on what it typically covers.

Remote area pricing — what it means for your budget

If you live in a remote or very remote area, NDIS providers can charge up to 40% more (remote, MMM 4–5) or 50% more (very remote, MMM 6–7). Your budget buys fewer hours of support — a critical factor that most online NDIS calculators ignore. Both calculators above include a location toggle so your estimates reflect what you can actually access.