If you’re an NDIS participant wondering whether you can get funding for your beloved dog or cat, you’re not alone. Many Australians find comfort in their pets, with 69% of Australian households owning at least one. But here’s what you need to know straight away: there’s a critical difference between an emotional support animal and an assistance animal when it comes to NDIS funding and legal rights.
The short answer? The NDIS does not fund emotional support animals. Only assistance animals that perform specific trained tasks related to your disability may be eligible for NDIS funding. This distinction affects everything from public access rights to what you can claim in your plan.
Key Takeaways
- Emotional support animals provide comfort but have no legal recognition or NDIS funding in Australia
- Assistance animals are specially trained, legally recognised, and may be NDIS-funded in specific circumstances
- You cannot “register” an emotional support animal in NSW or any Australian state – they’re considered pets
- The NDIS may fund animal-assisted therapy sessions, but not the animal itself
- Anxiety alone doesn’t automatically qualify you for an assistance animal
- Assistance animals must pass a Public Access Test to receive legal protections
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal provides companionship and comfort to someone experiencing mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other psychological challenges. They don’t need special training, formal certification, or to be a particular breed. Your family cat, your rescue dog, or your childhood pet can all serve as emotional support animals simply by being there for you.
Here’s the thing many people don’t realise: emotional support animals aren’t legally recognised in Australia. Unlike in the United States, where ESAs have some legal protections, Australian law treats them the same as any other pet. This means an emotional support animal has no automatic right to accompany you into shops, on public transport, or into rental properties that don’t allow pets.
What Is an Assistance Animal in Australia?
Assistance animals in Australia are working animals – usually dogs – that have undergone extensive training to perform specific tasks that help someone with a disability. Under Section 9 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, an assistance animal must meet one of these criteria:
- Be accredited under State or Territory law to assist people with disability
- Be accredited by an animal training organisation prescribed by the Australian Government
- Be trained to assist someone with a disability and meet hygiene and behaviour standards appropriate for public places
These animals aren’t pets. Think guide dogs for vision impairment, hearing dogs for the Deaf, or mobility assistance dogs that can open doors, retrieve items, or provide physical support. Some psychiatric assistance dogs help people with PTSD, severe anxiety disorders, or autism by performing trained tasks like deep pressure therapy during panic attacks or creating physical space in crowded areas.
Assistance animals Australia-wide have legal rights under the Disability Discrimination Act, which means they can accompany their handler into virtually any public space – restaurants, shopping centres, hospitals, public transport, and workplaces. Only 24 government-accredited assistance dog trainers operate across all of Australia, which partly explains why receiving a trained assistance animal typically takes around 24 months.
Key Differences Between Emotional Support Animals and Assistance Animals
|
Emotional Support Animal |
Assistance Animal |
|
Provides comfort through companionship |
Performs specific trained tasks |
|
No special training required |
Requires 1-2 years of professional training |
|
Not legally recognised |
Protected under Disability Discrimination Act 1992 |
|
No public access rights |
Full public access rights |
|
Cannot be registered |
Must pass Public Access Test |
|
Not NDIS funded |
May be NDIS funded if criteria are met |
|
Considered a pet |
Considered assistive technology |
The core difference? Assistance animals perform active tasks that you can’t do yourself because of your disability. An emotional support animal might make you feel calmer, but an assistance animal might alert you to an oncoming seizure, wake you from a nightmare, or physically retrieve your medication when you can’t get out of bed.
Does the NDIS Cover Emotional Support Animals?
No. The NDIS does not fund emotional support animals, their training, or their ongoing care. This includes emotional support dogs, cats, or any other companion animal, regardless of how much benefit they provide to your mental health.
Why? The NDIS considers emotional support animal NDIS funding requests as personal expenses rather than disability-related supports. The NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) distinguishes between animals that perform trained tasks versus those that provide comfort through their presence alone.
However, there’s one exception worth knowing about: if you already own a pet and need disability support to help care for them (like a support worker to help walk your dog because your mobility is limited), the NDIS may fund that support worker time. The NDIS won’t pay for your pet’s food, vet bills, or training, but they might fund help to care for a pet you already have if it’s reasonable and necessary.
For complex NDIS funding queries, personalised NDIS plan management can help you understand what’s claimable under your specific NDIS funding categories.
How to Register an Emotional Support Animal in NSW
Here’s the straight answer you might not want to hear: you cannot officially register an emotional support animal in NSW or anywhere else in Australia. There’s no formal registration process, government database, or certification program for emotional support animals because they’re not legally recognised. If you search “how do I register my dog as an emotional support dog in NSW?” online, you’ll find commercial websites offering to sell you ESA certificates or ID cards for a fee. These are not recognised by Australian law and provide no legal protections. They’re essentially decorative documents that won’t grant your pet access to no-pets-allowed spaces. Some people obtain letters from mental health professionals stating their pet provides therapeutic value, but these carry no legal weight in Australia. Unlike assistance animal documentation, an ESA letter won’t require businesses, landlords, or transport providers to accommodate your animal. If you want your emotional support dog in NSW to have legal public access rights, the only path is training them to become a legitimate assistance animal. This means:- Your dog must learn to perform specific disability-related tasks
- They must pass the Public Access Test for your state
- You must meet the definition of having a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act
- The dog must be trained to appropriate behavioural and hygiene standards
Can You Get an Assistance Animal Through the NDIS?
Yes, but it’s genuinely difficult. The NDIS may fund an assistance animal if it meets strict criteria. According to the NDIS guidelines on assistance animals, you’ll need comprehensive evidence showing:
- Allied health assessment: Usually from an occupational therapist, psychologist, or other health professional explaining why an assistance animal is necessary for your disability
- Assistance animal provider report: From an accredited trainer confirming the animal can be matched to you and your needs
- Evidence of effectiveness: Demonstrating the assistance animal will reduce your need for other supports
- Public Access Test: Confirmation the animal has passed or will pass your state’s PAT
The NDIS will fund the assistance animal under the Capital – Assistive Technology budget category if approved. This can include the cost of acquiring or training the animal, handler training, and ongoing maintenance costs (around $2,600 annually on average).
But here’s the reality: many NDIS participants struggle to get assistance animal funding approved. Research published in the Journal of Disability and Rehabilitation found that participants “had attempted to apply for funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with very few experiencing success.” The NDIA has been criticised for not fully understanding the assistance dog training process and the benefits these animals provide.
A support coordinator can help navigate the application process, gather necessary evidence, and present your case effectively to the NDIA.
Animal Therapy and NDIS Funding
This is where it gets a bit more hopeful. While the NDIS doesn’t fund emotional support animals or therapy animals that live with you, it may fund professional animal-assisted therapy sessions.
Animal-assisted therapy is different from owning a therapy animal. It involves a qualified therapist using animals as tools during structured therapy sessions – similar to how they might use art, music, or play therapy. For example, equine-assisted therapy (horse therapy) or dog-assisted psychotherapy sessions might be funded if:
- The sessions are delivered by a qualified allied health professional
- The therapy is evidence-based and directly related to your disability goals
- It’s considered reasonable and necessary in your plan
- You have appropriate funding in your Capacity Building – Improved Health and Wellbeing budget
If you’re considering animal-assisted therapy, discuss it during your planning meeting or with your planner. Make sure to get quotes from registered NDIS providers who offer these services.
Animal Therapy and NDIS Funding
A plan manager does more than just pay your invoices. They’re your financial navigator for your NDIS plan, and they’re particularly valuable for managing ADL funding because it’s your largest and most flexible budget category.
What a plan manager does for your ADL funding:
- Tracks your spending in real-time so you know exactly how much ADL budget you have left and where it’s being spent.
- Verifies that provider invoices match agreed rates and that you’re being charged correctly.
- Helps you understand pricing variations and why your Thursday support costs $70/hour while Sunday costs $105/hour.
- Manages the paperwork and payment process with multiple providers.
- Provides budget reports showing spending trends, which is particularly useful before your plan review.
- Advises on Core budget flexibility — when it makes sense to reallocate funding between categories and how to do it within the rules.
- Supports you to access both registered and unregistered providers, giving you more choice and often better value compared to NDIA-managed plans
At NDIS Superhero, we specialise in helping participants make the most of their funding. Our NDIS plan management team understands the nuances of ADL spending and can help you spot opportunities to get better value or access supports you didn’t realise were available.
Plan management is funded separately under Improved Life Choices (Capacity Building), so it doesn’t reduce your ADL budget. For many participants, especially those new to the NDIS or managing complex support needs, having a plan manager is the difference between confidently using all your funding and watching thousands of dollars expire at plan end.
Need Help Understanding What's Fundable?
Our NDIS Superhero team specialises in plan management for participants across Australia. We’ll help you navigate complex funding decisions, claim correctly, and get the most from your plan. Sign up today and let us handle the admin while you focus on your goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does anxiety qualify you for an emotional support animal?
Anxiety alone doesn’t automatically qualify you for a legally recognised assistance animal in Australia, but it doesn’t disqualify you either. To get an assistance animal (not an emotional support animal), you need to demonstrate that a trained animal can perform specific tasks that help manage your anxiety disability. You’ll need comprehensive assessments from both mental health professionals and assistance animal trainers showing the animal meets NDIS funding criteria.
Are emotional support animals allowed in stores in Australia?
No. Unlike assistance animals, emotional support animals have no legal right to enter Australian stores, shopping centres, restaurants, or other public places where pets aren’t normally allowed. Individual businesses may choose to allow your pet at their discretion, but they’re not legally required to accommodate emotional support animals. Only properly trained assistance animals that meet the Disability Discrimination Act definition have guaranteed public access rights.
What are the rules for service animals in Australia?
Service animals (assistance animals) in Australia must meet one of three criteria under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992: be accredited under state/territory law, be accredited by a prescribed training organisation, or be trained to assist with a disability and meet public access standards. They must pass a Public Access Test, maintain appropriate hygiene and behaviour, and perform specific trained tasks (not just provide comfort). Handlers have the right to be accompanied by their assistance animal in public places, on public transport, in taxis, in rental accommodation, and in workplaces.
How do you get an assistance dog in Australia?
Getting an assistance dog involves several steps. First, confirm you have a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act. Then contact accredited assistance dog providers like Guide Dogs Australia, Assistance Dogs Australia, or mindDog for psychiatric assistance dogs. Expect a 24-month wait time on average. You’ll need referrals from healthcare professionals, a home assessment, and commitment to training. If seeking NDIS funding, you’ll need comprehensive reports from both allied health professionals and assistance animal trainers. The application process requires evidence that an assistance animal is reasonable, necessary, and will reduce your need for other supports.
