Your NDIS plan just arrived, and you’re staring at budget lines, category names, and dollar amounts that make little sense. You’re not alone — over 739,000 Australians are navigating NDIS funding categories right now, and understanding how your money is divided makes all the difference between a plan that works and one that leaves you stuck.
The NDIS divides your plan funding into three main budget types: Core Supports, Capacity Building Supports, and Capital Supports. Each budget type contains specific support categories, and knowing which category covers what determines how you can spend your funding. Here’s what every NDIS participant needs to know about NDIS funding categories and how to make them work for you.
Key Insights
- Your NDIS plan is split into three funding types: Core (everyday needs), Capacity Building (skills and independence), and Capital (equipment and home modifications)
- There are 15 support categories across these three funding types, each covering specific types of supports
- Core Supports are flexible — you can move money between most Core categories without approval
- Capacity Building and Capital funding are locked to specific categories and can’t be transferred
- Understanding these categories helps you spend your funding strategically and avoid running out before your plan ends
What Are NDIS Funding Categories?
NDIS funding categories are the way the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) organises the supports in your plan. Think of them as labelled buckets — each bucket can only pay for certain types of support related to your disability.
The three types of support budgets that the NDIS may fund in your plan are: a Core Supports budget, a Capacity Building Supports budget and a Capital Supports budget. Within these three main types, your funding is divided into 15 specific NDIS support categories that cover everything from daily personal care to home modifications.
Not everyone gets funding in all categories. Your plan depends on your goals, your support needs, and what the NDIA determines is “reasonable and necessary” for your situation.
The Three Main Types of NDIS Funding
Core Supports Explained: The Four Categories
Core Supports give you the most freedom to adjust your spending. Here’s what each category covers:
Category 1: Assistance with Daily Life
This covers support workers who help with personal care, meal preparation, cleaning, and household tasks. It’s the workhorse of most NDIS plans and usually your biggest budget line. You can use this funding for:
- Personal care and showering assistance
- Help with dressing and grooming
- Meal preparation and cooking support
- House cleaning and laundry
- Gardening and yard maintenance
Category 2: Transport
Transport funding helps you get to appointments, work, education, or community activities. Important note: there are instances where you do not have flexibility in your funding, particularly for transport funding. If transport is listed as a “stated support” in your plan, you can only use it for transport — you can’t shift it to other Core categories.
Category 3: Consumables
NDIS consumables have an annual limit of up to $15,000 for most participants. This covers disability-related items you use regularly and need to replace:
- Continence products
- Wound care supplies
- Low-cost assistive technology (like modified cutlery or shower chairs under $1,500)
- Nutrition supplements (if disability-related)
- Personal care items specifically related to your disability
Category 4: Assistance with Social and Community Participation
This funding supports your involvement in community activities with the help of a support worker. It covers assistance to attend social events, recreational activities, and community groups, but not the cost of the activities themselves (like gym memberships or event tickets).
Capacity Building Supports Explained: The Ten Categories
These categories help you develop skills and work towards greater independence. Remember, you can’t move funding between these categories.
Category 1: Support Coordination & Psychosocial Recovery Coaches
The NDIS will fund participants to engage a Support Coordinator and/or a Psychosocial Recovery Coach if it is ‘reasonable and necessary’. Support Coordinators help you understand your plan, find providers, and solve problems with your supports. They’re not the same as NDIS plan management — Support Coordinators help you navigate services, while plan managers handle the financial administration.
Category 2: Improved Living Arrangements
This covers assistance with finding and keeping a suitable place to live where you have access to the required level of support. This could be in the private market, in Supported Independent Living, or in another arrangement.
Category 3: Increased Social and Community Participation
This funds programs and activities that build your confidence and skills for community participation, like life skills training, public transport training, or structured group programs. It’s different from Category 4 because it focuses on skill-building, not just support worker assistance.
Category 4: Finding and Keeping a Job
Employment-related supports, including job coaching, workplace assessments, resume help, and interview preparation. This helps you prepare for, find, and maintain employment.
Category 5: Health and Well-being
Supports that help you manage your disability’s impact on your health, such as exercise programs prescribed by health professionals or dietary support for disability-related health conditions.
Category 6: Improved Daily Living
This covers therapy services that build your daily living skills:
- Occupational therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Speech therapy
- Psychology
- Dietitian services (disability-related)
- Exercise physiology
Category 7: Lifelong Learning
Funding for educational support, tutoring, and assistance to help you access or transition through education settings.
Category 8: Relationships
Covers supports for developing social skills and managing relationships, including:
- Behaviour support plans
- Positive behaviour support
- Relationship counselling (disability-related)
- Social skills development programs
Category 9: Choice and Control
This is where NDIS plan management sits. Plan managers handle invoicing, payments, and budget tracking so you can focus on using your NDIS funding effectively without the paperwork burden. There’s no out-of-pocket cost for plan management, as it’s funded directly by the NDIS.
Category 10: Behaviour Support
This covers ongoing strategies and support for positive behaviour, including developing and improving behavioural skills and understanding in a range of settings.
Capital Supports Explained: The Four Categories
Capital funding covers significant one-off purchases that typically require assessment and quotes.
Category 1: Assistive Technology
Covers specialised equipment including:
- Wheelchairs and mobility devices
- Communication devices
- Hearing aids and vision equipment
- Vehicle modifications
- Home automation systems for disability access
- Repairs and maintenance of assistive technology
You’ll need an assessment from an occupational therapist or other qualified professional, plus quotes from suppliers, before this funding is approved.
Category 2: Assistive Technology (Maintenance, Repair and Rental)
This covers the maintenance and repair of any assertive technology that you have been funded for, as well as the rental of any additional technology required.
Category 3: Home Modifications
Funds structural changes to make your home more accessible:
- Ramps and rails
- Bathroom modifications
- Accessible doorways and hallways
- Kitchen modifications
- Project management fees for complex modifications
- Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in some cases
Category 4: Specialist Disability Accommodation
Funding for one-off, short-term stays in specialist accommodation. This could be after a surgery or health issue, to provide respite for carers, or if there is a delay in finding appropriate long-term housing or accommodation.
How Funding Flexibility Works
Understanding which types of NDIS funding can move between categories saves you from running out of money in one area while sitting on unused funding in another.
What You Can Move
Core Supports help you with everyday activities, your current disability-related needs, and to work towards your goals. Your Core Supports budget is the most flexible, and in most cases, you can use your funding across any of the following four support categories. If you’ve got leftover Consumables funding, you can usually shift it to pay for more support worker hours in Assistance with Daily Life.
What You Can’t Move
- Core funding cannot move to Capacity Building or Capital categories
- Capacity Building funding is locked within its specific category
- Capital funding cannot move anywhere
- “Stated supports” (specifically listed items in your plan) must be used as stated
Working with NDIS Funding Periods
From May 2025, the NDIA introduced NDIS funding periods that divide your plan funding into quarters. This means your funding is released gradually over your plan duration rather than all at once. Understanding your funding categories becomes even more important when you’re working within quarterly funding releases.
Making Your NDIS Funding Categories Work for You
Knowing your NDIS funding categories is only half the battle — using them strategically is what makes the difference. Many participants find that managing the financial side of their plan takes time away from actually using their supports.
That’s where NDIS Superhero comes in. Our plan management service handles all the invoicing, payments, and budget tracking across your funding categories, so you know exactly what you’ve spent and what’s left in each bucket. We alert you when categories are running low and help you make informed decisions about your funding before issues arise.
We work with NDIS participants across Australia, taking the admin burden off your shoulders while giving you complete visibility and control over your plan. Want to focus on your goals instead of paperwork? Sign up for NDIS Superhero plan management — there’s no cost to you, and we’ll have you set up within 48 hours.
Let’s Get Started
Still unsure about how to switch NDIS plan managers or want to learn more about the support we can provide? Get in touch with our team, and we’ll be happy to help.
Ready to switch to independent support run by real people who care? Make the move today and discover the NDIS Superhero difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move money from Capacity Building to Core Supports?
No. Funding can’t move between the three main budget types (Core, Capacity Building, Capital). It can only shift within Core Support categories, and only if it’s not a stated support.
What happens if I run out of funding in one category?
If it’s a Core category, you might be able to use funding from another Core category. For Capacity Building or Capital, you’ll need to either wait until your next plan review or pay out-of-pocket. This is where plan management becomes valuable — plan managers track your spending and alert you before categories run dry.
How do I know which categories I have funding in?
Check your plan document or our NDIS Superhero app or web portal. Your plan will list each funded category with the dollar amount allocated. If you’re plan-managed or using a Support Coordinator, they can explain exactly what you have and how to use it.
Do all NDIS plans have funding in all categories?
No. Your plan is individualised based on your goals and support needs. Some participants might only have Core funding, while others might have all three budget types with multiple categories funded.
