What is the NDIS? A Plain-English Guide

What the NDIS is

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding to eligible Australians with permanent and significant disability. It is run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

The funding pays for supports that help you work towards your goals, like help at home, getting out into the community, or support to live more independently.

Source: NDIS, What is the NDIS (current as of 23 Sep 2026).

Who can apply

To apply, you need to meet the age, residence and disability requirements.

Age

Anyone who applies for the NDIS must be younger than 65 on the day they apply.

Residence

You must be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or a Protected Special Category visa holder. You must also live in Australia and spend most of your time here.

Disability

You need to meet all of these:

Your impairment is, or is likely to be, permanent.
Your impairment substantially reduces your ability to do everyday tasks.
Your impairment affects your ability to work, study or take part in social life.
You will likely need NDIS supports for your lifetime.

Sources: age, residence and disability requirements (NDIS, May to Sep 2026).

How to apply

You can fill out an access request form by yourself, or get help from an NDIS partner. If you are not sure who your NDIS partner is, call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 or visit your local office.

The NDIS says it will tell you if you are eligible within 90 days once your application and all your supporting evidence is submitted.

Tip: start collecting reports from your doctors and therapists early. They are your supporting evidence. Source: NDIS, How to apply (current as of 27 Aug 2026).

Your plan and your funding

If you are eligible, you get an NDIS plan with funding for your supports. How that funding is managed changes which providers you can use:

Self-managed: you have the flexibility to use both registered and unregistered NDIS providers.
Plan-managed: a plan manager pays your providers, and you can choose providers who are registered or unregistered.
NDIA-managed: you can choose your providers, but they must be registered providers.

Some supports must always come from a registered provider, however your plan is managed: specialist behaviour supports, plan management, specialist disability accommodation (SDA) and Supported Independent Living (SIL). You can use your funding flexibly across support categories within the same support budget unless your plan says otherwise, but not across different budgets.

Goaldis is a registered NDIS provider, so we can support you whichever way your plan is managed.

Sources: NDIS pages on self-managed, plan-managed and NDIA-managed funding (June to Sep 2026), How to find and choose a provider (1 Oct 2026) and the guide to NDIS support budgets (9 Jun 2026).

Who can help you

Local area coordinators are the NDIS partners who work with people aged between 9 and 64. They can help you apply and use your plan.

Support coordinators help you use your plan effectively. Plan managers help keep track of your funding. In the NDIS's own words: a plan manager helps with your funding, a support coordinator helps with your supports.

Sources: What is an NDIS partner (17 July 2026), What is a support coordinator (1 July 2026).

Choosing a provider

A registered NDIS provider has been audited against the NDIS Practice Standards and assessed as meeting them, and has had a suitability assessment by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Details of registered providers are published on the NDIS Provider Register.

Some supports can only come from a registered provider. For example, your Supported Independent Living provider must be registered.

You can check Goaldis on the register, or search the register for any provider. Source: NDIS Commission, About registration (7 Aug 2026).

Complaints and safety

You can report an issue with the quality and safety of the NDIS supports you, or an NDIS participant, receive. Contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) or TTY 133 677. Interpreters can be arranged.

If you have a concern about Goaldis, we want to hear it. Call us on 1300 212 035 or email info@goaldis.com.au.

In an emergency, if someone's life might be at risk, call Triple Zero (000). Source: NDIS Commission, Report a complaint (31 Aug 2026).

What is changing

The NDIS is changing under new laws. These changes may affect you:

Support budgets, from 1 October 2026. Budgets for two support categories, Social, Economic and Community Participation, and Improved Daily Living Skills, are being reduced as plans are created or reassessed from 1 October 2026, or renewed from 1 February 2027. Essential day-to-day supports, like help with eating, dressing, toileting, laundry and cleaning, are not affected.
Supported Independent Living, from 1 October 2026. SIL can only be delivered by providers that are registered, or that applied to register before 1 October 2026.
Plan management, by 1 October 2027. The NDIS will set up a panel of plan managers. Plan-managed participants will need to use a plan manager from the panel, with 6 months to move.
A new way of planning, from April 2027. The NDIS is testing a new planning process before it rolls out from April 2027.

Sources: Changes to support budgets (1 Oct 2026), What is SIL (1 Oct 2026), Changes to plan management (23 Sep 2026), New way of planning (26 Aug 2026).

How Goaldis can help

Goaldis is a registered NDIS provider in Greater Western Sydney, Ryde and Macquarie Park, and the Hills. We offer six services:

Not sure where to start? Call 1300 212 035 and we will talk it through in plain words.

This guide is general information, current as at 3 October 2026. It is not advice about your situation. The NDIS is updating its information for new legislation, so always check the linked NDIS pages or call the NDIS on 1800 800 110.

What is the NDIS?