Your NDIS Core Supports Budget — What You Can Buy and How It Works

What Core Supports Covers

Core Supports is the largest funding category in most NDIS plans, and it’s where the bulk of day-to-day disability support comes from. It has four sub-categories:

• Assistance with Daily Life — personal care, in-home support, support with household tasks, and short-term stays such as respite care in Brisbane
• Assistance with Social and Community Participation — support workers for outings, social activities, community access
• Consumables — continence aids, wound dressings, low-cost assistive technology under $1,500
• Transport — funding to help get to appointments, work, or activities

The total dollar figure is allocated in your plan based on your agreed support needs. How you spend it within those four categories is largely up to you (with a few rules).

The Big Flexibility Rule

The most useful thing to understand about Core Supports: the funding is mostly flexible across the first three categories. That means if your plan has $40,000 in Assistance with Daily Life and $8,000 in Social Participation, but you end up needing more community support and less home support than expected, you can shift spending between them.

This flexibility doesn’t apply to:

• SIL funding — ringfenced, can only be used for Supported Independent Living
• Transport — treated separately with specific rules
• Stated supports — any line item in your plan marked as “stated” can only be used for that purpose

Everything else inside Core Supports is flexible. That’s what gives plans resilience when your needs shift during the year.

Category 1 — Assistance with Daily Life

This pays for the support workers and services that help you with day-to-day living tasks at home: (our daily living support service)

• Personal care — showering, dressing, toileting, hygiene
• Household tasks — cleaning, cooking, laundry, groceries
• Meal preparation
• Medication prompting or administration
• Support with activities of daily living generally

This is where the majority of Core Supports funding usually sits for participants with higher needs. Rates follow the NDIS Price Guide — weekday standard hours are around $67/hour, evenings and weekends rise to around $74-$107/hour.

Category 2 — Social and Community Participation

This funds support workers to help you access and participate in community activities: (our community participation service)

• Group-based community programs
• 1:1 support for outings — shopping, appointments, family visits, recreation
• Skill-building activities in community settings
• Support for recreational and social activities

Same support worker rates apply. The difference from Assistance with Daily Life is the focus — this is community-based, not home-based.

We cover this in detail in our dedicated community access guide.

Category 3 — Consumables

Consumables covers low-cost items that support your disability. Common purchases include:

• Continence products — pads, catheters, stoma supplies
• Wound dressings and medical consumables
• Low-cost assistive technology under $1,500 — grabbers, bath seats, adjustable cutlery, communication aids
• Personal care equipment like hoist slings

Items above $1,500 generally move into Capital Supports (a different funding category) and require separate quotes and approval.

Category 4 — Transport

Transport is funded at one of three levels based on your participation needs:

• Level 1 — up to $1,606/year for participants not working or studying
• Level 2 — up to $2,472/year for participants in some work, study, or community activities
• Level 3 — up to $3,456/year for participants working, studying, or participating in community activities 15+ hours/week

Transport funding can be used for taxis, rideshare, public transport, or paid to a provider who transports you. It’s generally not flexible with other Core Supports categories — it stays as transport.

What Core Supports Cannot Pay For

• Therapy and allied health (that’s Capacity Building, specifically Improved Daily Living)
• Capital items over approximately $1,500 — wheelchairs, hoists, vehicle modifications (those are Capital Supports)
• Ongoing memberships or subscription services you’d otherwise pay for yourself
• Holiday costs, personal entertainment, food
• Rent or mortgage (except for SDA which is a different funding stream)
• Regular everyday costs not related to disability

The Stated vs Unstated Items Question

Your plan may show some items as “Stated” and others as “Unstated”. Stated support items are specified precisely — you can only spend that funding on that specific item. Unstated items are more flexible within the sub-category.

Example: Your plan might state “12 hours per week of 1:1 community access support” (stated) alongside “remaining Core funding flexible for AWDL or consumables” (unstated). You can spend the unstated portion flexibly; you can’t redirect the stated 12 hours to something else.

Managing Core Supports Over the Year

A common mistake is burning through Core Supports too fast in the first six months. The NDIS expects you to pace the funding across 12 months, and they track spending at plan reviews.

Simple budgeting approach:

1. Take your total Core Supports annual figure
2. Divide by 12 — that’s your monthly budget
3. Track spending monthly (your provider should send statements)
4. If you’re over by month 3, review with your support coordinator
5. If you’re under by month 9, increase support rather than handing funds back

Unused Core Supports at the end of the plan year don’t usually roll over — they’re simply lost. Using the funding you’ve been allocated is the right thing to do.

Common Core Supports Mistakes

Not using it all

Leftover Core funding at the end of your plan period doesn’t roll over — it goes back to the NDIS. If you’re sitting on unused Core funding with 3 months to go, talk to your support coordinator about using it on legitimate supports you need.

Trying to use it for Capacity Building items

You can’t use Core to pay for OT, physio, psychology, or speech therapy. Those are Capacity Building. Trying to route therapy invoices through Core will cause plan manager or NDIA audits. We compare the two categories in Core Supports vs Capacity Building, and cover spending strategy in how to use your NDIS funding effectively.

Forgetting about the Transport allocation

Transport sits quietly in many plans, often underused. If you qualify for Transport support, use it — participants who don’t claim their transport allocation end up paying for legitimate disability-related travel out of pocket.

Over-allocating to support worker hours

If you’ve got more Core funding than you’re using on support workers, you can also spend it on consumables (continence aids, nutrition supplements, assistive tech under $1,500). Some participants forget this flexibility exists.

Plan-Managed vs Self-Managed vs Agency-Managed

How your plan is managed affects how you spend Core Supports:

• Agency-managed — NDIA pays registered providers directly. You can only use registered providers.
• Plan-managed — a plan manager pays invoices on your behalf. You can use both registered and non-registered providers.
• Self-managed — you pay providers directly and claim back. Maximum flexibility, maximum admin.

Plan-managed is the most common choice because it gives you the flexibility of non-registered providers without the administrative load of self-management.

FAQS

Can I use Core Supports to pay a family member?

Generally no — NDIS funding can’t pay immediate family members for disability support. There are some exceptions for remote communities and specific circumstances. Talk to your support coordinator if you’re considering this.

What happens if I run out of Core Supports?

You stop using funded supports until your next plan starts, or you request an early plan review. Running out before the end of the year is a signal the plan wasn’t sized correctly — an early review can adjust it.

Can I save Core Supports for a big purchase later in the year?

You can pace it how you like within the year, but you can’t stockpile across plan years. Any unused funding generally doesn’t roll over.