The Three Buckets of Every NDIS Plan
Every NDIS plan divides funding into three budget categories: Core Supports, Capacity Building, and Capital Supports. They’re funded differently, flexible differently, and cover different types of spending. Most participants have all three, but Core Supports is usually the biggest chunk — often 70-80% of the plan value.
The Four Sub-Categories of Core Supports
Core Supports breaks down into four sub-categories. Here’s what each covers:
| Sub-category | What it funds |
|---|---|
| Assistance with Daily Life (AWDL) | Personal care, household tasks, meal prep, support with activities of daily living. Also includes SIL funding when applicable. |
| Transport | Taxi vouchers, fuel support, public transport assistance for participants who can’t use standard transport. A fixed amount separate from other Core funding. |
| Consumables | Low-cost disability-related items — continence aids, nutrition supplements, low-cost assistive technology (under about $1,500 per item). |
| Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation | Support workers for community access, employment support, social activities, skill-building outings. |
What “Flexible” Means (and Doesn’t)
Core Supports is often described as “flexible” funding. That’s true, but with specific rules:
- Within Core Supports, you can generally move funds between sub-categories (AWDL, Consumables, and Community Participation are usually interchangeable)
- Transport funding is typically NOT flexible — it’s fixed at a specific amount
- SIL funding within AWDL is ringfenced — you can’t redirect it to other sub-categories
- You CANNOT move Core Supports funds to Capacity Building or Capital Supports — the top-level categories are rigid
What Core Supports Can Pay For
Support worker time
The biggest share of most Core budgets. Support workers helping with personal care, household tasks, community outings, and day-to-day support at standard or high-intensity hourly rates.
Consumables
Continence products (pads, catheters, bowel care products), nutrition supplements (prescribed by your dietitian or GP), wound care materials, and low-cost assistive technology like adaptive utensils, grab rails under $1,500, or pressure cushions.
Transport
The Transport sub-category specifically funds travel you can’t do via standard means. It covers taxi subsidies, rideshare, and — in some cases — fuel costs for modified vehicles. It doesn’t typically cover everyday trips a support worker could drive you to.
Community activities (with support)
The support worker time for community participation comes out of Core Supports. The activity itself (gym fees, class costs, event tickets) doesn’t.
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.
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.
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.
How to Maximise Your Core Supports
- Get your support coordinator to help you map the plan to actual needs at the start of each plan period
- Review spending quarterly — most plan managers provide statements showing what you’ve used
- Flag any underspend 6 months out so you can reallocate before you lose it
- Keep records of what’s working — that evidence helps at your next plan review
- Don’t be afraid to ask whether a support you need is within a sub-category — the rules allow more flexibility than many participants realise
