Congratulations! Getting onto the NDIS is a big deal. It takes time, energy and persistence, and you’ve done it. If you’re excited, relieved, or a bit nervous about what comes next, that’s completely normal. This guide meets you right at the beginning: what your plan means in real life, how to use the portal, why you can’t see all the money at once, and how to turn dollars into weekly support.
Step 1: Read and understand your plan (top to bottom)
Start at page one and work through it slowly.
- Plan length and dates. Many first plans run for about 12 months. Younger participants may get multi-year plans.
- Your goals. These guide what supports make sense.
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Budgets.
Core pays for day-to-day supports like personal care, community access and household tasks.
Capacity Building pays for therapies, assessments and training. This is where Support Coordination or Psychosocial Recovery Coaching sits if funded.
Capital pays for equipment and home modifications. -
Flexible vs stated. Flexible means you can use funding across items within that category. Statedmeans it must be used as written (for example, specific therapies listed by name).
What this means for you: Know which bucket pays for what, and whether anything is stated. It helps avoid declined invoices and stress.
Step 2: Using the my NDIS portal
Create and link your account
- Log in to myGov or create an account.
- Add NDIS as a linked service and follow the prompts to connect your NDIS details.
- Set up your my NDIS sign-in and PIN.
What you can do in the portal
- See your plan, goals and budget balances.
- See how much money is available this funding period.
- Add or approve my providers so they can be paid.
- View and check claims and messages.
- Update your contact preferences.
How to find things - Home: quick view of balances and messages.
- My plan: your plan details.
- My budgets: Core, Capacity Building and Capital totals and what’s available now.
- My providers: record or remove providers.
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Claims/messages: what’s been claimed and what needs attention.
What this means for you: Keep your plan PDF open beside the portal at first. Read a section in the plan, then find it in the portal so the numbers start to make sense.
Step 3: Funding periods — why you can’t see all your funding
Your plan might show a total for the year, but the portal usually releases money in funding periods. A common pattern is every three months. That means you only see the money for the current period, not the full annual amount.
Why this matters in practice:
You could book too much early and run out before the period ends.
Different parts of your plan can have different period lengths (for example, three-monthly for one part and six-monthly for another).
Lots of people feel this setup reduces choice and control.
How to work with it:
Plan in period-sized chunks. Think “about 13 weeks” rather than the full year.
Put simple reminders in your calendar to check balances at weeks 2, 6 and 10.
If your needs or schedule change, adjust early so you don’t hit zero before the next period starts.
What this means for you: You haven’t lost money. You’re seeing the chunk that’s open right now. When the next period begins, a new chunk becomes available.
Step 4: Translating your budget to real life (weekly hours)
About price limits: The NDIS sets maximum prices for many supports. Rates vary by time of day and support type. Always check the current Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (Price Guide) for the up-to-date numbers:
Click here to find and download the price guide: https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-arrangements
We’ll use two common weekday daytime example rates to make the maths easier to understand:
Here are some price limits for two common Core support types:
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Support worker (self-care or community access): $70.23 per hour
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Cleaning and household tasks: $58.03 per hour
Example A: $15,000 Core funded in your 12 month plan.
The portal shows $3,750 initially. That’s likely your 3-month period.
How the NDIA came to this figure:
The plan may have mentioned you've been funded for 1 hour self-care + 3 hours community access each week.
At $70.23 per hour, that’s about $280 per week. Over 13 weeks, that’s about $3,640, leaving a small buffer for travel or other costs.
Example B: $40,000 Core (released $10,000 per quarter)
In this case we will look at a budget and provide an example of what a reasonable weekly budget might look like.
Quarter guide: $10,000 across about 13 weeks is about $770 per week.
At $70.23 per hour for a support worker, that’s about 10 hours per week before adding travel and kilometres.
A realistic weekly mix including typical travel:
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Self-care once a week
1.5 hours support + 0.25 hours travel time + 10 km to reach you → $132 -
Community access twice a week
Each shift 3 hours support + 0.25 hours travel time + 10 km to you + 5 km during the shift → $243 per shift → $486 for two -
Cleaning once a week
2 hours at $58.03 + 0.25 hours travel time + 10 km → $140
Total this week: $758
Quarter check: about $9,854 out of the $10,000 quarter.
- Bottom line for $10,000 this quarter: you could plan one 1.5-hour self-care shift, two 3-hour community access shifts, and one 2-hour cleaning session each week, with typical travel included, and keep a small buffer.
Step 5: Understand your funding type (how supports get paid)
You can have a mix across one plan.
- NDIA-managed (Agency-managed): NDIA pays providers directly. You can only use registered providers for these parts. Record providers in the portal so they can be paid.
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Plan-managed: A plan manager checks and pays invoices, claims from your plan, and sends budget reports. You can usually use registered or unregistered providers, as long as supports align with your plan.
Choosing a plan manager: big national teams may have slick apps and longer hours; locals often know waitlists, travel realities and community options. -
Self-managed: You receive invoices, claim through the portal, pay providers and keep records. Many people don’t start here for a first plan; you can choose self-management later if it suits you.
Registered vs unregistered providers - Registered providers have completed the NDIS registration process. You must use them for NDIA-managed funding and for some specialist supports.
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Unregistered providers can be used if your funding allows (plan-managed or self-managed). Many are small businesses or independent workers.
What this means for you: If you’re plan-managed, pick a manager you can reach easily and who gives clear reports. If you’re NDIA-managed, shortlist registered providers first.
Step 6: Do you have coordination funding? Find them first
If your plan funds Support Coordination or Psychosocial Recovery Coaching, many people find it helpful to start there. A coordinator can help you understand the plan, find providers, set up service agreements, and keep on top of spending.
What this means for you: Ask your community for recommendations, then call two or three coordinators and choose the best fit. Local can be handy, but go with whoever you feel comfortable with.
Step 7: Looking for providers
Where to start:
- Ask your coordinator (if funded) or a trusted person to help you shortlist.
- Search locally online and in community groups. Independents often charge lower rates than companies. This can stretch funding further, but larger providers may offer backup staff for sick leave, more resources, strong insurance, structured training and managers who can help navigate issues.
Many people write a short post in Facebook or community groups describing who they are, what supports they need, and what they value in a worker — you can do this as well. You might include things like trauma-informed, calm in crisis, confident with hoists, good with behaviour support plans, pet-friendly or culturally safe.
Make a simple wish list before you start calling: - Qualifications or experience you want.
- Style that suits you.
- Practical needs, like a driver with a reliable car, ok with early mornings, comfortable with lifting, ok with community outings.
Then go shopping: - Ring or message a few providers.
- Ask about continuity of workers, training, travel charges, and how they handle cancellations or concerns.
- Start with a short trial and see how it feels.
What this means for you: You are hiring a team. There is a whole ocean of choice out there. It’s fine to take your time and find a good fit.
Step 8: Service agreements — what they are and why they matter
A service agreement is a written agreement between you and a provider. It sets what you are buying, the price, cancellation rules, travel costs, how changes work, and how either side can end the agreement.
- You can engage unregistered providers without a formal service agreement, but it’s usually better to have one.
- You might ask someone experienced to read it with you before signing.
- Service agreements can set aside part of your budget for that provider, which affects how much is left for others.
- Cancellation terms matter. Know when a fee applies and when it doesn’t.
- You can stop services at any time. You may need to pay valid cancellation costs already incurred, but you can end services if they are not right for you.
- Ask for a schedule of services that lists the type and regularity of supports. Compare it to your budget to check it’s sustainable.
- You do not have to show your NDIS plan or disclose your diagnosis if you don’t want to. Share what the worker needs to support you safely and well.
- It helps to tell the provider roughly how much of your funding you plan to allocate to them so they can plan staffing and hours within your budget.
What this means for you: A clear agreement protects you and avoids bill shock. If a clause seems unfair or unclear, you can ask for changes.
Step 9: Trialling services — do they meet you where you are at?
A short trial can help. After the first couple of shifts, and again a few weeks in, you might reflect on things like:
- Do workers arrive on time and communicate clearly?
- Do they work at your pace and respect your routines and culture?
- When you asked for a change, did they make it?
- Do they suit your personality and character?
- Are invoices accurate and within agreed rates and travel?
There is a whole ocean of choice out there. If it’s not working, you can change providers.
Step 10: Track your spending
- You don’t have to check every week forever, but early on it can help.
- Invoices can take time to hit your budget, so your balance can look higher than it really is.
- Different parts of your plan can have different funding periods. It’s easy to overspend one area and underspend another.
- A simple habit is to check balances at weeks 2, 6 and 10 of the period, and after any big equipment or therapy purchase.
- If you’re plan-managed, you might ask for alerts when you’re ahead or behind.
What this means for you: Track against the current period, not just the year, so you’re not caught short near the end.
Step 11: Having your plan reassessed
Most plans are set up for a scheduled plan reassessment near the end date. The NDIS usually gets the process moving a few months beforehand.
If you’re unhappy with the amount of funding you have, you can request an early plan reassessment. You’ll need evidence to show what’s missing and why.
- Some evidence can come from your NDIS-funded providers, for example a functional capacity assessment from your occupational therapist.
- Other evidence may need medical input that isn’t funded by the NDIS. That can mean out-of-pocket costs, which is hard when money is tight.
- You might ask trusted clinicians to write clearly about your day-to-day functional impact, the supports you need, and why they’re reasonable and necessary.
What this means for you: Personal stories matter, but professional reports usually carry more weight. Starting early gives you time to gather what you need.
Final word
If you understand funding periods, know what your dollars mean each week, set up a plan manager if you need one, choose providers carefully, and sign fair service agreements, you’re ready to start.
If all of this feels overwhelming and you’d prefer a chat over the phone, we’re happy to help and have that conversation with you. We also have plenty of other blogs on our site that answer common questions in plain English.