Support Categories
SGP KP Publishing
Exported on 2025-09-02 22:17:48
Page 26 of 85
Table of Contents
1 Recent updates …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 2 Our Guidelines ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 3 Published Guides ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6 4 How support categories have changed from SAP CRM to PACE …………………………….. 7 4.1 Understand frequency type in continued plans ………………………………………………………… 7 5 Core support categories ………………………………………………………………………………………… 8 5.1 Assistance with daily life ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 8 5.2 Assistance with social, economic and community participation ………………………………….. 8 5.3 Consumables ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9 5.4 Transport (not recurring) ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 9 6 Home and living ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10 6.1 Individualised Living Options (ILO) ……………………………………………………………………….. 10 6.2 Medium Term Accommodation (MTA) ………………………………………………………………….. 10 6.3 Supported Independent Living (SIL) ……………………………………………………………………… 11 6.4 YPIRAC – Cross billing ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 11 7 Capital support categories …………………………………………………………………………………… 13 7.1 Assistive Technology (not maintenance, repair and rental) ……………………………………… 13 7.2 Assistive Technology – maintenance, repair and rental …………………………………………… 13 7.3 Home modifications ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 14 7.4 Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) …………………………………………………………… 14 8 Capacity building support categories …………………………………………………………………… 15 8.1 Behaviour support ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 8.2 Choice and control ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 8.3 Finding and keeping a job …………………………………………………………………………………… 16 8.4 Health and wellbeing ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 16 8.5 Improved daily living skills …………………………………………………………………………………… 16 8.6 Improved living arrangements ……………………………………………………………………………… 17 8.7 Increased Social and Community participation ………………………………………………………. 17 8.8 Lifelong learning ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 8.9 Relationships …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18 8.10 Support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaches ……………………………………. 18 9 Recurring support categories ………………………………………………………………………………. 20 9.1 Recurring transport …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20
SGP KP Publishing – Support Categories
This article provides guidance for all NDIA staff and partners to understand NDIS support categories.
Recent updates – 3 Page 28 of 85
Recent updates
10 February 2025
Information on funding therapy supports added for clarification purposes under section ‘Improved daily living skills’.
16 December 2024
Guidance updated to:
- add section Understand frequency type in continued plans
- add link to new article Understand and talk about when a plan is automatically continued (plan auto-extensions)
- update outdated article names.
Recent updates – 4 Page 29 of 85
Our Guidelines
Our Guidelines (external) are based on the NDIS Legislation and Rules. They explain what you need to consider and how we make decisions based on the legislation. You should use Our Guidelines to inform your reasonable and necessary decision making.
Page 30 of 85
Published Guides
- Guide – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander supports
- Guide – Assisting communication
- Guide – Assisting communication – Accessible formats
- Guide – Assisting communication – Considerations when arranging interpreting services
- Guide – Assisting communication – Disability-related interpreting and translation supports
- Guide – Assisting communication – Non-disability related interpreting and translation supports
- Guide – Behaviour support
- Guide – How to support children and young people to remain in their family home
- Guide – Children living in statutory out-of-home care
- Guide – Complex support needs (CSN) pathway
- Guide – Conversation style guide
- Guide – Conversation style guide appendix A – During the conversation
- Guide – Conversation style guide appendix B – Navigate different types of conversation
- Guide – Hearing supports
- Guide – Hearing supports appendix A – Funding responsibilities
- Guide – Hearing supports appendix B – Capacity building supports
- Guide – Hearing supports appendix C – Capital supports
- Guide – Hearing supports appendix D – Core supports
- Guide – In-kind
- Guide – Motor Neurone Disease (MND)
- Guide – Psychosocial disability
- Guide – Psychosocial disability Case examples
- Guide – Psychosocial disability Appendix A – Discharge planning
- Guide – Psychosocial disability Appendix B – Definitions
- Guide – Psychosocial disability Appendix C – Supports – Guide for decision makers
- Guide – Respiratory supports
- Guide – Safeguarding the participant’s interests
- Guide – Safeguarding the participant’s interests – Context and background
- Guide – Therapy supports
- Guide – Therapy supports appendix A
- Guide – Therapy supports appendix B
- Guide – Transition to adulthood checklist for participants living outside the family home.
4 How support categories have changed from SAP
CRM to PACE
In PACE, we add funds at the support category level. The reason for this change is to allow the participant more choice and control to buy the supports that they need.
This means when the participant’s plan is approved in PACE, the funding will be set out differently.
Some of the participant’s funding may be included in new support categories. For example, home and living and recurring transport supports have their own support category.
We’re not changing the supports we’ll fund, the names of support items or the way participants claim from these support categories.
4.1 Understand frequency type in continued plans
It’s important to understand what happens to NDIS supports when a plan is continued. A plan continuation is where a participant’s plan is continued for up to 12 months. This can happen if the participant has stable support needs and a plan that is working for them, or if we haven’t created a new plan by their reassessment date. To learn more, go to articles Understand and talk about a plan continuation and Understand and talk about when a plan is automatically continued (plan auto-extensions).
An NDIS support funded with Once-off as the Frequency type is intended to be purchased once, for example Assistive Technology. Once-off NDIS supports will not be provided again if a plan is continued unless they’ve not been spent yet. When they’ve not been spent, the date the participant can claim the funds will extend with the continued plan.
An NDIS support funded with Regular as the Frequency type is intended to continue for the duration of the participant’s plan, for example Assistance with Daily Living. Regular NDIS supports will be repeated if a plan is continued, adjusted in line with annual indexation. This is to make sure the participant can continue to access funds for their usual NDIS supports.
How support categories have changed from SAP CRM to PACE – 7 Page 32 of 85
Core support categories
Assistance with daily life
NDIS supports to assist or supervise you with your personal tasks during day-to-day life that allow you to live as independently as possible. These supports can be provided individually in a range of environments, including your own home.
| Assistance with Daily Life | |
| Assistance with Daily Life | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Flexible or Stated | |
| Regular | |
| Understand self-care and community access supports | |
| Understand disability-related health supports — core supports | |
| Understand and add onsite shared support in specialist disability accommodation | |
| Understand interim supports when there are expected changes to a home and living situation |
Assistance with social, economic and community participation
NDIS supports that assist with or supervise you to engage in community, social, recreational, or economic activities. These supports can be provided in a range of environments, such as in the community or a centre.
| Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation | |
| Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Flexible or Stated | |
| Regular | |
| Understand self-care and community access supports | |
| Understand work and study supports | |
| Understand supports in employment (core) funding | |
| Apply the home and living decision in PACE |
Consumables
NDIS supports to assist with purchasing disability-related everyday items. By everyday items, we mean the things you would use. For example, continence products like catheter bags, pads, bottles and straps and enteral nutrition products are included in this category.
| Consumables |
|---|
| Consumables |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed |
| Flexible or Stated |
| Regular |
| Determine hearing support funding |
| Understand disability-related health supports - core supports |
Transport (not recurring)
NDIS supports to allow you to pay a provider to transport you to an activity that is not itself a support, or to a support that is delivered by another provider. This enables you to travel to and from appointments, your place of work, or to another activity in the community.
| Transport |
|---|
| Transport |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed |
| Flexible or Stated |
| Regular |
| Understand transport supports |
Home and living
We’ve moved home and living supports from the SAP CRM assistance with daily life support category. The PACE Home and Living support category includes:
- Individualised Living Options (ILO)
- Medium Term Accommodation (MTA)
- Supported Independent Living (SIL)
Home and living supports are stated supports but can be flexible with other home and living supports. However, they are not flexible with other core supports such as consumables or assistance with daily life. This means the participant may have both stated home and living supports and flexible core supports in their plan.
For example, the participant has SIL funding in their plan and the funding is allocated to the home and living category. However, they also need support to access the community. This community access support will need to be added to the flexible core budget, not the home and living support category.
Individualised Living Options (ILO)
An ILO lets you choose the home you live in and set up supports in the way that best suits you. It can include things like personal care, help to build your skills, or support with household tasks like shopping or cooking. Family, friends, and other networks can complement your paid supports.
| Home and Living | |
|---|---|
| Assistance with Daily Life | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Regular |
Add Individualised Living Options (ILO) Stage 1 Exploration and Design funding Add Individualised Living Options (ILO) Stage 2 Supports funding Understand interim supports when there are expected changes to a home and living situation Apply the home and living decision in PACE
Medium Term Accommodation (MTA)
MTA gives you somewhere to live if you can’t move into your long-term home because your disability supports aren’t ready. To be eligible, you must have a home you’ll move into, and you need somewhere else to live in the medium-term. We usually fund medium-term accommodation for up to 90 days.
SGP KP Publishing – Support Categories
Home and Living
- Assistance with Daily Life
- Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed
- Stated
- Regular
Add medium term accommodation (MTA) funding Understand interim supports when there are expected changes to a home and living situation Apply the home and living decision in PACE
6.3 Supported Independent Living (SIL)
SIL is to help you live in your home. It includes help or supervision with daily tasks, like personal care or cooking meals. It helps you live as independently as possible, while building your skills. SIL is for people with higher support needs, who need some level of help at home all the time.
Home and Living
- Assistance with Daily Life
- Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed
- Stated
- Regular
Add supported independent living (SIL) funding Understand interim supports when there are expected changes to a home and living situation Apply the home and living decision in PACE
6.4 YPIRAC — Cross billing
In PACE, we’ve created a new support category for Younger People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC). Cross-billing payments are an agreement we have with the Department of Health and Aged Care to pay some of the fees and charges for younger people in residential aged care. Cross-billing is a stated support in the participant’s plan and must be agency-managed.
Only a YPIRAC planner delegate can add the funding to the participant’s plan.
YPIRAC — Cross Billing
Home and living – 11 Page 36 of 85
SGP KP Publishing – Support Categories
Assistance with Daily Life
- Agency-managed
- Stated
- Once-off
Add funding for Younger People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC)
Home and living — 12 Page 37 of 85
Capital support categories
Assistive Technology (not maintenance, repair and rental)
Assistive technology (AT) support is the equipment you might need to help you with everyday tasks. AT may be equipment or items to support a person with a disability reach their potential at home, in the community and the workplace.
| Assistive Technology | |
| Assistive Technology | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular | |
| Understand high-cost assistive technology (AT) funding | |
| Calculate vehicle depreciation | |
| Complete checks for vehicle modifications | |
| Determine hearing support funding | |
| Understand disability-related health supports - capital supports |
Assistive Technology — maintenance, repair and rental
We’ve moved assistive technology, maintenance, repair and rental from the SAP CRM assistive technology support category to its own support category in PACE.
These supports are to repair and maintain assistive technology. This also includes short-term rental and trial of your assistive technology supports.
If the participant’s plan has moved from SAP CRM to PACE, you need to:
- Talk with the participant to understand what supports need to stay in the assistive technology budget. For example, a customised wheelchair. If required, explain changes to their assistive technology supports
- Check the assistive technology — maintenance, repair and rental supports in the participant’s previous SAP CRM plan
- Move the funded amount from the SAP CRM assistive technology budget to the PACE support category Assistive Technology — Maintenance, Repair and Rental supports.
Explain to the participant the changes to their assistive technology supports.
Assistive Technology — maintenance, repair and rental
Capital support categories — 13 Page 38 of 85
Home modifications
NDIS supports to make changes to the structure, layout or fittings of your home, so you can safely access it and move around comfortably.
| Home modifications | Home modifications |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed |
| Stated | Stated |
| Once-off | Once-off |
Add complex home modifications funding Add minor home modification funding Add home modification capacity building support
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) has been moved from SAP CRM home modifications support category to its own PACE support category called Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
SDA is a range of housing for people with very high support needs or who need to live in a specially designed house.
| Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) | Home modifications (SDA items) |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed |
| Stated | Stated |
| Once-off, Regular | Once-off, Regular |
Add specialist disability accommodation (SDA) funding
Capacity building support categories
Behaviour support
NDIS supports to help you develop behavioural management strategies to reduce behaviours of concern. This includes specialist behavioural intervention supports to help improve your quality of life.
We’ve moved behaviour support from the SAP CRM improving relationships support category to its own support category in PACE.
If the participant’s plan has moved from SAP CRM to PACE, you need to:
- check the participant’s previous SAP CRM plan
- move behaviour support from the SAP CRM improving relationships budget to the PACE support category behaviour support
- confirm what supports the participant needs to stay in the PACE behaviour support budget. For example, support for social skill development
- explain to the participant changes to their behaviour supports.
| Behaviour Support | Improving Relationships | Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | Stated | Once-off, Regular |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understand behaviour support |
Choice and control
NDIS supports to help you manage your plan funding and pay for services using a registered plan manager.
Choice and control Plan-managed Stated Regular Make fund management decision
Finding and keeping a job
NDIS supports to help build employment skills to successfully find and keep a job. This includes employment supports for participants of all ages who have an employment goal and supports for young people to develop a pathway from school to work. This may also include employment-related assessments and counselling to support participants to select and successfully engage in employment that suits their abilities and interests.
| Finding and Keeping a Job | |
| Finding and Keeping a Job | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular | |
| Understand work and study supports Understand capacity building employment supports |
Health and wellbeing
NDIS supports that are directly related to the impact of your disability. This may include swallowing assessments and mealtime care plans. This doesn’t include gym memberships.
| Health and Wellbeing | |
| Health and Wellbeing | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular | |
| Understand disability-related health supports — capacity building supports |
Improved daily living skills
NDIS supports which include assessment, training, or therapy (including Early Childhood Intervention) to assist the development of, or to increase, your skills and capacity for independence and community participation. These services can be delivered in groups or individually.
We may fund therapy supports which aim to increase functional capacity and independence where it’s reasonable and necessary based on the participant’s individual circumstances. This includes in areas such as communication and personal care. This may include, but is not limited to, psychology, occupational therapy, speech therapy and physiotherapy.
Therapy supports must be evidence based and delivered by an allied health professional who is
SGP KP Publishing – Support Categories
registered with an appropriate governing body. This may include psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and physiotherapists.
For example, a participant may see a psychologist to help them feel more confident in social situations. This will help them work towards their goal of engaging with a community group.
These supports are funded under the Capacity building budget type in a participant’s plan.
| Improved Daily Living Skills | |
|---|---|
| Improved Daily Living Skills | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular | |
| Guide – Therapy supports | |
| Guide – Hearing supports | |
| Understand disability-related health supports - capacity building supports |
Improved living arrangements
NDIS supports to help you find and maintain an appropriate place to live.
| Improved Living Arrangements | |
|---|---|
| Improved Living Arrangements | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular | |
| Add home modification capacity building support |
Increased Social and Community participation
NDIS supports to allow you to take part in skills-based learning to develop independence in accessing the community.
| Increased Social and Community Participation | |
|---|---|
| Increased Social and Community Participation | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed |
SGP KP Publishing – Support Categories
Stated Once-off, Regular
Understand social and community participation supports for participants in a shared living arrangement Add capacity building supports (coming soon)
Lifelong learning
NDIS supports to assist you to move from school to further education. Examples include training, advice and help to move from school to university or TAFE.
| Lifelong Learning | |
| Lifelong Learning | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular | |
| Understand work and study supports | |
| Understand capacity building employment supports |
Relationships
NDIS supports to help you develop positive social skills and interact with others in the community.
| Relationships | |
| Improving Relationships | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular | |
| Add capacity building supports (coming soon) |
Support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaches
We’ve renamed the support coordination support category to support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaches. NDIS supports to help you understand your plan and connect with NDIS providers, community and mainstream and other government supports. These supports help you to build confidence and coordinate your supports.
SGP KP Publishing – Support Categories
| Support coordination and psychosocial recovery coaches | |
| Support coordination | |
| Self-managed, Agency-managed or Plan-managed | |
| Stated | |
| Once-off, Regular |
Understand support coordination and psychosocial recovery coach funding |
Capacity building support categories – 19
Page 44 of 85
Recurring support categories
Recurring transport
In PACE, we’ve included a new support category for Recurring Transport.
NDIS supports paid by us on a regular basis to your nominated bank account for transport supports.
| Recurring Transport | New Category | Self-managed | Stated | Recurring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understand transport supports |