From 1 October 2026, the NDIS began cutting two support budgets. Social and community participation funding is being reduced by 50%, and improved daily living skills funding by 10%. If you live in Melbourne and rely on a mentor or support worker to get out into your community, this is one of the biggest NDIS changes 2026 has brought.
Nothing changed in your plan on 1 October itself, and a long list of supports is not being cut at all. This guide for NDIS participants and families in Melbourne explains what the NDIS community participation cuts mean, what is still funded, when the change reaches your plan and what to do before your next plan reassessment.
What changed with NDIS community participation funding on 1 October 2026?
Under the new NDIS laws, the NDIA is reducing two support budgets as plans are created, reassessed or renewed over the next 12 months. The NDIA announced the changes.
| Support budget | You may also see it called | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Social, Economic and Community Participation | Social, Civic and Community Participation, or community access | 50% |
| Improved Daily Living Skills | Capacity Building Daily Activities | 10% |
The cut applies to the affected budget, not your whole NDIS plan. As a rough guide, $20,000 of affected community participation funding becomes about $10,000 for the same period.
For most people, that means fewer funded hours of community participation supports like outings, social groups, classes, volunteering and community events.
NDIS cuts 2026: when will they reach my plan?
Your current plan stays as it is until it is reassessed or renewed. The reduction then applies from the day your new plan starts.
- From 1 October 2026: the reduction applies to first plans for new participants, scheduled plan reassessments, reassessments the NDIA starts, and unscheduled reassessments you ask for and the NDIA agrees to.
- From 1 February 2027: the reduction also applies when a plan is renewed.
- By 30 September 2027: the Government says every plan with affected funding will have been reassessed or renewed.
The NDIA says it will contact participants 60 days before a plan renewal, according to People with Disability Australia.
One trap to know about: if you ask for an early reassessment and the new plan starts on or after 1 October, the reduction can apply to that plan. That is true even if the NDIA finds your support needs have not changed.
What NDIS supports are still funded?
Many NDIS supports are untouched. The NDIA says other parts of participant plans are not affected, and that some supports inside the two reduced budgets are also protected.
Supports not affected at all
- Help at home with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry and cleaning
- Nurse care and medication support
- Home and vehicle modifications
- Personal mobility equipment
- Specialist disability accommodation
Supports excluded from the cut, even inside the two reduced budgets
- Supports in employment
- Disability-related health supports
- High intensity supports
- Intensive and complex behaviour supports
- Customised and wearable technology
- Hearing services
The NDIA has published a full list of supports not included in the budget reductions on its announcement page. The NDIA checks your plan for these supports itself, so you do not need to send extra information to have them excluded.
Are NDIS employment supports affected by the cuts?
No. NDIS employment supports are on the protected list, which matters if work is one of your goals.
- Supports in employment are funded from your Core budget and are named by the NDIA as excluded from the reduction.
- Employment assistance and School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) are funded from Finding and Keeping a Job. That is a separate capacity building budget, and it is not one of the two budgets being reduced.
There is one important catch. The protection follows how a support is funded in your plan, not what the activity is called. Volunteering, work experience or job-readiness activities paid from your general community participation budget sit inside the budget that is being cut.
Employment funding also has to be used for employment supports that match the goals in your plan. It cannot be used to top up social and community activities. If finding or keeping a job matters to you, raise it at your next plan reassessment so your plan reflects it.
You can read more about how NDIS employment support and School Leaver Employment Supports work at Good Company.
Can I appeal the NDIS funding cuts?
No. The NDIA says the budget reduction is not a reviewable decision, so you cannot ask for an internal review of the cut itself. The reduction alone also does not count as a change in your circumstances.
You still have three options.
1. Ask for a plan reassessment or plan variation if your circumstances change. The NDIA says you can ask after a significant and ongoing change to:
- your ability to complete daily activities
- your living arrangements
- your education or employment circumstances
- the informal supports available to you
2. Check whether another decision in your plan can be reviewed. Other NDIA decisions may still be reviewable. Read your decision letter for the reasons, the date and the deadline.
3. Use the high support needs pathway if you qualify. This new plan variation pathway has strict eligibility requirements. It is for participants who receive 24-hour disability supports funded by the NDIS, and whose combined budget for Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Social, Economic and Community Participation is $215,030 or more. You generally need to ask within 90 days of the reduction being applied to your plan. The NDIA then has up to 21 days to decide if you are eligible, and up to another 21 days to decide on the variation. Any extra funding goes to daily living or home and living supports, not back into the reduced budgets.
What to do before your NDIS plan reassessment
A little preparation now gives you more choice later. These steps are worth doing well before your plan end date.
- Find your plan end date. This tells you roughly when the change will reach you. Plans reassessed from 1 October 2026 or renewed from 1 February 2027 carry the reduction.
- Check how each support is funded. Ask your plan manager or support coordinator which budget each of your supports is claimed from. Compare it with the NDIA list of supports not included in the reductions.
- Get advice before asking for an early reassessment. A reassessed plan that starts after 1 October can carry the reduction, even if your needs are the same.
- Gather evidence of your support needs. Show what support you need, how much, how often and what happens without it. A diagnosis alone is not enough. Keep your plan, NDIA letters, therapist reports and provider reports together.
- Record any change in your circumstances. A significant and ongoing change in your daily functioning, living situation, work or study, or informal supports is grounds to ask for a reassessment or variation.
- Decide which community activities matter most. Work out which outings, groups and routines do the most for your goals and wellbeing, so they are protected first if your hours reduce.
- Talk to your provider early. A good provider can adjust your roster gradually, suggest small-group options that stretch a budget further, and build skills like travel training on Melbourne’s trains, trams and buses so you need less support over time.
- Consider independent advocacy. A disability advocate can help you understand your options before you decide. Groups such as People with Disability Australia also publish guides to the changes.
How Good Company can help in Melbourne
Good Company provides disability support in Melbourne, with mentors working across Greater Melbourne from Dandenong and Narre Warren to St Kilda and the northern and western suburbs. If the NDIS changes have you worried about your community supports, we can help you plan ahead.
- Plan your supports around your next budget. We can sit down with you, look at your current social and community participation supports and work out how to keep the activities that matter most.
- Provide evidence for your reassessment. We can prepare a provider report that shows what your supports are achieving and what you still need.
- Explore work goals. If a job or your own small business is one of your goals, we can explain how employment support, SLES and microenterprise work, and how each is funded.
Call our Melbourne team on 03 9069 7866, email hello@goodcompanyds.com.au, or contact our team. In Perth, call 08 9334 6995. Support coordinators and plan managers can use our referral form.
NDIS community participation cuts: frequently asked questions
Was my NDIS funding cut on 1 October 2026?
No. Nothing changed on 1 October for plans that have not been reassessed or renewed. The reduction applies when your next plan starts.
How much is NDIS social and community participation funding being cut?
The affected social and community participation budget is reduced by 50%. The affected improved daily living skills budget is reduced by 10%. The cut applies to those budgets only, not your whole plan.
Are personal care and help at home affected?
No. Help at home with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry and cleaning is not part of the reduction. Nurse care, medication support, home and vehicle modifications, mobility equipment and specialist disability accommodation are also unaffected.
Should I ask for an early plan reassessment?
Not without advice. If the NDIA agrees to reassess your plan and the new plan starts after 1 October 2026, the reduction can apply to it. Ask for a reassessment when your circumstances have changed in a significant and ongoing way.
Can I appeal the NDIS budget cuts?
No. The NDIA says the reduction is not a reviewable decision. You can still ask for a reassessment or variation after a significant change in circumstances, and participants with 24-hour supports may qualify for the high support needs pathway.
Are NDIS employment supports being cut?
No. Supports in employment are excluded from the reduction, and Finding and Keeping a Job is a separate budget that is not being reduced.
Do the NDIS community participation cuts apply in Melbourne and Victoria?
Yes. The NDIS is a national scheme, so the reductions apply the same way in Melbourne and across Victoria as in every other state and territory. What differs is timing, which depends on when your own plan is reassessed or renewed.
Sources and further reading
- NDIS: Changes to support budgets from 1 October, including the list of supports not included in the budget reductions
- NDIS: What is a plan variation?
- People with Disability Australia: More NDIS changes from 1 October: what you need to know
This article is general information only and was current at 13 October 2026. NDIS rules, and how they apply to individual plans, can change, and we can’t guarantee the article is complete or up to date. It is not advice about your plan and you should not rely on it to make decisions about your supports. Check ndis.gov.au, call the NDIS on 1800 800 110, or speak with your support coordinator or plan manager. Good Company Disability Services is an independent provider and is not affiliated with the NDIS or the NDIA.
