New NDIS Laws 2026: What Changes, and When

Very little, and that is deliberate. The NDIA has been explicit that participants can continue using their plans and supports as usual, and that no changes were made while Parliament was considering the laws.

It is also worth separating two things that are easy to confuse. Plans naturally go up and down as a participant's needs change, and that has always happened through the ordinary planning process. That is not connected to these reforms. If a reform change affects you, the NDIA has said it will contact you directly to explain what is happening and when.

Four changes start on 27 August. The first affects plan reassessments requested before a scheduled reassessment date. Only participants, plan nominees or child representatives can make that request, and the NDIA then has 90 days to decide whether to reassess. You can still request one where there is a significant and ongoing change to your functional capacity and support needs, or to your living, education, work or informal support arrangements. Short-term and urgent changes still go through plan variations rather than reassessments.

The second is record keeping, and the periods are now specific: three years for participants, five years for nominees and seven years for providers. This exists so claims can be verified and payments made correctly. The consequence matters, because you may need to repay funding if you cannot produce records showing it was used correctly.

The third is compliance. The NDIA gains stronger information gathering, compliance and enforcement powers to respond to fraud and non-compliance, including civil penalties where a provider does not meet requirements such as providing information when asked.

The fourth is automation. Computer systems can now be used for some administrative actions, including claims and payment processing. Oversight and safeguards apply, decisions that are complex or require judgement stay with people, and the NDIA must publish details of how and where automated systems are used.

This is the change most often misread, so it is worth being precise. The Minister for Disability and the NDIS now has the power to make a pricing determination setting the maximum amounts for NDIS supports. The NDIA will advise the Minister for that purpose through the existing Annual Pricing Review process.

What has not happened is any change to prices. The NDIA has stated there are no immediate changes to NDIS pricing and that providers can continue to follow the current pricing arrangements. In practical terms the mechanism for setting prices has changed, not the prices themselves. The 2026-27 NDIS pricing schedule that took effect on 1 July 2026 still applies.

Support budgets for social, civic and community participation supports, and for capacity building daily activities, will be progressively reset as plans are reassessed or renewed. This is a gradual transition rather than a single cut-over date, so it reaches different participants at different times.

A new plan variation pathway is being created for participants with high support needs who require continuous 24-hour care to meet disability-related care needs. If you or someone you support relies on around-the-clock care, this is the change worth watching most closely.

The NDIA will also be able to suspend a plan where a participant does not respond to requests for information. This only follows reasonable attempts at contact, which the NDIA defines as at least five attempts over an extended period to reach the participant, their nominee or authorised representative.

Claims must be submitted within 90 days of delivering a support. This is a single sentence with significant operational consequences for providers and plan managers, because it converts late invoicing from an administrative annoyance into unrecoverable revenue.

If you are a participant, this is a reasonable thing to ask a prospective provider about. A provider with disciplined claiming practices is far less likely to create budget surprises in your plan.

Plan renewals replace the current process of plan continuations. When a plan is due for reassessment it will either be reassessed by an NDIA planner, or a new plan will be created carrying the same supports as the old one.

One detail deserves emphasis: unspent funds from the previous plan will not be carried over. Participants who have historically underspent early in a plan and caught up later will want to plan around this well before it applies.

New criteria will also apply to decisions about reasonable and necessary supports in new participants' plans, including clearer guidelines on what a parent is expected to provide for a child with disability, covering supervision, personal care, transport, emotional support and behavioural support. This does not include the additional support a child needs because of their disability compared with children of a similar age. These criteria reach existing participants progressively, as plans come up for reassessment.

From April 2027 the NDIA begins introducing a new way of planning, with information shared with participants before they move across.

From July 2027 mandatory registration requirements expand to more providers, specifically those delivering personal care and daily living supports, and supports provided in closed settings. If you currently use an unregistered provider for personal care, this is the change most likely to affect who can continue supporting you.

From October 2027 a trusted panel of plan management providers will be established, with participants supported to move to a panel provider over six months.

From January 2028 access changes begin for new applicants, with existing participants reassessed over three years. Eligibility decisions will be based on a new standardised, evidence-based assessment of functional capacity, alongside more consistent assessment of permanence and of access to other compensation schemes. The NDIA has confirmed that people with permanent and significant disability will continue to be able to access the NDIS. From July 2028 a new commissioned support coordination and connection function begins.

There is nothing you need to do this week. Your plan and your supports continue as they are. The three dates worth putting in a calendar are December 2026 for the 90-day claiming rule, February 2027 for plan renewals and the end of carrying over unspent funds, and July 2027 for expanded provider registration.

The most useful preparation is record keeping. With participants required to keep records for three years, and funding potentially repayable where records cannot be produced, a simple habit of retaining service agreements, invoices and rosters is worth starting now rather than later.

Three obligations tighten. Records must be kept for seven years. Claims must be submitted within 90 days from December 2026. And the NDIA's information gathering and enforcement powers, including civil penalties, are stronger from 27 August 2026.

The expansion of mandatory registration in July 2027 will reshape the personal care and daily living market, because providers delivering those supports will need to be registered. Participants currently supported by unregistered workers in those categories should start conversations early rather than close to the deadline.

First Priority Care has been a registered NDIS provider throughout, so the registration changes do not alter how we work. If you are a support coordinator with participants who may be affected, particularly anyone relying on continuous 24-hour care, we are happy to talk through what the transition looks like.

This guide summarises the NDIA's own published material and is accurate as at 23 August 2026. Because the reforms roll out over several years, individual dates and details may be refined as NDIS rules are made and consultation continues.

For the authoritative version, see the NDIA's Securing the NDIS for future generations page, which also publishes downloadable legislation change timelines for participants and for providers. Where anything here differs from the NDIA, the NDIA is correct.