On 19 August 2026, Parliament passed the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill. It became law the next day. The changes cover four broad areas: who can access the NDIS, how plans are funded, how providers are registered, and how the NDIA detects and prevents fraud.
You may have heard about the new NDIS laws: the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act 2026 and have questions about what it means for you. Here’s a clear, straightforward summary of what’s changing, and what to expect.
- The NDIA has said it will contact you directly before anything changes for your plan.
- Most changes only kick in when your plan comes up for reassessment or renewal. Not before, and not retroactively.
- There are changes coming to access and eligibility, including a new standardised assessment, but this doesn’t start until 1 January 2028, and existing participants will be reassessed gradually over three years, not all at once.
On 19 August 2026, Parliament passed the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill. It became law the next day. The changes cover four broad areas: who can access the NDIS, how plans are funded, how providers are registered, and how the NDIA detects and prevents fraud.
Nothing switches on all at once: some changes have already begun quietly, others won’t start until 2027 or 2028, and a few details are still being worked through.
- If your child is 8 or under: children with autism or developmental delay and lower support needs who are newly applying for support will move to a new program called Thriving Kids, rather than the NDIS. Kids already on the NDIS with higher support needs stay on it.
- If your child is 9–15: nothing changes for this age group right now. The new assessments are built for participants 16 and over.
- If you or your family member is 16+: this group is affected first. From April 2027, new plans start using a support needs assessment to help set budgets. From January 2028, new applicants go through a standardised assessment, with existing participants reassessed gradually.
- If you’re an adult with an existing plan: from 1 December 2026, the time to make a claim drops from 2 years to 90 days, and participants or plan managers must keep payment records for 3 years.
- If you need 24-hour continuous support: there’s a specific funding safety net designed to protect you, though currently it only covers daily living and home and living supports (not social/community participation or therapy). It may be worth raising early with your planner or provider.
- If you’re a parent providing informal care: from February 2027, there’ll be clearer guidance on what counts as ordinary parenting versus disability-funded support, and a new rule requiring the NDIA to weigh the risk of burnout to you as a carer before declining to fund something.
The biggest budget change: from 1 October 2026, social and community participation budgets are set to reduce by 50%, and daily living skills budgets by 10%, but again, only when your plan is reassessed or renewed, not immediately and not backdated.
Critical supports like nursing care aren’t expected to be affected.
Our team is here to help you make sense of what this all means for your specific situation. Get in touch and we’ll talk it through.
At New Horizons, we work alongside participants and families to help them navigate NDIS changes with confidence. Our teams can support you with behaviour support plans, specialist disability supports, capacity building services, goal planning, housing, and preparing for reviews.
