The 1 October NDIS Changes: What They Mean for Group Programs and Community Access
Updated: Sep 28
If you or someone you support uses NDIS funding for community access, group programs or day programs, you've probably heard that changes start on 1 October. Families keep asking us what that actually means. Here's what we know, what nobody knows yet, and what you can do now.
The short version
From 1 October 2026, the NDIS can reduce two parts of a plan: social, civic and community participation by 50%, and capacity building daily activities (often called Improved Daily Living) by 10%.
It isn't a switch that flips on 1 October. The reduction is applied when your plan is next renewed or reassessed after that date.
The Government has said supports that are essential to critical care and daily living aren't affected.
Right now, your current plan keeps working as normal.
What's actually changing
In August, Parliament passed the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026. It received Royal Assent on 20 August, and it gives the NDIS Minister a new power to set limits on particular parts of participants' budgets. That power starts on 1 October.
The two budgets being reduced are:
Social, civic and community participation. This is the funding most people use for community access, group programs, day programs and supported social outings. The Government says these budget allocations will be reduced by 50%.
Capacity building daily activities, which the Act calls improved daily living skills. These are being reduced by 10%.
To put numbers on it, if a plan has $10,000 for social and community participation, a 50% reduction would leave $5,000. The same $10,000 of Improved Daily Living funding would become $9,000.
You may have seen different figures quoted since the changes were first announced in April. The percentages above are the Government's current ones. One budget that isn't on the list is Capacity Building's Increased Social and Community Participation, which funds skill building. We explain the difference in our Increased Social and Community Participation spotlight.
When will the 1 October NDIS changes affect you?
For most people, the change will show up at their next scheduled plan reassessment or renewal after 1 October. That could be next month, or it could be well into next year. The NDIA has said it will let participants know before changes that affect them are introduced.
One thing worth knowing: a reassessment you ask for yourself counts too. The rules for requesting an unscheduled reassessment also tightened on 27 August. Only you, your nominee or child representative can ask, and you'll need to explain what has changed and provide evidence. So if you've been thinking about asking for one, for example to get more 1:1 hours, talk it through with your support coordinator first. Any plan that starts after the Minister's determination takes effect will be built under the new limits, and that determination can't be made before 1 October.
What isn't changing
Your current plan. You can keep using your plan and supports as usual until your next reassessment or renewal.
Critical supports. The Government has said the changes won't affect supports that are essential to critical care and daily living needs.
People who need 24-hour support. There's a new plan variation pathway for participants with high support needs who need 24-hour disability support. They can apply for a variation within 90 days of the new limits applying to them, and the NDIA can increase funding where it's needed to keep them safe at home. The Act is explicit that this pathway can't be used to top social and community participation or Improved Daily Living funding back up (section 47B). It can only add to daily living, home and living, or other supports the Minister specifies.
What this means for group programs and community access
This is the part we get asked about most, so here's our honest take.
Community access and group programs are exactly what this budget pays for. If you use them, your funding for them is likely to shrink at your next reassessment. That doesn't mean they have to stop, but it does mean the way you use that budget will matter more.
Support ratios are a big part of that. Group supports are claimed at a ratio, so an hour in a small group uses less of your budget than an hour of 1:1 support. We explain how that works in What Are Support Ratios in the NDIS? (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 Explained). For some people, a mix of 1:1 and small group time will stretch a smaller budget further. For others, 1:1 is genuinely what they need, and the evidence for that matters more than ever.
What we won't do is tell you to rush and spend before 1 October. The change is applied at your reassessment, not on a date, so there's nothing to use up by a deadline.
What you can do now
Find your reassessment date. It's on your plan and in the my NDIS app, or your support coordinator can tell you.
Keep simple notes on how your community supports help. What you did, what's getting easier, the friendships, the confidence, the skills. A few lines a month is enough, and it's exactly the kind of evidence that counts at a reassessment.
Ask your providers for a goal update before your reassessment.
Talk to your support coordinator before requesting any unscheduled reassessment.
Look at your whole mix of supports. Small groups, community activities and the people already in your life can all play a part. Our guide to informal supports in the NDIS is a good place to start.
Watch for the Inclusive Communities Fund. The Government has committed $200 million to help community organisations build genuine participation opportunities outside the NDIS. Details on how it will work haven't been released yet.
What we don't know yet
Quite a lot, honestly. The detailed rules for these limits will be set out in a ministerial determination, which can't be made before 1 October. Public consultation on wider changes to how social and community participation is delivered has also been deferred. We'll update this post as the details come out.
If you want the background, we wrote about the bill when it was first introduced and about the Senate committee's final report. For what this funding covers in the first place, see NDIS Community Participation: What It Is and Why It Matters.
Talk to us
If you're a participant, family member or support coordinator on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast and want to talk through what this means for a group program or community access, get in touch. We'll give you a straight answer, even when the answer is that nobody knows yet.
📍 Based on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
Sources
About the changes to the NDIS, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
New NDIS Act: What's happening when?, Disability Services Consulting
This is general information, current as at 21 September 2026. It isn't advice about your individual plan. If you're unsure how these changes affect you, speak with your support coordinator, your plan manager or the NDIS on 1800 800 110.
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