Before You Ask for an NDIS Plan Reassessment: The New Rules Explained

Since 27 August 2026, asking the NDIA to reassess your plan outside its scheduled date works differently. Fewer people can ask, only certain kinds of change qualify, and the NDIA has much longer to answer. Before you put in a request, it's worth knowing which route you're using, what evidence you need, whether a plan variation would do the job instead, and one timing issue that starts on 1 October.

The short version

• Only you, your plan nominee or, for a child, the person who acts for them can ask for a reassessment.

• There are two routes that qualify: a significant, ongoing change in functional capacity, or a significant, ongoing change in your living, education or work arrangements or your informal supports.

• The NDIA now has 90 days to decide, up from 21. If it doesn't decide in time, that counts as a refusal, and the refusal is automatically reviewed.

• Some changes don't need a reassessment at all. A plan variation may be faster.

• From 1 October, a new plan made after a reassessment can carry the new cuts to social and community participation and Improved Daily Living funding.

Who can ask for an NDIS plan reassessment

The Act now names three people who can request an unscheduled reassessment: the participant, the participant's plan nominee, or, if the participant is a child, the person who acts for them (section 48(2)(b) of the NDIS Act). Your support coordinator or provider can help you prepare a request, but it has to come from one of those people.

The request has to use the NDIA's approved form and include whatever information and documents the NDIA asks for. If it doesn't, the NDIA isn't required to make a decision on it (section 48(2A)).

The two routes that qualify

Both routes start with the same test: there has to be a significant change to your ongoing support needs that arise from an impairment the NDIS covers you for (section 48A). The change then has to come from one or both of these.

Route 1: a change in functional capacity. The change has to be significant and ongoing. It has to relate directly to a change in an impairment the NDIS already covers you for, or come from a new or acquired impairment that also meets the NDIS requirements. And you have to have experienced a substantial reduction in your ability to do daily activities (section 48A(2)).

Route 2: a change in your circumstances. There has to be a significant and ongoing change in your living arrangements, education arrangements, work arrangements or network of informal support (section 48A(3)). Think moving out of home or losing your housing, finishing school, starting or losing work, or a parent or carer who can no longer provide the support they did.

If you have a degenerative condition, route 1 still requires a substantial reduction before it applies. If your circumstances have changed as well, route 2 may be the better fit.

How long it takes, and what happens if the answer is no

The NDIA has 90 days to decide what to do with your request. It used to be 21 (section 48(3)). If it doesn't make a decision within 90 days, it's taken to have decided not to reassess your plan (section 48(4)). That deemed refusal is automatically reviewed by someone who wasn't involved in the original decision (section 100(5)). A decision not to reassess is also a reviewable decision in its own right, so you can ask for a review of a refusal.

The NDIA can also respond by telling you that you're moving to a new framework plan instead, rather than reassessing your current one (section 32B(2A)).

Check whether a plan variation would do the job

A reassessment isn't the only way to change a plan. For most current plans, the NDIA can make a variation instead (section 47A). Variations can:

• correct a minor or technical error

• change your reassessment date

• move funding between support categories, as long as the total doesn't go up

• change your funding periods or how your plan is managed

• change a support that's tied to a particular provider or way of delivering it

• provide crisis or emergency funding if a significant change to your support needs means you need it

• add funding in response to information the NDIA asked for, such as a quote for assistive technology or a home modification

• make a minor change that increases your funding

A variation changes your existing plan rather than creating a new one, and decisions about variations can be reviewed too. If what you need fits one of these, ask about a variation before you ask for a reassessment.

The 1 October timing issue

From 1 October 2026, the Minister can make a determination cutting funding for social, economic and community participation by 50% and Improved Daily Living by 10%. It applies to plans that start after the determination takes effect (section 34A). A reassessment creates a new plan.

So if community access, group programs or capacity building are a big part of your plan, a new plan from a reassessment may come with less funding for those supports, even if you asked for the reassessment because of something else. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask. If your needs have genuinely increased, a reassessment may still be the right call overall. It does mean you should weigh it up with your support coordinator first. We explain the cut itself in The 1 October NDIS Changes: What They Mean for Group Programs and Community Access.

What evidence to gather

Both routes need a change that is significant and ongoing, so your evidence needs to show both: what changed, and that it isn't temporary.

• For a change in functional capacity: reports from your treating professionals that describe the change, how long it's expected to last, and what it means for your daily activities. An occupational therapist's functional capacity assessment is often the strongest piece.

• For a change in circumstances: documents that show it, such as a housing or tenancy letter, school leaving or enrolment information, an employment letter, or a written statement from a carer about what they can no longer do and why.

• From your providers: progress notes and goal updates that show what's different day to day. If we support you, ask us for a summary.

• In your own words: a short statement covering what changed, when it happened, why it's ongoing, and what your days look like now compared with before.

Why this matters more from February 2027

From 1 February 2027, plans renew automatically at their end date, for 12 months, with the same supports and without a new assessment (section 50A). A renewal won't pick up changes in your life. For many people, a reassessment request will become the main way to get a plan that reflects their needs, which makes getting the request right even more important. We go through the renewal rules in The NDIS Act 2026 Has Passed. Here's What Changed From the Bill, and What Didn't.

Talk to us

If you're a participant, family member or support coordinator on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast and you're weighing up a reassessment, get in touch. If we support you, we can help pull together the provider evidence.

📍 Based on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast

Sources

• National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, Federal Register of Legislation (sections 32B, 34A, 47A, 48, 48A, 50A, 99 and 100)

• National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026, Federal Register of Legislation

This is general information, current as at 21 September 2026. Section numbers refer to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 as amended. It isn't legal advice or advice about your individual plan. If you're unsure, speak with your support coordinator, an advocate or the NDIS on 1800 800 110.