Getting an NDIS plan when you become a participant
What is an NDIS plan
You receive your first NDIS plan after you become a participant. Your NDIS plan is a document that includes information about you, your goals and your funding to buy NDIS supports.
We'll work with you to create your plan based on:
- your situation
- your disability support needs
- the information and evidence you gave us when you applied to become an NDIS participant.
What does a plan include
Your NDIS plan will include information about:
- your situation and who supports you
- the goals you want to work towards
- your NDIS supports
- who will manage your funding
- your total NDIS budget and total funding components amounts
- the length of your NDIS plan and funding periods
- how to let us know if you think your plan needs to change.
How we decide the funding you'll get in your NDIS plan
Every person with disability has different needs. That’s why we create individual plans. It’s also why it’s important to give us the right information and evidence to create your plan.
We also look at data we’ve collected about other participants with similar circumstances and NDIS supports since the NDIS started.
We use all this information to create your plan. This means participants with similar circumstances should receive similar total funding amounts in their plan.
How we create your first NDIS plan
We work with you to create a plan that suits your needs
You’ll be invited to a plan meeting with an NDIA planner once you’re a participant. A plan meeting is a conversation between you and your NDIA planner.
Some participants will be invited to a support needs assessment to help create their NDIS plan.
Learn more about the support needs assessment.
What happens in a plan meeting?
Your NDIA planner will show you the plan they created for you. Your plan will include NDIS supports and total budgets.
Your planner will explain how they:
- used your information and evidence to create your plan
- made decisions about the NDIS supports in your plan.
Your planner will ask you about your living situation, goals and day-to-day supports.
They’ll check their understanding of your situation to make sure the NDIS supports in your plan fit together and work well as a total package.
You can talk with your planner about how your plan can help you work towards your goals and increase your independence.
Sometimes we ask for more information when we’re thinking about funding an NDIS support. We may not be able to fund it in your plan if we don’t have enough information.
We’ll explain the evidence we need to decide if we can include certain NDIS supports in your plan.
Learn more about your plan meeting.
Getting your first NDIS plan
We aim to approve your NDIS plan in your plan meeting, but we may need more information. We’ll do everything we can to approve your plan as soon as possible.
You can start using your plan as soon as it’s approved.
You’ll be able to find and use your approved plan in the participant portal.
We’ll ask how you’d like to receive any extra copies of your plan.
When you receive your first NDIS plan
We aim to create and approve your NDIS plan within 56 days of you becoming a participant.
If the NDIS plan is for a child under 9, we aim to create and approve it within 90 days of the child becoming an NDIS participant.
If you haven’t heard from us about your first plan within these timeframes, please contact us on 1800 800 110.
After your NDIS plan is approved
We’ll offer you a plan implementation meeting within 7 days of approving your plan. This is to help get you started using your NDIS plan and accessing NDIS supports. Your my NDIS contact, support coordinator or recovery coach help get you started in this meeting.
Your planner will talk to you about when your next plan check-in will be. You usually have a check-in once a year unless your situation changes.
Our Guidelines
Download the principles we follow to create your plan guideline:
- Principles we follow to create your plan (PDF 169.06 KB)
- Principles we follow to create your plan (DOCX 78.33 KB)
Download the creating your plan guideline:
- Creating your plan (PDF 460.8 KB)
- Creating your plan (DOCX 146.58 KB)
Download the including specific types of supports in plans guideline:
- Including specific types of supports in plans (PDF 159.16 KB)
- Including specific types of supports in plans (DOCX 95.26 KB)