An NDIS plan is a set of budgets, not a list of providers or services. Once you can read the budgets, you can see what your plan can pay for and what a provider should be claiming. This guide explains the three budget types, what each one pays for, and how they map to the supports a Perth NDIS provider delivers.
The three budget types
Core Supports
The flexible budget for everyday support. It has four categories: assistance with daily life (personal care, household tasks, SIL where it is approved), assistance with social and community participation (a support worker to get out and take part), consumables (continence products and the like) and transport. Within Core, you can usually move funding between categories, which is why it is the budget most participants use most.
Capacity Building
Fixed-purpose budgets for learning and change. The ones most relevant to daily supports are Improved Daily Living (skills training, therapy), Improved Living Arrangements (help to find and keep a home), Finding and Keeping a Job (employment support), Improved Relationships (behaviour support) and Support Coordination. Capacity Building money cannot be moved between categories.
Capital
Equipment, home modifications and Specialist Disability Accommodation. Usually quoted and approved item by item.
Which budget pays for which support
| Support | Budget | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Personal care at home | Core | Assistance with Daily Life |
| Household tasks | Core | Assistance with Daily Life |
| Supported Independent Living | Core (Home and Living) | Approved on a Roster of Care, claimed weekly |
| Community participation | Core | Assistance with Social and Community Participation |
| Worker-driven transport | Core | Activity-based transport items; kilometres at the NDIS rate |
| Daily living skills training | Capacity Building | Improved Daily Living |
| Tenancy and moving-out support | Capacity Building | Improved Living Arrangements |
| Employment and study support | Capacity Building | Finding and Keeping a Job |
| Behaviour support plan | Capacity Building | Improved Relationships |
| Support coordination | Capacity Building | Support Coordination |
How a provider should charge
Registered providers charge at or below the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. The limits differ by time of day and day of the week, and sleepovers and active nights have their own rates. Travel can be claimed only where the price guide allows it and only with your agreement. Before you sign a service agreement, ask the provider to list the line items they will claim and the rate for each. If they cannot, keep looking.
Reading your own plan
- Find the budget tables. Each shows a total for the plan period.
- Divide each total by the number of weeks in the plan. That is your weekly budget for that category.
- Divide the weekly amount by the weekday hourly rate for the support. That is roughly how many hours a week the budget funds, before evening and weekend rates.
- Ask your provider to show you the same calculation. It should match.
Where your plan is agency-managed, claims go through the portal and you see them in your plan statement. Plan-managed, the plan manager pays and sends you statements. Self-managed, you pay and claim yourself, and you can use unregistered providers as well as registered ones.
Want to know which of your budgets would fund the support you need? Send us the plan and we will tell you which line items we would claim, before you sign anything.
Send your plan → or call 1300 360 955
Frequently asked questions
Can I move money between Core budgets?
Yes. Core Supports is flexible: daily life, community participation, consumables and transport can usually be used across each other. Check your plan, because the NDIA can set some Core funding as stated and fixed.
Can I use Capacity Building money for a support worker?
Only for the purpose the budget names. Improved Daily Living pays for skills training, which can be delivered by a support worker under a plan, but it does not pay for ordinary personal care.
Why is SIL shown separately?
Supported Independent Living is approved on a Roster of Care and claimed weekly, so the NDIA shows it as its own Home and Living line rather than as flexible Core funding.
What are the price limits?
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits set the maximum a registered provider can charge for each support. The limits differ for weekdays, evenings, Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and sleepovers. Providers can charge less, never more.
Who do I ask when I am not sure which budget to use?
Your support coordinator or, if you do not have one, the NDIA on 1800 800 110. A good provider will also tell you which line items they intend to claim before you sign.
This guide is general information from a registered NDIS provider in Perth, current at October 2026. It is not legal or financial advice. Check the current NDIS Operational Guidelines and talk to your support coordinator or planner about your own plan.
