Understanding Core, Capacity Building, and Capital Supports in Your NDIS Plan
Whether you’re a newcomer to the NDIS, or you’ve been dealing with the system for years, understanding how your funding works is essential. The NDIS provides personalised funding for eligible participants. This funding is organised into three main budget categories: Core Supports, Capacity Building Supports, and Capital Supports. Your NDIS funding depends on your individual’s needs and goals, and can cover one or more of these categories. Let’s break each category down in simple terms. So you can feel informed, empowered, and ready to make your NDIS plan work for your goals.
Understanding Core Supports in Your NDIS Plan
Core supports are the main support category. Most people will have this budget in their NDIS Plan. They are designed to help you manage everyday tasks and maintain your independence, comfort, and wellbeing. This category of your NDIS funding is the most flexible, allowing you to shift funding across its sub-categories, depending on your changing needs.
Core Supports can cover a wide range of essential support services, including:
Assistance with Daily Life
This support helps with regular household and personal care tasks such as cooking, cleaning, showering, or getting dressed. It’s especially important for people with higher support needs. This category also includes Supported Independent Living (SIL) arrangements. SIL is funded for participants who need ongoing help in a shared living environment.
Accesible Transport
The NDIS may fund transport support to help you travel to work, medical appointments, or community activities. You can use this for public or private transport services. You can choose how the funds are distributed, either in advance or as regular instalments.
NDIS Consumables
This budget covers everyday items that support your health, independence, and mobility. Examples include continence products, compression garments, and low-cost assistive technology. These items are typically low-risk and cost-effective, and they must fall within the NDIA’s approved list.
Assistance with Social and Community Participation
This support helps you build social connections and engage with your community. It can fund a support worker to accompany you to a group class, a community event, or even just to enjoy some time outdoors at the park or a café.
If a service or support helps you go about your day more easily, there’s a good chance it falls under Core Supports. Please note, that under the new NDIS support lists, any day-to-day living costs like groceries, medicines, appliances and household items cannot be paid for with your NDIS Plan.
NDIS Capacity Building Supports: Building Skills for the Future
Capacity Building Supports help you develop the skills and confidence to achieve your goals. Whether that’s improving your health, learning new skills, finding a job, or building relationships. Unlike Core Supports, funding in this category is not flexible between areas. This budget is allocated across specific categories and cannot be shifted between them.
Here’s a breakdown of the nine main Capacity Building funding areas:
1. Support Coordination
A professional who helps you understand and implement your NDIS plan. They assist with connecting you to services, navigating different NDIS funding categories, and ensuring you’re making the most of your supports.
2. Improved Living Arrangements:
Helping you find and maintain a suitable home. It may include support for exploring rental options, applying for disability housing, or understanding tenancy responsibilities.
3. Increased Social and Community Participation:
Designed to help you get involved in your community. This NDIS funding can support personal development programs, classes (like art, or sport), volunteering, group outings, or social clubs. It’s about building confidence, connection, and fun.
4. Finding and Keeping a Job
This support assists with developing employment-related skills, finding work, and staying employed. It can include School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES), job coaching, resume help, and workplace training.
5. Improved Relationships
If you’re working on building stronger personal relationships, this category can fund support from psychologists, social workers, or therapists. The aim is to strengthen your ability to maintain positive connections with family, friends, or partners.
6. Improved Health and Wellbeing
This support focuses on your physical and mental health. It can include tailored advice from professionals such as dietitian’s, personal trainers, or therapists to help with healthy eating, fitness, and emotional resilience.
7. Improved Learning
This funding can support educational planning. It may include help with enrolling in TAFE, university, or other courses, and building the skills to succeed in further education.
8. Improved Life Choices
This category helps participants better manage their NDIS funding and day-to-day finances. It may include budgeting workshops, financial literacy programs, or training in managing service agreements and invoices.
9. Improved Daily Living
This covers assessment and therapy supports from allied health professionals, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or early childhood intervention. The goal is to improve your ability to manage daily activities and routines more independently.
NDIS Capital Supports: Home and Vehicle Modifications
The Capital Supports budget in your NDIS plan is designed to fund high-cost, one-off purchases. These focus on supporting your independence, mobility, safety, and daily living needs. This is the most restricted category. The funding here is specifically allocated to certain items and can’t be moved to other parts of your plan.
There are two main categories under Capital Supports:
- Assistive Technology (AT)
This category covers essential equipment that helps improve your mobility, communication, self-care, and recreational activities. Examples of assistive technology include wheelchairs, hearing aids, communication devices, prosthetics, and vehicle modifications. These technologies are often customised to meet your specific needs.
To find out what equipment is eligible and how funding is allocated, refer to the latest NDIA Assistive Technology and Consumables Code Guide.
- Home Modifications
This funding supports adaptations to your home to make it safer and more accessible. Modifications may include installing grab rails, widening doorways, or combining bathroom and toilet areas to create more functional space. This category can also include funding for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), which provides purpose-built housing for people with high support needs.
These supports usually need quotes, reports, or approvals before they’re funded.
Putting It All Together
Each of these support categories plays a unique role in your NDIS journey:
- Core keeps your day-to-day life functioning.
- Capacity Building helps you work towards your goals and independence.
- Capital provides the tools or modifications you may need to live safely and comfortably.
Understanding the difference between these categories helps you make informed decisions about how to use your plan. And they allow us to advocate for what you need in future plan reviews. The best part? You don’t have to figure it all out alone. If you’re unsure about what a support fits under, how to access something in your plan, or whether you’re making the most of your budget, we’re only a call or message away.
📞 Contact Achora today to speak with a friendly plan manager or support coordinator who understands your needs and can provide guidance tailored to you.