Replacement supports

What is a replacement support?

A replacement support is an item that is normally not an NDIS support, which the NDIA can approve a participant to buy instead of a support already funded in their plan. It must replace one or more existing NDIS supports, cost the same or less, and give the same or a better outcome. The participant must apply and be approved before buying it.

Replacement supports were created by the 2024 amendments to the NDIS Act 2013. Since 3 October 2024, lists made under section 10 of the Act set out what is and isn't an NDIS support. Some everyday items, such as a standard dishwasher or a tablet, sit on the "not NDIS supports" list because most people buy them anyway. The replacement support pathway is the exception: it lets a participant use plan funding for one of those items when it genuinely replaces a disability support they would otherwise use (NDIA: What is a replacement support).

A replacement support is not extra funding. The participant's total budget does not change if the NDIA approves it; the money comes out of the funding already set aside for the support being replaced.

How replacement supports work under the NDIS Act

The legal test is in section 10(6) of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. The NDIA CEO (in practice, an NDIA delegate) may decide that a support is taken not to be excluded for a participant if all of these are true:

1. The support is prescribed in the NDIS rules as one that can be a replacement support.
2. The participant applies in the approved way.
3. The support would replace one or more NDIS supports the participant already has.
4. Its cost is the same or lower than the total cost of the supports it replaces.
5. It would give the same or a better outcome for the participant.
6. Any other conditions in the rules are met.

The transitional NDIS supports rules that commenced on 3 October 2024 limit replacement supports to a short list of item types. According to the NDIA, these are:

• Standard commercially available household items, such as a washing machine or dishwasher. There must be clear evidence the need relates to the participant's impairment, and the item must increase whole-task independence and reduce or remove the need for a support worker or disability-specific assistive technology.
• Smart watches, tablets and smartphones, where they are needed for communication or accessibility. The NDIA's example is a participant with complex communication needs whose tablet is their only way to communicate, so it cannot be shared.
• Apps for accessibility or communication.

Anything outside those types cannot be approved as a replacement support, however good the outcome would be (NDIA replacement supports fact sheet).

How to apply for a replacement support

The participant, or their authorised representative such as a nominee, applies to the NDIA. The NDIA says you can use the Application for a replacement support form on the NDIS website, or give the same information by email or over the phone. You don't need to provide extra assessments or reports to apply.

If the application is refused, the NDIA explains why and the participant keeps using the supports already in their plan. Two rules catch people out:

• 12-month wait. If an application is not approved, the participant can't apply for that same replacement support again for 12 months, unless their plan is reassessed in that time.
• No review. The NDIA states that a refused replacement support is not a decision you can ask it to review. Section 10(6) decisions are not on the list of reviewable decisions in section 99 of the Act, so the usual internal review and Administrative Review Tribunal path does not apply.

If the need behind the request is bigger than a swap, for example a new disability-related need, the right route is usually a plan reassessment rather than a replacement support.

Replacement support vs NDIS support vs assistive technology

People often confuse replacement supports with low-cost assistive technology or with items that are already NDIS supports. The key question is which list the item is on.

The current lists are published on the NDIA's What are NDIS supports page. If a participant uses funding for something that isn't an NDIS support and isn't approved, the NDIA may ask for the money to be paid back.

How often replacement supports are approved

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing published request numbers in its August 2026 consultation paper on the NDIS supports rules. As at 17 July 2026, the NDIA had received 11,051 replacement support requests. The most requested items were tablets, apps for accessibility and communication, smart watches and smartphones (NDIS Supports Rules consultation paper, August 2026).

About half of all requests had been approved, and roughly three in ten had been refused or treated as invalid. The paper does not break down refusal reasons, but the legal test explains the usual hurdles: the item must be one of the allowed types and must genuinely replace a support already in the plan.

Proposed removal of replacement supports (2026 consultation)

Replacement supports may not last. The Department's New Framework Planning and NDIS Supports consultation is open from 19 August to 14 October 2026. Its paper proposes to:

• Remove the replacement supports process, for participants on both current plans and new framework plans.
• Include tablets, smartphones, smart watches and accessibility and communication apps as stated supports where they meet the relevant requirements, so they can be put in a plan directly if found reasonable and necessary.
• Make no items, including standard household items, available through a replacement process.

These are proposals, not law. As of October 2026 the replacement supports process still applies. Check the NDIA's replacement supports page before advising anyone, because the rules are expected to change once the consultation outcome is known. New framework planning itself is expected to start progressively from April 2027.

What providers and plan managers need to know

Providers rarely apply for replacement supports, but they are often asked about them. A few practical points:

• Retailers and AT suppliers should not treat a quote for a tablet or dishwasher as fundable just because the participant has an NDIS plan. Ask whether the NDIA has approved it as a replacement support.
• Plan managers should see the NDIA's approval before paying an invoice for one of these items from plan funds.
• Therapists can help a participant explain how an item works the same or better than the support it replaces, even though reports are not required.
• Support providers should expect fewer funded hours if an approved item replaces some support worker time. Track remaining funding with a tool like the NDIS budget tracker.

Common mistakes with replacement supports

• Buying first, applying later. Approval must come before purchase. It can't be requested after buying a non-NDIS support.
• Expecting extra money. The budget does not grow; the item uses funding from the support it replaces.
• Asking for items outside the list. Only standard household items, smart watches, tablets, smartphones and accessibility or communication apps qualify.
• Asking for a review of a refusal. It is not reviewable. Wait 12 months or seek a plan reassessment if circumstances have changed.
• Treating the 2026 proposals as current. Removal of the process was only proposed in the August 2026 consultation.