Will the funding last the plan?

The NDIA says an NDIS plan can have up to four support budgets: core supports, capacity building supports, capital supports and recurring supports. Each budget is made up of support categories that describe the kinds of supports funded.

Two consequences for tracking. First, track each budget (or category, where it is stated) separately — a healthy plan total can hide one budget that will run out in March. Second, know which money is flexible: if core daily activities is overspending and core social and community is underspending, and both are flexible with the same management type, the plan may already absorb it.

Funding periods came in with the October 2024 changes to the NDIS Act. At first, new and reassessed plans had 12-month funding periods. From 19 May 2025 the NDIA began introducing different periods for new and reassessed plans, usually three months, so funds are available at regular intervals. The NDIA sets the length and amount of each period based on the participant's circumstances — including their preferences and any risk of overspending, harm, fraud or financial exploitation.

Funding periods don't change the total, only when it is available. In the worked example below, a $32,000 core budget released quarterly makes about $8,000 available each quarter. Unspent funds roll into the next period, but spending ahead of the release schedule isn't possible — so a budget can be on track for the year and still be short in the current quarter.

The tracker runs these four calculations for each budget. You can do them by hand:

1. Plan elapsed = days since the plan started ÷ total days in the plan.
2. Weekly burn rate = spent to date ÷ weeks elapsed.
3. Projected spend = weekly burn rate × total weeks in the plan. If this is above the budget, it runs out early; the run-out date is when spend at this rate reaches the budget.
4. Weekly allowance = (budget − spent) ÷ weeks remaining. This is the most you can spend each week from now on and still finish on budget.

The tracker labels a budget overspending when the share spent is more than 10 percentage points ahead of the share of the plan elapsed, or the projection is more than 5% over the budget, and underspending when it is more than 20 points behind. Those thresholds are a rule of thumb, not an NDIA rule — some supports are naturally lumpy, like an assessment at the start of a plan or a block of school-holiday supports.

A fictional plan runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 and is reviewed on 30 November 2026 — 153 of 365 days, or 41.9% of the plan, with 30.3 weeks to go.

Reading it. Core daily activities has spent 50.6% of its budget in 41.9% of the plan. At $741 a week it would spend about $38,647 by the end of the plan and run out on 29 April 2027. To finish on budget, spending needs to come down to about $522 a week. Social and community has spent only 16.7% — if both categories are flexible with the same management type, some of that money can cover the gap. Capacity building is at 41.7%, close to an even pace. Notice that the whole plan — $22,700 of $53,000, or 42.8% — looks on track. That is why the tracker shows every budget separately.

Underspending matters too. Unspent money can't be carried into the next plan, and a pattern of low use can be read as supports not being needed. If a budget is well behind, find out why — no available workers, a provider who hasn't claimed, or supports that don't suit the participant — and fix that rather than spending to catch up.

The NDIA is clear that monitoring spending is the participant's responsibility, even when someone else pays the invoices. In practice, several people need the same numbers.

Providers see only their slice, which is why a provider can stay inside its service agreement while the budget as a whole runs out. Agreeing quantities that fit the plan at the start (see the service agreement generator) and pricing them correctly with the NDIS price guide prevents most surprises. For roster-heavy supported independent living budgets, cost the week first with the SIL roster of care calculator.

A mid-plan price change is easy to miss. If a participant's roster was costed at last year's rates, the weekly burn rises from the day the new limits apply, even though nothing else changed. Re-run the tracker after any price change, and use the current item prices from the price guide.

Support budget

One of the four budgets in a plan: core, capacity building, capital or recurring.

Support category

A grouping of supports within a budget, such as assistance with daily life or social and community participation.

Flexible funding

Funding that can be used across flexible support categories with the same fund management type.

Stated supports

Funding that can only be used for the specific supports described in the plan, such as capital supports.

Funding period

The time during which part of a participant's funding is available — usually three months for new and reassessed plans.

Burn rate

The average amount spent per week so far.

Weekly allowance

Remaining funds divided by weeks left in the plan — the weekly spend that finishes exactly on budget.

Plan reassessment

A new plan decision by the NDIA. Unscheduled reassessments need significant and ongoing change and can only be requested by the participant, nominee or guardian.