At a glance
- Unpaid carers in Australia contributed an estimated $461.1 billion in value during the September quarter of 2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics [1].
- From 1 October 2026, NDIS budgets for social, civic and community participation supports will be reduced by 50 per cent, and capacity building daily activity budgets by 10 per cent, as plans are reassessed or renewed [3].
- Core supports for daily living, such as help with eating, dressing, personal care and home modifications, are not affected by these changes [3].
- A new $200 million Inclusive Communities Fund is being introduced to help community organisations offer more affordable group activities from mid-2026 [3].
Unpaid carers already carry an enormous share of Australia’s care work, and from October 2026 some of the NDIS supports that help share that load are changing. This article sets out what is actually changing, when it takes effect, and what stays the same, using figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and information published by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
How much is unpaid care actually worth in Australia?
Unpaid care in Australia was valued at $461.1 billion in the September quarter of 2025, using the individual replacement cost method. Using a minimum wage rate method, the same work was valued at $306 billion [1].
This is not just childcare. The ABS measure covers physical care of adults, food preparation, shopping, general housework, household management, travel connected to caring, and volunteering [1].
Australians spent 12.3 billion hours on unpaid care activities in the September quarter of 2025 alone. That figure has steadily grown from 8.2 billion hours in 2006 [1].
Most of that work is being done alongside paid employment. Carers who were also working in paid jobs accounted for 66 per cent of all unpaid care hours in the same quarter. Only 30 per cent of hours came from carers not in the labour force, and 4 per cent from unemployed carers [1].
Couple family households carried 75 per cent of total unpaid care hours, compared with 12 per cent for one parent households [1].
What is changing in the NDIS from October 2026?
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 passed Parliament on 19 August 2026 and received Royal Assent the following day. It is now the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 [2].
One of the changes most relevant to carers relates to social, civic and community participation supports, and capacity building daily activity supports.
From 1 October 2026, budgets for these supports will be reset so that spending, on average, aligns more closely with 2023 levels. This includes:
- A 50 per cent reduction in budget allocations for social, civic and community participation supports.
- A 10 per cent reduction in capacity building daily activity budget allocations [3].
These changes will not happen all at once. They will be applied progressively as each participant’s plan is reassessed or renewed, over a 12 month period. A reduced budget allocation does not necessarily mean a participant will notice a 50 or 10 per cent drop in what they actually spend, since many participants are not currently using their full allocation [3].
What is not changing
The following supports are not affected by this reset, because they are treated as critical supports [3]:
- Supports in the home, such as help with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry, cleaning, community nursing care and help with medication.
- Home and vehicle modifications.
- Personal mobility equipment and transport.
- Consumable products for incontinence and menstruation.
- Specialist Disability Accommodation.
What is happening to plan reassessments?
The criteria for unscheduled plan reassessments are also tightening, starting 7 days after Royal Assent [3]. From the same date, the NDIA gains stronger compliance, enforcement and information gathering powers to address fraud and non-compliance, and the Minister for Disability and the NDIS becomes the decision maker on NDIS pricing [4].
Only a participant, their plan nominee, or their guardian will be able to request an unscheduled reassessment. From that point, a request will only be considered where there has been:
- a significant and ongoing change to a participant’s functional capacity and support needs, or
- an unanticipated, significant and ongoing change in a participant’s living, education, work or informal support arrangements [3].
The NDIA will have up to 90 days to decide whether to vary or reassess a plan under these criteria [3].
Participants experiencing fraud, or a crisis or emergency situation, can still request a plan variation outside of this process [3].
How is support coordination changing?
From 1 July 2028, a new support coordination and connection service will be set up directly by the Government. Participants will no longer pay for support coordination out of their individual NDIS plan funding. Instead, they will choose from a list of providers funded directly to deliver this service, and will be supported through the transition [3].
This is a longer term change, and does not affect how support coordination is funded right now.
What extra help is available for community participation?
Alongside the budget reset, the Government is introducing a $200 million Inclusive Communities Fund [3]. This is intended to rebuild the capacity of community organisations to run genuine participation activities, and to support market reforms so that inclusive group activities remain available to NDIS participants, potentially at lower cost than one-to-one supports. Consultation on the design of the Fund ran from 1 July to 31 August 2026 [4].
When do these changes actually start?
| Change | Start date |
|---|---|
| Tighter criteria for unscheduled plan reassessments | 7 days after Royal Assent |
| Social, civic and community participation budget reset | 1 October 2026, applied progressively over 12 months |
| Reduced timeframe to make a claim (90 days) | 1 December 2026 |
| Tighter reasonable and necessary supports criteria begin for new entrants, then apply progressively to existing participants at reassessment | 1 February 2027 |
| Plan rollovers change, so unspent funds are not carried into a renewed plan | 1 February 2027 |
| Transition to new framework planning begins | 1 April 2027 |
| Panel of plan management providers established | 1 October 2027 |
| New support coordination and connection service | 1 July 2028 |
Want to explore whether extra support during this period of change is right for your circumstances?
Contact our friendly team at Humanity Allied Health for further information or referral guidance.
There are no changes to how people access the NDIS until 1 January 2028 [3].
Timeline source: [3].
FAQ
Will my current NDIS plan change straight away? No. Budget resets and new criteria are applied as each plan comes up for reassessment or renewal, rolled out progressively over a 12 month period from 1 October 2026, not applied to every plan on the same day [3].
How much is unpaid care worth in Australia? The Australian Bureau of Statistics valued unpaid care at $461.1 billion in the September quarter of 2025, using the individual replacement cost method, or $306 billion using a minimum wage rate method [1].
What supports are protected from the social and community participation budget reset? Critical supports are not affected, including help in the home with daily tasks, home and vehicle modifications, personal mobility equipment and transport, incontinence and menstruation consumables, and Specialist Disability Accommodation [3].
Can I still request an urgent change to my plan? Yes. Participants experiencing fraud, or a crisis or emergency situation, can still request a plan variation outside the tightened unscheduled reassessment criteria [3].
Where can I get reliable updates on these changes? Updates are published on the NDIS website and through NDIA newsletters for participants and providers. You can also subscribe to updates from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing [3].
Last updated: 17 September 2026. Written by the Humanity Allied Health team.
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, “5 new insights into unpaid care“, released 19 June 2026:
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, “The NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 has passed Parliament“
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, “About the changes to the NDIS”
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, “Securing the NDIS for future generations timeline” (last updated September 2026)
