Imagine being told you can only buy groceries once a month — but you’re not allowed to plan ahead, buy in bulk, or keep anything for later.
Welcome to the new NDIS funding model.
Here’s What’s Changing (Fact):
From 19 May 2025, all new and renewed NDIS plans will:
- Be capped at 12 months
- Have funding released in smaller chunks: either monthly or quarterly
- Forfeit any unused funds if not spent in that plan (no rollover).
- Unused funds don’t disappear immediately, but they don’t roll over past the plan’s end date (which is now capped at 12months)
Do I lose my money every month if I don’t use it?
No — but here’s the catch:
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- If you don’t spend your monthly or quarterly allocation, it can be added to future months within that 12-month period.
- BUT: At the end of the 12-month plan, any unspent funds are gone — they do not roll into your next plan, even if you’re renewing with the same supports.
What does this mean in real life?
Imagine this:
- You save money in Term 1 because your child was sick, your OT cancelled twice, and you couldn’t get into psychology.
- You plan to use that backlog in Term 3 for a speech therapy block or behaviour support.
- You can — as long as it’s still within that 12-month plan.
- But if you try to use saved money from Month 3 in Month 14? Too bad. It’s gone.
Logistical Nightmare?
This might sound like a neat budgeting fix. But for ADHD and neurodivergent families?
It’s a logistics nightmare.
Because support needs don’t show up evenly. One month, you’re in every therapy under the sun. The next, your kid’s in burnout and won’t leave the house. Then you’re drowning in school requirements, and everything is paused.
So you held off, waited for the right time to really use the therapy wisely — and just as life calms down, the funds are out of reach. Because your plan doesn’t bend when you need it most.
Those intensive blocks of therapy that actually work in school holidays? Good luck pulling that off with a quarterly drip feed. And if you hit crisis right at the start of your plan? Too bad. You can’t pull future funds forward to get through it. Need two weeks of respite? Your kid’s refusing school and you need urgent support? Sorry — the funding trickles in, and it won’t speed up just because your life exploded.
What about the long waitlists?
Beyond our child’s capacity — and our own — there’s the reality of long waitlists. If you skip a couple of weeks because your funding didn’t stretch far enough, or your therapist took leave, or admin dropped the ball on billing, you could find yourself back at square one. Sometimes it’s just that the provider’s invoices are delayed (because admin isn’t always their strength), and before you know it, you’ve lost the spot you fought months to secure.
Now the system punishes us for that — instead of giving flexibility when we actually need it.
It also means:
- No more saving for an intensive (e.g., toileting, school prep, anxiety blocks).
- More pressure to predict your year up-front.
- More tracking, planning, admin — as if we didn’t already have 17 tabs open in our brain.
Why It’s a Problem:
- It assumes ‘progress’ is linear.
- It penalises families in crisis or burnout.
- It removes autonomy and makes flexible planning impossible.
- It treats disabilities like fixed spreadsheets — not dynamic realities.
This is like telling someone they can’t buy enough nappies today because they might not need them next month. Sorry, mate — your toddler better hold it.
What Parents are already raising with me in the DM’s:
- ‘We need to save for the crisis we can’t predict? That’s not planning — that’s gambling.’
- ‘NDIS keeps talking about choice and control. I’d settle for consistency.’
- ‘How do I explain to the therapist we can’t afford sessions this month, but might again next quarter? We will have to go back on the waitlist and lose our spot.’
Final Thought from Jane:
NDIS are calling it ‘improved plan management’ and that’s the most grating part…. don’t tell me you’re doing this for us – that’s just insulting.
If this feels like another impossible ask on your already overflowing plate — I get it. But if you’ve lost supports, been hit with rejections, or feel like the rug’s being pulled mid-plan, I’m asking you to take two small steps.
First, tell your story — anonymously, if you need to — through this quick Jotform.
Second, sign the petition at change.org/NDIScutskids.
It’s how we show we’re watching.
It’s how we push back.
Because we shouldn’t have to fight this hard just to get our kids what they need to function.
To Listen To Jane’s NDIS Cuts Episode with Nicole Rogerson from Autism Awareness Australia
I’ve made all my previously paid NDIS resources completely free- Click here to Access
Because right now, it’s hard enough just to be heard — let alone funded. Families are already under enormous pressure, and the last thing I want is to add to it. If these guides help even one parent feel a little less alone or a little more equipped — that’s what matters.
If you have specific questions about funding periods – NDIS are asking you to contact them directly or on WebChat.
Read directly from NDIA website here
