NDIS Core Supports: What They Cover and How to Use Them

Core Supports is the largest and most flexible budget category in an NDIS plan. It covers the everyday assistance you need to live independently and participate in your community. This guide explains what's included, how the budget works, and how to make the most of it.

What are Core Supports?

Core Supports is one of the three NDIS funding categories (alongside Capacity Building and Capital Supports). It's designed to cover your day-to-day assistance needs — the supports you use regularly to go about your life.

Core Supports is the most flexible budget in your plan because you can often move funding between its sub-categories. This means if you don't need much in one area but need more in another, you can adjust.

The four Core Supports sub-categories

1. Assistance with Daily Life

This is typically the largest part of a Core Supports budget. It covers help with everyday personal activities, including:

• Personal care — help with showering, dressing, and grooming
• Household tasks — cleaning, laundry, meal preparation
• Community access — support workers to help you get out into the community
• Nursing care — for participants who need clinical support
• Assistance with daily tasks in shared living — for participants in shared or supported accommodation

This budget is usually charged at an hourly rate based on the NDIS price guide, with different rates for weekdays, evenings, weekends, and public holidays.

2. Assistance with Social and Community Participation

This sub-category covers support workers who help you take part in social and community activities:

• Social outings — going to events, visiting friends, or attending community groups
• Recreational activities — sports, hobbies, and classes
• Community participation — volunteering, attending workshops, or joining clubs
• Capacity-building activities — programs that help you build social skills and confidence

The key distinction: this funding is for the support worker who helps you participate, not for the activity cost itself (e.g., gym membership fees come from a different budget or your own pocket).

3. Consumables

Consumables cover everyday items you need because of your disability:

• Continence products — pads, pull-ups, and related items
• Low-cost assistive technology — basic items under a certain threshold (usually around $1,500 per item)
• Personal care items — specialised products related to your disability
• Home enteral nutrition (HEN) — feeding supplies for participants who need them

Consumables is often a smaller budget but can be very flexible — you can move funds between Consumables and other Core sub-categories.

4. Transport

Transport funding helps you get to places you can't access independently. It's paid as a quarterly lump sum directly to your bank account (not through providers).

There are three levels of transport funding:

• Level 1 — for participants who are not working, studying, or looking for work (around $1,000 per year)
• Level 2 — for participants who are working, studying, or looking for work part-time (around $2,500 per year)
• Level 3 — for participants who are working or studying full-time (around $3,500 per year)

Transport funding is typically not flexible — it can't usually be moved to other Core sub-categories.

How Core Supports flexibility works

The biggest advantage of Core Supports is its flexibility. In most plans:

• You can move funding between Assistance with Daily Life, Social and Community Participation, and Consumables
• You cannot usually move Transport funding to other sub-categories
• You cannot move Core funding to Capacity Building or Capital Supports

This means if you're under-spending in one area (e.g., you don't need many consumables) and over-spending in another (e.g., you need more support worker hours), you can shift the money.

Always check your plan — some plans have specific restrictions on flexibility.

What you can and can't claim from Core Supports

You can claim

• Support worker hours (weekday, evening, weekend, and public holiday rates)
• Personal care and household assistance
• Community participation support
• Continence products
• Low-cost assistive technology
• Transport (if funded in your plan)

You can't claim

• Items not related to your disability
• Everyday living costs (groceries, rent, utilities)
• Activity fees (gym memberships, course fees, event tickets)
• Items that should be covered by the health system or other services
• Items that are a household's responsibility

How to manage your Core Supports budget

Track your spending

Use the NDIS portal, your plan manager's app, or a spreadsheet to track how much you've spent vs. your total budget, how much you need per week to last the full plan period, and whether you're on track or need to adjust.

Plan for rate changes

Support worker rates are higher on evenings, weekends, and public holidays. If you use most of your hours on weekdays, your budget will last longer.

Use flexibility wisely

If you're running low in one sub-category, check if you can shift funds from another. But don't overspend early — make sure you have enough to last the full plan period.

Keep records

If you're self-managed, keep receipts and invoices for every claim. If you're plan-managed, your plan manager handles this. If you're agency-managed, the NDIS portal tracks everything.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Overspending early — using too many hours in the first few months leaves you short later
2. Not checking the price guide — paying above the price guide (if self-managed or plan-managed) eats into your budget faster
3. Claiming non-eligible items — items not related to your disability will be rejected
4. Ignoring weekend rates — weekend support can cost 50%+ more than weekday
5. Not using flexibility — if you're underspending in one area, shift funds to where you need them

Need help with your Core Supports?

If you're unsure how to manage your Core budget or what you can claim, contact our team through the contact page — we can help you understand your plan and make the most of your funding.