NDIS Plan Reassessment: When to Request One and What Evidence You Need

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An NDIS plan reassessment may be appropriate when your disability-related support needs have changed significantly and on an ongoing basis, and your current plan no longer meets those needs. A reassessment can lead to a new plan with different supports, but it is not an automatic increase in funding.

If you only need a smaller, urgent or short-term change, a plan variation may be more appropriate. If you disagree with an earlier National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) funding decision, the correct pathway may instead be an internal review of that decision.

Since 27 August 2026, only an NDIS participant, their plan nominee or their child representative can formally request an unscheduled plan reassessment. The request must use the approved NDIA form and include supporting evidence. A Support Coordinator or provider can help prepare the request but cannot submit it simply because the participant has given consent.

This guide explains when to consider reassessment, how to choose the appropriate plan-change pathway, what evidence to prepare, how to submit a request, the current decision timeframes and what happens if the NDIA does not agree.

Information checked against current NDIA guidance and legislation on 2 November 2026.

What is an NDIS plan reassessment?

An NDIS plan reassessment is the process the NDIA uses to reconsider a participant’s plan when their circumstances and disability-related support needs mean that a new plan may be necessary.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funds eligible disability-related supports based on individual needs and legal requirements. A participant’s plan reflects the supports approved at a particular time, but those needs can change.

For example, someone may need different assistance with everyday activities after a significant change in functional capacity. A long-term informal care arrangement may stop being available. A substantial change in living, education or work arrangements may also alter the support required.

The question is whether the change is significant and ongoing, whether it affects the participant’s disability-related support needs and whether the current plan can still meet those needs.

Reassessment can result in more, less or different funded supports. It can also result in the NDIA deciding that a new plan is not needed.

The official NDIS plan reassessment guidance explains the current process and requirements.

When might you need an NDIS plan reassessment?

A reassessment is generally worth discussing when there has been a substantial, ongoing change in the support you need because of your disability, and your existing plan cannot adequately respond.

Your functional capacity has changed

Functional capacity refers to how a disability affects a person’s ability to complete everyday activities.

A participant might experience a significant change in mobility, communication, personal care, household activities or other areas of daily functioning.

The relevant evidence should explain what has changed since the current plan was approved and how that change affects the person’s ongoing support needs.

A new diagnosis alone does not necessarily establish that a plan reassessment is required. The NDIA considers the disability-related functional impact and the supports needed.

Informal support is no longer available

Some participants receive unpaid assistance from family members, friends or other informal supporters.

If that support changes significantly and on an ongoing basis, the participant may need a different combination of NDIS and other supports.

For example, a family member who previously provided regular personal assistance may become permanently unable to continue that arrangement.

The reassessment question is not simply whether the family member has stopped helping. It is what disability-related support is now required, why the change is ongoing and whether the current plan can meet the need.

Your living arrangements have changed

Moving into a different living arrangement can affect the practical assistance a participant needs.

This may involve moving out of the family home, changing an established shared-living arrangement or experiencing a significant change in the support available at home.

A change of address alone does not establish an entitlement to extra funding. The NDIA needs to understand the actual change in disability-related support requirements.

Similarly, considering Supported Independent Living (SIL) or Individualised Living Options (ILO) does not mean the NDIA will automatically fund that support model.

Education, employment or other circumstances have changed

Starting or leaving education, commencing or changing employment, or another substantial life transition may change the disability-related supports a person requires.

The important distinction is between an ordinary change in circumstances and one that significantly affects ongoing NDIS support needs.

Evidence should explain the practical effects rather than simply state that a major life event has occurred.

When might a full reassessment be unnecessary?

Not every problem with an NDIS plan requires a new plan.

If a participant’s needs are largely unchanged, there may already be flexibility within their existing funded supports. A Support Coordinator or my NDIS contact may help clarify which supports can be used under the plan’s actual conditions.

Other situations may be handled differently:

A small administrative error may be corrected through a plan variation.
A change in how funding is managed may not require a full reassessment.
A temporary support disruption may call for contingency planning or a variation rather than a new plan.
Updating contact details generally does not require reassessment.
An upcoming scheduled check-in may provide the appropriate opportunity to discuss significant changes.
Disagreement with an original funding decision may belong in the internal review process.

Simply running out of funding because of ordinary overspending is not, by itself, evidence that the legal requirements for reassessment have been met.

Before requesting reassessment, check what your current plan actually funds, what has changed and whether the required support can be arranged within existing funding and conditions.

For help understanding budgets and funding categories, see Aligned Assist’s Understanding NDIS Funding guide.

Reassessment, variation, internal review or scheduled check-in: which pathway applies?

These processes are related, but they serve different purposes.

Your situation	Pathway to discuss	Important next step
Significant, ongoing change in disability-related support needs that the current plan cannot meet	Plan reassessment	The participant, plan nominee or child representative uses the approved reassessment form with relevant evidence.
Minor correction, short-term need or an urgent change that can be considered within the variation rules	Plan variation	Discuss the change with the NDIA and use its current variation request process where required.
Your plan’s scheduled reassessment date is approaching	Scheduled check-in and next-plan process	Prepare to discuss whether the current plan remains suitable and what evidence may be required.
You disagree with an earlier reviewable NDIA decision	Internal review of a decision	Check the written decision, review rights and the usual three-month deadline.
You need to change contact information or another administrative detail	Update your details	Contact the NDIA through its official service channels.
Your needs are unchanged and your existing funding can be used appropriately	Continue using your plan	Check the relevant funding rules and discuss how existing supports can be arranged.

This table helps identify the right conversation. The NDIA makes the actual decision about whether a reassessment, variation or another action is appropriate.

What changed to plan reassessments on 27 August 2026?

New NDIS legislation changed the rules for requesting an unscheduled plan reassessment from 27 August 2026.

The changes affect who can make a formal request, what must accompany it and the decision process.

Only certain people can formally request reassessment

The current rules permit a request from:

the NDIS participant
the participant’s plan nominee
the participant’s child representative, where applicable

A Support Coordinator, allied health professional, support provider, plan manager or family member does not automatically have authority to make the request.

The participant cannot simply give a provider consent to become the formal requester for an unscheduled reassessment.

Someone who also independently holds the relevant legal nominee or representative authority is a different situation. It is that legal status, rather than their professional role or ordinary consent, that matters.

The approved form and evidence are required

Under the current process, an unscheduled reassessment request must use the approved form and include the information and supporting documents the NDIA requires.

The evidence needs to establish a significant change to the participant’s ongoing disability-related support needs.

An incomplete request, or one submitted by someone without the required authority, may not be accepted as a valid reassessment request.

The reassessment request decision period is now 90 days

Before the changes, older NDIS guidance described a 21-day period for deciding whether to reassess a plan.

That is no longer the current rule for a valid unscheduled reassessment request.

Under the legislation that took effect on 27 August 2026, the NDIA has a 90-day statutory decision period for a reassessment request that meets the legal requirements.

Within that period, the NDIA must decide whether to reassess the plan, vary the plan or decline to reassess it, subject to the applicable legislative provisions.

The 90-day period does not mean the participant is guaranteed a completed new plan or additional funding within 90 days.

If the NDIA does not make the required decision within the statutory period, the legislation generally treats the request as refused, with relevant review rights. Participants should contact the NDIA about the status of a request and seek advice about review options if the deadline has passed.

These changes are explained in the NDIA’s 27 August 2026 announcement.

Can a Support Coordinator request a plan reassessment for you?

Not as the formal requester merely because you have given consent.

This is one of the most important changes introduced in August 2026.

A Support Coordinator can still provide valuable assistance by:

helping you understand your current plan
discussing whether the change is significant and ongoing
helping identify which evidence may be relevant
coordinating communication with professionals where you authorise it
helping you prepare information for the approved form
supporting you to understand the NDIA’s response
helping with service arrangements while you await a decision

But the formal reassessment request must come from the participant, their plan nominee or their child representative.

The rules differ for plan variations. Current NDIA guidance says a participant may give consent for someone else, such as a Support Coordinator, to request a variation.

Do not assume the consent rule for variations also applies to reassessments.

Aligned Assist’s NDIS Support Coordination guide explains the coordinator’s broader role and current funding arrangements.

How do you request an NDIS plan reassessment?

The process starts with your current plan and the evidence of what has changed.

Step 1: Check whether a new plan is actually needed

Read the relevant parts of your current plan, including support categories, funding periods and any stated conditions.

Identify the supports that are no longer adequate and explain why existing flexibility cannot meet the changed needs.

If you are uncertain whether reassessment is the right option, speak with your my NDIS contact before submitting a formal request.

Step 2: Confirm who will make the request

For an unscheduled reassessment, the formal requester must be the participant, plan nominee or child representative.

Make sure the person submitting the form has the required authority.

Step 3: Get the current reassessment request form

Use the NDIA’s official page for requesting a change to your plan.

That page provides the current plan reassessment request form in accessible document formats and explains how to submit it.

Use the current form from the NDIA website rather than an older “change of circumstances” form downloaded from another source.

Step 4: Explain what changed and why it matters

Your request should connect the change in circumstances to the supports you need now.

Useful information includes:

what your circumstances were when the existing plan was approved
what has changed since then
when the change occurred
whether it is ongoing
how it affects everyday functioning or support arrangements
what supports are currently available
why the current plan is no longer sufficient
which different supports you believe should be considered

A statement such as “I need more funding” is less useful than a clear explanation of the change and its practical consequences.

Step 5: Attach relevant evidence

The NDIA may need recent professional reports, assessments or other information showing the significance and ongoing impact of the change.

Evidence should be specific to the actual issue and prepared by people with relevant knowledge or professional scope.

Step 6: Submit the request to the NDIA

Current NDIA guidance identifies these submission routes:

through the NDIA service hub
by post to NDIA, GPO Box 700, Canberra ACT 2601
in person through your my NDIS contact or an NDIA office

Keep a copy of the completed form and evidence, along with a record of when and how the request was submitted.

Step 7: Respond if further information is requested

The NDIA may ask for clarification or additional evidence before accepting or deciding the request.

Respond through the appropriate official channel and keep records of additional documents supplied.

For questions about the current process, call the NDIA on 1800 800 110 or contact your my NDIS contact.

What evidence do you need for a plan reassessment?

Useful evidence explains the change, shows its impact on disability-related support needs and helps the NDIA understand what support may now be appropriate.

It should do more than list diagnoses or repeat the support recommendations made when your existing plan was approved.

Depending on the circumstances, evidence may address:

your previous level of functional ability or support
what you can currently do and what assistance is now required
the nature and likely duration of the change
what has happened to existing informal, funded and mainstream supports
what strategies or alternatives have been tried
why the current NDIS supports no longer meet the need
specific recommendations and the reasons for them
relevant risks if the changed needs are not addressed

The evidence needed depends on the kind of change. A participant should not automatically pay for several new assessments simply because they are considering a reassessment.

Evidence guide: matching the document to the change

Type of change	What the evidence should explain	Who may provide relevant information
Daily living or functional capacity	How everyday tasks and assistance needs have changed since the current plan.	Relevant treating allied health professional, GP, other clinician or support provider within their scope.
Loss of informal support	What unpaid assistance was previously available, why it has changed and the resulting ongoing support gap.	Participant, relevant informal supporter and professionals who understand the support arrangements.
Living arrangement change	How the new circumstances affect disability-related daily support, access, supervision or other needs.	Participant, relevant clinicians, housing or support professionals and authorised representatives.
Changed psychosocial or behaviour-related support needs	Current functional impact, existing supports, changes in circumstances and appropriate specialist recommendations.	Relevant treating clinicians or suitable behaviour support practitioner, where applicable.
Nursing or high-intensity support needs	What health-related disability support has changed, the competencies required and why the current arrangements are inadequate.	Appropriately qualified treating healthcare or nursing professionals.
Therapy-related functional change	Previous functioning, progress or deterioration, assessment findings and the basis for future support recommendations.	Relevant allied health professional working within their scope.

No row means that a particular report is legally mandatory for every participant in that situation. The NDIA decides what evidence is needed for the individual request.

How recent does reassessment evidence need to be?

Current NDIA guidance says evidence should be recent enough to demonstrate the significant and ongoing change.

It explains that recent evidence usually means evidence:

dated within four months before the reassessment request
prepared after the participant’s current plan was approved

The word “usually” matters. This is not a universal rule that every document becomes unusable on a particular date.

Older evidence may still help establish a baseline or explain the participant’s history, while newer information demonstrates what has changed.

If the change is recent and updated professional evidence is not yet available, ask your my NDIS contact what information is required and how to proceed.

Do not assume that reordering every assessment will be the quickest or most appropriate response.

Do you need a Functional Capacity Assessment?

Not automatically.

A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) can be useful where the NDIA needs comprehensive evidence about how disability affects everyday functioning and support needs.

However, reassessment evidence may also include recent treating-professional reports, relevant clinical information, service records or other documents showing the specific change.

If a participant already has appropriate and current evidence, a full new FCA may not be necessary.

The NDIA may request particular assessments or information depending on the circumstances.

Before commissioning an FCA, clarify the assessment question, whether existing evidence answers it and whether a qualified professional is required to provide additional information.

For a detailed explanation of the assessment itself, see Aligned Assist’s NDIS Functional Capacity Assessment guide.

What makes a useful allied health reassessment report?

The NDIA has published guidance for allied health professionals preparing plan reassessment reports.

Its guidance emphasises explaining the support delivered, the participant’s goals, functional outcomes, evidence of progress, barriers and recommendations for the next planning period.

Where a significant change has occurred, a useful report may compare previous and current functioning and explain the implications for disability-related support.

Recommendations should be connected to the person’s circumstances and supported by relevant professional evidence.

For example, a report may help explain why an existing arrangement no longer meets the participant’s needs or whether a different support would be more appropriate.

Reports should be shared with the participant so they can understand the findings and decide what information to provide to the NDIA.

See the official NDIA guidance on writing plan reassessment reports.

How long does an NDIS plan reassessment take?

The answer depends on which stage of the process you mean.

Decision on a valid unscheduled reassessment request

The current statutory decision period is 90 days for a reassessment request that satisfies the relevant legal and information requirements.

The decision is whether the NDIA will reassess the plan, vary it or not undertake the reassessment.

The 90-day period does not guarantee a new plan within that time.

The NDIA may need to clarify an incomplete request before it can be treated as a valid request under the current requirements.

Decision on a plan variation request

The separate plan variation process generally has a 21-day decision timeframe once the NDIA has the required information and evidence, subject to the applicable process and any further information required.

This is why it is important not to follow older websites that still describe all reassessment requests as having a 21-day timeframe.

Completing the reassessment and approving a new plan

If the NDIA decides that a full reassessment is needed, the subsequent work of assessing supports and making a new plan is a separate stage.

The time involved can depend on the participant’s circumstances, required information and applicable planning process.

Ask the NDIA what decision has been made, what happens next and when you should expect further contact.

What happens after the NDIA decides?

There are three main possible outcomes when the NDIA considers an unscheduled reassessment request.

1. The NDIA agrees to reassess the plan

The NDIA proceeds to examine the participant’s support needs and develop the appropriate plan outcome.

A decision to undertake reassessment is not itself approval of any particular support or funding amount.

The new plan is based on the NDIA’s consideration of the available evidence and NDIS funding requirements.

2. The NDIA decides a variation is sufficient

If the current plan remains broadly appropriate, the NDIA may decide to change part of it rather than replace the entire plan.

The variation may differ from the exact change the participant requested.

3. The NDIA declines to reassess the plan

This may happen if the legal requirements are not met, the evidence does not establish a significant and ongoing change or the current plan remains appropriate under the NDIS rules.

The NDIA should explain the decision and the relevant review options.

What if the NDIA refuses your reassessment request?

Start with the decision notice and its reasons.

Ask whether the NDIA considered the correct facts and evidence, and whether the refusal is a reviewable decision.

Current NDIA guidance identifies a decision not to undertake plan reassessment as a decision that can be reviewed.

An internal review request generally needs to be made within three months of receiving the decision.

The internal review process is separate from making a fresh reassessment request based on genuinely changed circumstances.

If you disagree with the internal review outcome, you may have a right to request an external review through the Administrative Review Tribunal, subject to applicable rules and deadlines.

See the official NDIA guide to requesting a review of a decision.

Reassessment versus internal review: a practical distinction

Consider two different situations.

Situation A: Your circumstances have changed substantially since your plan was approved, and you now need different ongoing disability-related support.

That may be a reason to discuss an unscheduled plan reassessment.

Situation B: Your plan was approved recently, but you believe the NDIA made the wrong funding decision based on the information that was already available.

That may be a reason to request an internal review of the original decision.

A reassessment request should not be used to bypass the review deadline for an earlier decision. Likewise, a genuine ongoing change in circumstances should not be treated merely as an argument about the original plan.

If both issues exist, ask the NDIA or an appropriately qualified independent advocate about the relevant processes and deadlines.

What if your support needs have changed urgently?

An urgent situation does not necessarily mean that a full plan reassessment is the quickest or most appropriate pathway.

Current NDIA guidance allows plan variations for certain crisis, emergency, minor or short-term circumstances.

Contact your my NDIS contact or the NDIA promptly and explain the actual change, the support affected and any immediate concerns.

Where a regular worker or service becomes unavailable, it may also be necessary to discuss continuity arrangements with existing providers.

Do not assume that ordinary overspending or a routine scheduling problem automatically qualifies as an emergency funding request.

If there is an immediate threat to someone’s health or safety, use appropriate emergency or healthcare services rather than relying on the normal NDIA request process.

Can you keep using your current NDIS plan while waiting?

Current NDIA guidance says participants can generally continue using their current approved plan while the agency considers a reassessment request.

Supports still need to be used in accordance with the plan’s actual budgets, funding periods and conditions.

A pending reassessment is not permission to purchase unsupported services or spend beyond available funding.

If you are approaching the end of a plan or having difficulty maintaining essential services, contact your my NDIS contact about the appropriate arrangements.

Do the October 2026 budget changes affect reassessments?

They may affect particular support categories, but they are separate from the August 2026 reassessment request rules.

From 1 October 2026, the NDIA began introducing budget reductions affecting:

Social, Economic and Community Participation
Improved Daily Living Skills

The changes apply to relevant new and reassessed plans from 1 October 2026, with renewed plans affected from 1 February 2027.

However, the reductions do not apply to every support in those categories, and they do not mean every participant’s entire NDIS budget is reduced.

The NDIA specifically identifies exemptions involving certain employment, disability-related health, high-intensity, intensive and complex behaviour, customised technology and hearing supports.

It also states that essential assistance with everyday activities such as eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry and cleaning is not affected by these reductions.

A separate variation pathway also exists for eligible participants with high support needs affected by the changes, subject to specific criteria.

The budget reductions themselves are not reviewable decisions under the current rules. Individual plan-change and decision-review rights must be considered separately.

For current detail, read the NDIA’s October 2026 support-budget announcement.

What if your living or support arrangement is changing?

Changes in where and how a person lives can affect their support needs, but the funding pathway depends on the nature of those changes.

For example, moving out of the family home may change the informal help available with personal care, meals or household routines.

A participant considering Supported Independent Living may also need to understand whether their actual support requirements fit that model.

The existence of a SIL vacancy does not create an entitlement to SIL funding. Nor does changing accommodation automatically make every housing or support cost an NDIS support.

If you are exploring home and living options, Aligned Assist’s SIL Accommodation Guide explains that separate support model.

What matters for reassessment is the evidence of a significant change to ongoing disability-related support needs and whether a new plan is required.

A hypothetical example: a lasting change in support needs

Consider a fictional participant whose existing plan was developed while they were receiving substantial unpaid assistance with everyday activities from a family member.

That family member’s circumstances later change, and the assistance is no longer available on an ongoing basis.

The participant’s current funded supports cannot cover all the disability-related assistance now needed.

Before requesting reassessment, the participant might review their available funding and discuss whether existing supports can be used appropriately.

If the gap is significant and ongoing, useful evidence could explain the previous assistance, why it stopped, what disability-related support is now required and why the existing plan cannot meet the need.

The participant, plan nominee or child representative would then consider the current NDIA reassessment process.

This example does not imply that the request will be approved or that the NDIA must fund an identical replacement for every task previously undertaken by family.

Preparing for an NDIS plan reassessment in Melbourne

The legal reassessment process is national. Melbourne participants do not have a separate Victorian NDIS reassessment entitlement or application system.

Local circumstances can still affect the evidence and support planning involved.

A participant may be considering different in-home support arrangements, a transition from hospital to home, a substantial change in informal care or a different living arrangement.

Relevant professionals may help explain the support needs arising from those circumstances. Any reports should stay within the professional’s scope and contain information that is actually relevant to the participant’s request.

Families, Support Coordinators and referrers should also respect the participant’s privacy and decision-making rights. Sharing clinical or personal records requires an appropriate lawful basis and secure handling.

Discussing changed disability support needs with Aligned Assist

Aligned Assist is a registered NDIS provider in Melbourne offering disability supports including in-home assistance, Support Coordination and relevant specialist service pathways.

If your circumstances have changed and you are considering different support arrangements, the team can discuss the services you are looking for and whether there may be an appropriate match with Aligned Assist’s current scope and capacity.

This is a service suitability conversation, not an NDIA reassessment service or a funding approval process.

Aligned Assist cannot approve a new plan, guarantee additional funding or formally submit an unscheduled reassessment request merely because a participant has given consent.

For an initial discussion, useful information includes the participant’s general location, the type of support needed, the broad nature of the change, relevant existing funding arrangements and who is authorised to coordinate communication.

Detailed clinical records or sensitive personal information should only be shared through appropriate private channels when required.

Phone: 1300 927 248
Email: info@alignedassist.com.au
General service enquiry: Contact Aligned Assist
Professional service referral: Submit a referral or EOI

To request an actual NDIS plan reassessment, use the official NDIA reassessment request form, not the Aligned Assist referral form.

Frequently asked questions about NDIS plan reassessment

Is an NDIS plan reassessment the same as a plan review?

Not necessarily. “Plan review” is often used informally for different processes. Under current NDIS terminology, a plan reassessment considers whether a new plan is needed, a variation changes part of an existing plan, and an internal review challenges a reviewable NDIA decision.

Who can request an NDIS plan reassessment?

Since 27 August 2026, an unscheduled reassessment request can be formally made by the participant, their plan nominee or their child representative using the approved form and supporting evidence.

Can my Support Coordinator submit my reassessment request?

Not simply because you have given consent. Your Support Coordinator can help prepare information and evidence, but the formal reassessment request must come from a legally authorised requester.

What counts as a significant change in circumstances?

A significant and ongoing change in disability-related support needs may involve changes in functional capacity, living arrangements, education, work or informal support. The NDIA considers the evidence and whether the current plan can meet the changed needs.

Do I need a new Functional Capacity Assessment?

Not automatically. The NDIA may accept relevant recent evidence from treating professionals, support providers or other suitable sources. A new FCA may be useful in some circumstances, but it is not a universal requirement for every reassessment request.

How recent should my reassessment evidence be?

Current NDIA guidance says recent evidence usually means information dated within four months of the request and after the current plan was approved. The appropriate evidence depends on the individual circumstances.

Does the NDIA have to give me a new plan within 90 days?

No. The 90-day statutory period concerns the NDIA’s decision on a valid unscheduled reassessment request. That decision may be to reassess, vary or decline. It does not guarantee a completed new plan or additional funding within 90 days.

Can I request an urgent or temporary plan change instead?

Possibly. Current NDIA guidance provides a separate plan variation pathway for certain minor, urgent, crisis or short-term changes. Contact your my NDIS contact to discuss which process applies.

Can I keep using my current plan while the NDIA decides?

Generally yes. Current NDIA guidance says you can continue using your existing approved plan while the agency considers reassessment, subject to its actual funding and support conditions.

What if the NDIA refuses to reassess my plan?

A decision not to reassess a plan can be reviewable. Check the decision notice and consider requesting an internal review within the usual three-month period. Seek advice promptly if you are uncertain about deadlines.

Does moving into another home guarantee SIL funding?

No. Moving or changing living arrangements may affect support needs, but SIL funding depends on individual circumstances and NDIA decisions. A property vacancy or move does not itself establish eligibility for SIL support.

Will the October 2026 budget reductions affect everyone?

No. The changes apply to specified support categories and affected plans, with exemptions. The NDIA states that essential day-to-day assistance such as dressing, toileting, laundry and cleaning is not included in those reductions.