August 2025 – Budgeting for your NDIS plan
Funding Periods is one of the newest changes that form part of the new legislation for the NDIS. This introduces shorter periods of time linked to funding releases within a participant’s plan.
Budgeting for your NDIS plan
From the 19th of May 2025 PACE plans will have the addition of funding periods. This means that participants and families will need to monitor their NDIS plan budget more closely to align with the amounts allocated in each funding period.
For those who do not regularly budget, this can seem overwhelming. We have provided some tips to help you understand what this means and how to confidently budget for your supports (even if you have never budgeted before).
What are these new funding periods?
For new PACE plans from the 19th May 2025, changes have been made to funding and the availability of funding within the plan categories. This means that instead of getting your full yearly or two-yearly funding up front, you will now receive your funding in set periods of time. The NDIS will assign funding periods to categories of funding within the plan, the NDIS say the funding periods will usually be set at three-months, but some categories of funding may be different.
You would need to look at your plan to see how the NDIS has set this funding out for you. Unused funding will roll over to the next funding period.
How to budget your NDIS funds.
Here are five easy steps you can take to help you manage your NDIS funding. Budgeting means “Making a plan for how you want to use your money.”
To make a budget you need to know:
- How much money you have in your plan and funding period.
- What types of supports you need to spend it on
- To make sure it will last the funding periods set up in your new NDIS PACE plan
Think about budgeting, like planning meals for the week. If you only buy food for two days, you will run out by Wednesday and have nothing left for the rest of the week.
Budgeting helps you spread your funding evenly, so you do not run out early, or miss out on the supports that you need.
Step 1: Know Your Amount
Look at your plan funding for each category of funding to work out what amount you have.
Let’s say you get $2,000 for 3 months for Core supports – That’s your “budget” or the amount that you have to work with.
Step 2: Make a List of What You Need
Think about what supports or services you or your family member uses:
- Support worker hours
- Therapy sessions (like speech or OT)
- Any other items or supports- like provider travel, transport, non face to face time and reports
Don’t worry about being perfect, just start with what you know.
Extra Tips!
- Use your monthly statement to find out which supports you are getting on a regular basis and the amount per hour being charged by providers, look for added supports like transport and non face to face hours.
- You can also look at any service agreements you have with providers, this will tell you how much you will be charged for supports.
- Check your invoices regularly to make sure they are what you expected.
Step 3: Estimate Your Weekly Spending
Example: Support Worker 2 hrs/week at $65 = $130/week from Core funding
Now multiply that by 12 weeks (3 months):
Core funding – $130/week x 12 = $1560.00 (so you’re staying within your $2000.00 budget !)
* you will need to do this for each category of funding in your NDIS plan, some categories may have different funding periods. Look at your plan for these details.
Step 4: Write It Down
Use a notebook, phone note, or printable calendar. Write:
- What you’re spending
- When you have appointments
- How much was used
Step 5: Review Once a Month
At the end of each month, have a quick look:
- Are you on track?
- Are you spending too fast or not using enough?
- Are there changes needed?
You do not need to be good at numbers to budget NDIS funds. It is simply about knowing
what you have, what you need and to track your supports and spending.
Video: Maximise your NDIS Funding: A simple guide
Take a look at our brief video for four simple steps on managing your NDIS budget
http://www.p2pqld.soltechnology.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Budgeting-Video-2025.mp4
The P2P Plan management team is always working on improvements to ensure that we can communicate effectively with all of our participants and their families.
We would love to hear suggestions from our participants, you can get in touch with the Plan management team by calling 1800 777 723, or by email at ndisfinance@p2pqld.org.au.