The New NDIS Planning Framework Starting 2026

The way NDIS plans are built is being redesigned. Starting from mid 2026, the National Disability Insurance Agency is rolling out a new planning framework. The aim is to make funding decisions fairer, more consistent, and easier to navigate. This guide explains the new framework in normal language, and what it means if you have a plan review coming up in Sydney.

How planning works today

Under the current process, your plan funding has typically been informed by a diagnosis (often supported by specialist letters), reports from allied health professionals describing your support needs, and hours by activity goals that the planner translated into budget categories.

That worked well for many people, but it placed a heavy administrative burden on participants and families to gather and interpret reports. It also led to inconsistencies. Two participants with similar needs could end up with very different plans depending on the quality of their paperwork.

How the new framework works

The new framework introduces a single structured support needs assessment as the foundation of your plan. The assessment is designed to capture, in a consistent way, your functional capacity across daily living, communication, mobility, learning and self care, the supports you currently rely on (informal, formal and community), and the goals and outcomes you're working toward.

The output is a clearer picture of your support needs, which the NDIA then uses to inform the size and shape of your plan budget.

What about the I-CAN tool?

The NDIA has indicated it will use a structured assessment approach built on tools like the Individual Capacity and Needs (I-CAN) assessment. I-CAN looks at functional impact across a range of life domains and produces a consistent profile that planners can compare like for like across participants.

This isn't a "test you can fail." It's a structured way of describing your support needs so that planning decisions are grounded in consistent information rather than the volume or polish of your paperwork.

How the new framework affects different supports

The rollout timeline

• From mid 2026, the new framework starts being used for new participants entering the scheme.
• From October 2026, social, civic, community participation and capacity building budgets are progressively adjusted.
• From February 2027, tighter support and planning rules begin to apply more broadly.
• From April 2027, existing participants are progressively transitioned to the new framework at their next plan review.

How to prepare for your next plan review

You don't need to do anything dramatic, but a few simple habits will make the new process much smoother. Keep outcome focused notes. Instead of just tracking how many hours of support you used, jot down what those supports helped you achieve. Six hours of community participation that helped you re-establish volunteering reads stronger than a row of activity codes.

Update your goals. Make sure they reflect what you're actually working toward right now, not what they were two plans ago. Talk to your providers and ask them to summarise what they've observed about your progress and any changes in your support needs. Good providers should be able to do that in a short paragraph. And if budgets shift in some categories at your next review, that's not necessarily a cut. The new framework is designed to produce fairer budgets, which can mean some categories adjust up while others adjust down even when total funding is similar.

What if I'm happy with my current plan?

You won't be moved to the new framework overnight. The NDIA has explicitly said that existing participants will only transition at their next plan review, and even then it's a staged rollout starting from April 2027. There's time to understand how the framework works and to ask informed questions when your review comes up.

How Able Care Group helps participants prepare

At Able Care Group, we work alongside plan managed and self managed participants across Sydney. We pay attention to outcomes, document the supports we deliver in ways that are useful at plan reviews, and stay current on framework changes so we can flag anything important to participants and families.

If your next plan review is on the horizon and you'd like to talk through what to expect, or you're looking for a provider that takes preparation seriously, get in touch.