Where choice and control comes from
Choice and control is written into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. One of the objects of the Act is to enable people with disability to exercise choice and control in the pursuit of their goals and the planning and delivery of their supports. The general principles in the Act also say people with disability have the same right as other Australians to make decisions that affect their lives.
It was a deliberate shift away from older systems where funding went to services and people had to take what was offered. Under the NDIS, funding sits in your plan, and you decide how to use it within the rules.
What you can choose
- Which providers and workers support you, and whether you change them
- When and where supports happen, and how they fit around your life
- How your plan is managed: self managed, plan managed, agency managed, or a mix
- What goes in your service agreements, including the support you get and how notice and changes work
- Who helps you make decisions, such as family, an advocate or a nominee
- How you use flexible funding, such as your Core budget, across the supports it covers
The limits that apply now
Choice and control has always sat inside the rules on reasonable and necessary supports. Several changes have made those limits clearer:
- Since 3 October 2024, all participants, plan managers and nominees can only spend NDIS funding on NDIS supports, as defined in section 10 of the NDIS Act and the NDIS supports lists. This applies however your plan is managed
- Some everyday items, such as tablets, smartphones and standard household appliances, can only be bought as a replacement support with the NDIA's written approval first
- Since 1 July 2026, Supported Independent Living must be delivered by a registered provider
- From 1 July 2027, mandatory registration starts expanding to higher risk supports such as personal care and daily living supports, so those will need a registered provider once the rules apply
- From 1 October 2027, plan managed participants choose their plan manager from an approved panel
- From 1 July 2028, support coordination moves to a directly funded service, and you choose from the approved providers
How plan management affects your choices
If you are self managed, you can use registered or unregistered providers for most supports and you are not bound by the NDIS price limits, although they are a useful benchmark. If you are plan managed, you can also use unregistered providers for most supports, but prices must stay within the price limits. If you are agency managed, you can only use registered providers.
Whichever way you manage your plan, the supports you buy must be NDIS supports, and from 1 December 2026 claims must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered.
Making choice and control real
Choice only works when you know your options and have the information to compare them. Some practical steps:
- Talk to more than one provider before you commit, and ask about availability, experience and cancellation terms
- Put what matters to you in writing in your service agreement
- Check whether a provider is registered if the support needs it, using the NDIS Commission's provider search
- If a provider is not working for you, you can change. Give the notice your agreement asks for
- If you want help deciding, ask a support coordinator, advocate or someone you trust
What it is not
Choice and control does not mean the NDIS will fund anything you choose. Supports still have to be reasonable and necessary, related to your disability and good value for money, and the NDIA decides the funding in your plan. It also does not let anyone else, including providers, make choices for you. Your goals and preferences stay at the centre.