DSP and NDIS: two different things
The DSP is money paid to you to live on, like a wage replacement. Services Australia runs it through Centrelink, and you can spend it however you need: rent, food, bills.
The NDIS does not pay you an income. It funds reasonable and necessary supports for the impact of your disability, such as support workers, therapy and equipment. The NDIA runs it, and NDIS funding can only be spent on NDIS supports in line with your plan. Services Australia says you can claim or keep using NDIS services while you claim or get the DSP.
Who can get the DSP
You need to meet both non medical and medical rules. The non medical rules are:
- You are at least 15 years and 9 months old and under Age Pension age when you claim. You can only be paid from 16
- You meet the residence rules
- You meet the income and assets tests
The medical rules
Some people qualify under the manifest medical rules, which mean no further medical assessment is needed. These include being permanently blind, needing nursing home level care, having a terminal illness with average life expectancy under 2 years, or having an intellectual disability with an IQ under 70.
Everyone else is assessed under the general medical rules. Your condition must be diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised, likely to persist for more than 2 years, rate at least 20 points on the Impairment Tables, and stop you working at least 15 hours a week in the next 2 years, even with training. Some people also need to complete a Program of Support first.
Why NDIS access and DSP eligibility differ
The tests ask different questions. The NDIS asks whether a permanent impairment substantially reduces your functional capacity and whether you need disability support for life. The DSP asks whether your condition stops you working enough to support yourself.
So some NDIS participants work full time and do not get the DSP, and some DSP recipients are not in the NDIS. Evidence can overlap, so keep copies of reports from your treating professionals and reuse them where they fit, but expect each agency to make its own decision.
Working while on the DSP
If you get the DSP you can do paid work of up to 29 hours a week without losing the payment, as long as you meet the income test. You must tell Centrelink within 14 days if you start work, and report your income every 2 weeks, even when it is $0. Some recipients under 35 have participation requirements to help them find and keep suitable work.
NDIS funded employment supports, such as supports in employment or help from Finding and Keeping a Job, can sit alongside the DSP. Inclusive Employment Australia, which replaced Disability Employment Services on 1 November 2025, is a separate government program.
The DSP and Specialist Disability Accommodation rent
The DSP matters even if you do not receive it, when you live in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). Your reasonable rent contribution to the SDA provider is capped using the DSP: no more than 25% of the basic DSP rate, plus 25% of any Pension Supplement and Youth Disability Supplement you get, plus all the Commonwealth Rent Assistance you receive. If you work and do not get the pension, the cap is still worked out from the basic DSP rate.