What a functional capacity assessment looks at
An FCA is about function, not diagnosis. Two people with the same diagnosis can need very different support, so the report focuses on what you can and cannot do in your own life, at home and in the community, and how much help you need to do it.
Most assessors organise the report around the six areas the NDIS Act uses when it talks about functional capacity:
- Mobility: getting around your home and community, transfers, falls risk
- Communication: being understood and understanding others
- Social interaction: making and keeping relationships, coping in groups
- Learning: taking in new information and building new skills
- Self care: showering, dressing, eating, toileting, health tasks
- Self management: planning your day, money, decisions, appointments
Who writes it
Most FCAs are written by an occupational therapist, because assessing daily living is the core of their training. Depending on your needs, a physiotherapist, speech pathologist, psychologist or behaviour support practitioner may assess a particular area, and some reports bring several of them together.
Choose someone who has worked with your type of disability before. An OT who regularly sees people with psychosocial disability will ask different questions from one who mostly sees children with autism, and that experience shows in the report.
When you might need one
An FCA is useful whenever the NDIA needs to understand the size of your support needs. Common times are:
- Applying to the NDIS, as evidence that your disability substantially reduces your functional capacity
- Before a plan reassessment, to show what has changed and what support is working
- When asking for home and living supports such as Supported Independent Living or an Individualised Living Option
- Alongside requests for assistive technology or home modifications
- After a significant change in your health, living arrangements or the help you get from family
What happens on the day
The assessor usually visits you at home, where they can see how things really work, and sometimes in the community too. Expect a long conversation about a typical day, your goals and what gets in the way, plus watching you do some everyday tasks.
Many assessors also use standardised tools, which give scores the NDIA recognises. Common ones include WHODAS 2.0 for adults, Vineland-3 and PEDI-CAT for children, and the LSP-16 for psychosocial disability. The assessor then writes the report, which can take several hours on its own.
It helps to have someone who knows you well there, and to talk about your hard days, not just your good ones. Bring copies of other reports and your NDIS goals if you have them.
What a good report includes
A strong FCA does more than list difficulties. It links each difficulty to a specific support and explains why that support is reasonable and necessary. Look for:
- Clear descriptions of what you can do, what you need help with, and how often
- Results from standardised assessments, explained in plain language
- Specific recommendations, such as hours of support each week, therapy, equipment or changes to your home
- A link back to your goals
- What is likely to happen without the support
How much it costs and who pays
Therapists usually charge by the hour, including time spent writing the report. The NDIS price limit for occupational therapy is $193.99 an hour for 2026/27 in most of Australia, higher in remote areas. A full FCA often takes somewhere between 4 and 10 hours all up, so a total of roughly $800 to $2,000 is common. Ask for a quote before you start.
If you are already a participant, an FCA is usually paid from the improved daily living skills part of your Capacity Building budget. Since 1 October 2026 that budget is reduced by 10% when your plan is created, reassessed or renewed, under a support determination, so check what is left before you book. If you are agency managed, you need a registered provider. Plan managed and self managed participants can also use unregistered therapists.
If you are applying to the NDIS for the first time, the NDIS does not pay for evidence before you are a participant. You may be able to get help through a public health service, a hospital or your GP, but a full FCA is often paid privately.
FCAs and the NDIA's own needs assessment
From 1 April 2027 participants begin moving to new framework planning, where your budget is set from a support needs assessment carried out by a trained NDIS assessor. That is a different thing from an FCA: an FCA is written by a therapist you choose, about you, with recommendations. Keeping your therapy reports current is still worthwhile evidence for decisions about your plan.