Why plans have funding periods
Funding periods were introduced by changes to the NDIS Act in October 2024, under section 33. At first most plans had a single 12 month funding period. From 19 May 2025 the NDIA started using shorter periods, usually 3 months, in new and reassessed plans, to make budgeting easier and reduce the risk of running out early.
Your plan, the my NDIS portal and the app show when each funding period starts and ends, how much is available in it, and how much you have spent.
How the NDIA sets them
Funding periods can apply to your whole plan or to individual funding components. The NDIA sets their length and size based on your needs, preferences, the type and cost of your supports, and any risk of overspending, harm, fraud or financial exploitation. They are usually 3 months but can be 1 or 6 months, and no longer than 12.
Funding is not always split evenly. Money for a one off purchase, like assistive technology you need straight away, may all be placed in the first period. In one NDIA example, a participant needing 24 hour support has a larger share of community participation funding placed in the first period while they adjust to a reduced budget.
What rolls over and what does not
The rollover rules are simple once you know them:
- Unspent funding at the end of a period rolls over into the next period in the same plan. You do not lose it
- Unspent funding at the end of your plan does not carry into your next plan
- From 1 February 2027, when a plan reaches its reassessment date a renewed plan is created, and unspent funds from the previous plan are not rolled over
If you run out before the period ends
You cannot claim a support if it would take you over the funding available in the current period. Usually the NDIA cannot pay for supports outside your plan, and spending all your funding early is not treated as an emergency on its own. The NDIA may only step in in very limited cases, such as a serious risk to your life, health or safety, or where your funding was misused through fraud.
You can claim a support from an earlier period once the next period starts, as long as there is enough funding and, from 1 December 2026, the claim is made within 90 days of the support. That leaves less for the rest of that period. If your needs have changed, talk to the NDIA about a plan variation or reassessment.
For providers and plan managers
Claims fail when the current period is empty, even if the plan's yearly total looks healthy. Before agreeing to a roster, check the participant's period balance, not just the annual budget. Build service agreements and schedules around the period amounts, especially for weekend and evening shifts, and talk to the participant early if hours are running ahead of the funding.
Tips for participants
A few habits make funding periods much easier to live with:
- Divide each period's amount by the number of weeks to get a weekly budget
- Ask providers to invoice promptly so your balance is accurate
- Expect higher costs over public holidays and plan for them
- If you get close to running out, call your support coordinator or the NDIA early, not after the money is gone