What the NDIS will and will not pay for
Meal preparation and delivery is one of the household tasks the NDIS can fund: help with essential tasks around the home that you are not able to do yourself because of your disability.
Groceries, including food and drinks, are not NDIS supports. They are day to day living costs that everyone pays, with or without a disability. So the NDIS can fund the labour of preparing a meal and the cost of delivering it, but not the ingredients.
Ways it can work
- A support worker helps you shop, then cooks with you or for you
- A worker prepares several meals ahead for the week that you can reheat yourself
- A meal delivery service delivers prepared meals, and its invoice separates the food cost you pay from the preparation and delivery cost the NDIS pays
- Help with eating and drinking during meals, which is a personal care support
When the NDIS is likely to fund it
As with any support, the NDIA looks at whether it is related to your disability and reasonable and necessary. Things that help your case:
- Your disability makes it unsafe or very hard to plan, shop or cook, for example because of fatigue, fine motor difficulties, cognitive impairment or a risk of burns
- You live alone, or the people you live with cannot reasonably do it for you
- Equipment or training would not be enough on their own
- An occupational therapist or dietitian has recommended it
Building skills instead
If you could learn to cook with the right support, the NDIA may prefer daily living skills training, where a worker teaches you step by step until you can do more yourself. Kitchen equipment that makes cooking safer, such as kettle tippers or adapted utensils, is assistive technology. Many people use a mix of training, equipment and some ongoing help.
Which budget pays and the 2026 changes
Meal preparation and delivery is funded from your Core budget for assistance with daily life. The government has listed supports in the home, including help with eating and drinking, as not affected by the October 2026 funding reset, which only reduces social, economic and community participation and improved daily living skills budgets.
If you need special texture modified meals or have swallowing difficulties, ask about a dietitian or speech pathologist and a mealtime management plan, so your supports reflect your needs.