What counts as personal mobility equipment
Under the NDIS supports rules, personal mobility equipment is equipment that supports or replaces your capacity to move indoors and outdoors and to transfer from one place to another. It includes:
- Assistive products for walking, such as walking frames, rollators, crutches and walking sticks
- Wheelchairs, both manual and power, and motorised mobility devices such as mobility scooters
- Transfer devices and hoists, such as slide sheets, transfer boards and standing or ceiling hoists
- Training so you can use the equipment safely
- Maintenance, spare parts and consumable items for the equipment
How cost changes the process
Mobility equipment is a type of assistive technology, and the NDIA treats it according to the cost of each item:
- Low cost, under $1,500: usually bought from the Consumables category of your Core budget without a quote, though advice from a therapist is still wise for anything you sit or stand in
- Mid cost, $1,500 to $15,000: needs written evidence from an assistive technology advisor, such as your OT or physio, but no quote
- High cost, over $15,000: needs an assessment from a qualified assistive technology assessor and a quote. Complex power wheelchairs are often in this group
Getting the right equipment
An occupational therapist or physiotherapist usually assesses your mobility, your home and how you get around, and recommends the type of equipment, the size and the features you need. For seating and power wheelchairs, a trial of different models is common before you choose.
The NDIA can also fund equipment trials and short term rental, for example while you wait for a custom chair, or when your needs are changing and buying would not be good value. Ask your therapist about this if a decision is hard to make.
What the NDIS will not fund
Some mobility products are treated as everyday items rather than disability supports. The NDIS supports rules list personal mobility devices such as electric scooters, electric bikes and skateboards as day to day living costs, along with standard bikes and recreational vehicles.
Equipment you need only for a short time after a hospital stay or surgery is usually the health system's job, not the NDIS. And the NDIS will not fund products that do not meet Australian Standards or are not legal to use where you live.
Repairs, maintenance and replacement
Your plan can include funding for servicing, repairs, tyres, batteries and other spare parts for NDIS funded equipment. Keep a record of when equipment was serviced and of any problems, because it helps when you ask for a replacement as your needs or the equipment change.
If a chair breaks and you have no funding left for repairs, contact the NDIA. Do not go without the equipment you rely on to move safely.
Mobility equipment and the 2026 changes
Personal mobility equipment and transport are on the government's list of supports that are not affected by the October 2026 funding reset. Your mobility equipment budget is not reduced. The therapist time for assessments often comes from improved daily living skills, which is reduced by 10% at your next plan change.
The government has also consulted on new NDIS supports rules that would group mobility equipment with other equipment under a broader assistive technology category. That is a proposal, and it is not intended to remove the types of equipment the NDIS funds.