What the Act is
Its full name is the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026. It is an amending Act: it changes the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 rather than replacing it. The Bill passed Parliament on 19 August 2026 and received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026, and the first changes started on 27 August 2026.
The government says the aim is to protect the NDIS for people with permanent and significant disability, through four pillars: fighting fraud, slowing rapid cost increases, clearer eligibility requirements, and quality services and supports.
What it changes for participants
- Support determinations: a new power for the Minister to reset funding for types of supports across plans. The first, from 1 October 2026, cut social, economic and community participation budgets by 50% and improved daily living skills by 10% as plans are reassessed or renewed
- A plan variation pathway for people who need 24 hour disability support, from 1 October 2026
- Tighter unscheduled reassessments since 27 August 2026: only for significant and ongoing changes, only requested by you, your nominee or guardian, with a 90 day decision time
- Renewed plans from 1 February 2027, with no rollover of unspent funds, and clearer reasonable and necessary criteria, including what parents are expected to provide for children
- Support for new framework planning from 1 April 2027, including indexation of new framework plans
- New access rules from 1 January 2028, based on functional capacity and permanence, including the appropriate treatment test
What it changes for providers and plan managers
- Since 27 August 2026 the Minister sets NDIS price limits in a pricing determination, after NDIA advice
- Record keeping since 27 August 2026: 3 years for participants and plan managers, 7 years for providers
- A ban on kickbacks and inducements from 27 November 2026
- Claims within 90 days of the support from 1 December 2026, down from 2 years
- Debt safeguards from 27 February 2027
- Provider enrolment with the NDIA and stronger whistleblower protections from 1 July 2027
- A clearer definition of plan managers, enabling a panel of approved plan managers from 1 October 2027
Integrity and fraud measures
The Act adds specific NDIS offences, in force since 27 August 2026, for giving false or misleading information, obtaining NDIS funds by deception, intentionally destroying records and nominees abusing their position. The most serious provider offences carry up to 10 years in prison. Providers can no longer rely on immunity to refuse to produce documents in investigations, and NDIS Commission staff at a senior level can make banning orders and anti promotion orders.
Safeguards on the new powers
Legal instruments the Minister makes under the Act, such as support determinations and pricing determinations, go through Parliament, which can scrutinise and reject them. Changes to eligibility rules need the agreement of all states and territories.
The Act also allows more automated administrative actions, with safeguards: human oversight, use only where decisions follow clear and objective rules, and the same review rights as a decision made by a person.
How it relates to the 2024 Act
It builds on the Getting the NDIS Back on Track Act 2024, which created the NDIS supports lists, total funding amounts, funding periods and new framework plans. If you are reading about an NDIS change dated 2026 or later, it most likely comes from the 2026 Act. Many details, such as the access assessment and the registration scope, are still being set in rules after consultation.