Level 1: support connection
Support connection is the lightest level. It helps you understand your plan and connect with NDIS providers and with community, mainstream and other supports, so you get the most out of your plan. It should also build your confidence and skills to manage your plan on your own.
It suits people who mostly need a hand getting started and can then take things from there. In practice it is less common in plans than level 2, and many people get similar help to start their plan from a local area coordinator, which does not use their plan budget.
Level 2: coordination of supports
This is the level most people mean when they say "support coordination". It helps you put together and maintain a mix of supports that lets you manage tasks, keep relationships, live more independently and take part in your community. The aim is to build your skills to direct your own life, not just your services.
A level 2 coordinator typically finds and compares providers, helps with service agreements, solves problems when supports fall through, tracks your budget with you and helps you prepare for your next reassessment.
Level 3: specialist support coordination
Specialist support coordination is for people whose situation is much more complex, often with several systems involved at once, such as health, mental health, housing or justice. The focus is on reducing that complexity and getting past immediate or significant barriers to using the plan.
It is usually delivered by a qualified and experienced practitioner, such as a psychologist, occupational therapist, social worker or mental health nurse, and is generally time limited and focused on outcomes.
Price limits for 2026/27
Support coordination price limits were held for 2026/27. The maximum hourly prices in the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026/27 are:
- Level 1, support connection: $80.06 an hour
- Level 2, coordination of supports: $100.14 an hour
- Level 3, specialist support coordination: $190.54 an hour
Who decides your level
The NDIA decides whether support coordination is reasonable and necessary for you and at what level, and puts that funding in your plan. You then choose the coordinator. Your coordinator cannot bill a higher level than the one funded.
If you think you need a different level, gather evidence about what is making things hard, such as crisis events, hospital stays, housing problems or contact with the justice system, and raise it at your next reassessment. If your situation has changed in a significant and ongoing way, you can ask for a variation or an unscheduled reassessment sooner.
What changes from 1 July 2028
From 1 July 2028 a new support coordination and connection service replaces support coordination as it works today. It will not be paid from your NDIS plan. Providers will be funded directly and you will choose from a list of them. How levels will work in the new service is still being designed, so until July 2028 the three levels and the price limits above still apply.
For coordinators, mandatory registration has been paused while the new service is designed. Coordinators working with agency managed participants still need to be registered.