What an unscheduled reassessment is
Every NDIS plan has a reassessment date, and the NDIA reassesses it before then. That is a scheduled reassessment. An unscheduled reassessment happens earlier, because something has changed and your plan no longer fits.
It looks at your whole plan, not just one support, and usually ends with a new plan. For smaller or short term changes, a plan variation is usually quicker and keeps your current plan in place.
The significant and ongoing change test
Since 27 August 2026 you can only request an unscheduled reassessment when there has been a significant and ongoing change in either:
- Your functional capacity and support needs, or
- Your living, education, work or informal support arrangements
What that looks like in real life
The change does not have to be unexpected. A foreseeable change counts, as long as it is significant and ongoing. Examples that may meet the test:
- A parent who provided most of your daily support can no longer do so
- You are moving out of the family home into your own place or shared living
- You are leaving school, starting university or starting regular work
- A degenerative condition has progressed and you now need much more help each day
- A hospital stay has left you with lasting new support needs
What does not count
- The 2026 funding reset on its own. A smaller budget after the reset is not, by itself, a change in your needs
- A short term change, such as a carer being unwell for a few weeks. That is usually handled by a plan variation
- A crisis, emergency or fraud. Ask the NDIA about a plan variation instead, so help can be added quickly
Who can ask, and how
Only you, your plan nominee or your guardian (or, for a child, the person who acts for them) can request an unscheduled reassessment. Support coordinators, providers and advocates can help you prepare it, but cannot lodge it for you.
Use the NDIA's plan reassessment request form, or contact the NDIA. Explain what has changed, when, and why it is ongoing, and attach evidence: a report from your therapist or doctor, a letter from a family member about the support they can no longer give, or a statement from your provider about how your needs have grown.
The 90 day rule and your options
The NDIA has up to 90 days to decide whether to vary your plan, reassess it, or not reassess it. If it has not decided within 90 days, the request is treated as refused. You do not need to keep reapplying: you can ask for an internal review of the refusal.
If you had already lodged a request before 27 August 2026 and it was still open, the new criteria apply to it.
What happens to your funding
A reassessment produces a new plan. Unspent funds from your old plan do not carry into it. If your plan includes social, economic and community participation or improved daily living skills funding, the 2026 funding reset is applied when the plan is reassessed, so weigh that up with your support coordinator before you ask.
If you receive 24 hour disability support, the separate high support needs variation pathway may protect that support after the reset.