Does the NDIS pay for gardening and lawn mowing?

When gardening is a disability support

Looking after a garden is normally a day to day cost of running a home, which everyone has. The NDIS can fund it when the reason you need help is your disability. The NDIA looks at whether:

• Your disability means you cannot do the task yourself, or cannot do it safely
• The work is basic upkeep, not a job that needs a licensed tradesperson
• It helps you pursue your goals, such as living independently at home
• It is reasonable and necessary, including whether other people in your household could reasonably do it

What yard maintenance can include

• Mowing lawns and edging
• Weeding, pruning and trimming hedges
• Raking leaves and removing green waste
• Clearing paths, ramps and entrances so they are safe to use
• Watering established plants

What the NDIS does not pay for

The NDIS pays for the worker's time, not materials. You pay for plants, seeds, soil, mulch, fertiliser and garden tools. Landscaping, building work and repairs that need a licensed trade are not yard maintenance. If you need a physical change to your outdoor area for disability reasons, such as a ramp or level path, that is a home modification, which has its own process.

Shared homes and rentals

If you live with other people who could reasonably do the yard work, the NDIA is less likely to fund it. If you rent, check your lease, because some outdoor upkeep may be the landlord's job rather than yours. Your plan should only cover the part you are responsible for and cannot do because of your disability.

Budget, providers and the 2026 changes

Yard maintenance is in the household tasks registration group, paid from your Core budget for assistance with daily life. Providers charge per hour up to the NDIS price limits if you are agency managed or plan managed.

Household help in the home is not part of the October 2026 funding reset, which only reduces social, economic and community participation and improved daily living skills budgets. If you are self managed or plan managed, you can use an unregistered gardener or sole trader. Agree the tasks and visit schedule in a service agreement.

Tips for getting it in your plan

• Explain how your disability affects outdoor work, for example balance, fatigue, pain or vision
• Ask your occupational therapist to mention yard safety in their report if it is a risk
• Link it to a goal, such as staying safely in your own home
• Say how often the work is needed through the seasons, not just once