Your new NDIS plan has less in it. How to ask for a review, and who can help for free

Since 1 October, reassessed NDIS plans have been arriving with smaller budgets for some supports. If yours came back lower than you expected, you have three months to ask for a review, and you don't have to do it alone.

The Zoomly team · · 4 min read

Opening a new NDIS plan and finding fewer hours than last year is a rotten feeling. You can question a plan decision, and free help exists at every step. The catch is the clock: three months from the day you get the decision.

Why some plans are smaller right now

From 1 October 2026, the government cut the total budget for two support categories as plans are reassessed or newly approved: social, civic and community participation by 50%, and capacity building daily activities (improved daily living skills) by 10%. Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) points out that a smaller total doesn't mean every person's funding drops by the same percentage. From 1 February 2027 the same cuts apply when plans are renewed. We set out the full timeline in our guide to the NDIS changes.

A smaller plan might be the new rules working as designed, or it might be a decision you can fairly challenge.

Start by asking why

Before you ask for a formal review, the NDIA says you can ask it to explain the decision. The NDIA's changes hotline is 1800 800 110, then press 1.

Check that the decision is one the law lets you review. The NDIA's list of common reviewable decisions includes approving your plan and the supports funded in it, varying your plan, and declining a request for a reassessment or variation.

Asking for an internal review

An internal review is a second look at your decision, checking the law, the facts and your circumstances. You need to ask within three months of receiving the decision. You can:

  • call 1800 800 110
  • send an enquiry through the NDIA service hub, with any evidence
  • write to the Chief Executive Officer, NDIA, GPO Box 700, Canberra ACT 2601
  • visit an NDIS partner or NDIA office
  • fill in the request for review form

Tell them the decision you expected, why you think it should be different, and whether you'll send new evidence. The NDIA may ask for reports or letters about your disability and how it affects your daily life. If it does, you'll usually have 28 days, and you can ask for longer. It aims to finish internal reviews within 60 days.

Family, friends, your local area coordinator or your my NDIS contact can make the request with you, as long as you tell the NDIA they have your permission.

Review or reassessment?

They're different tools. A review asks whether the decision was right on the facts and the law. A reassessment is for when your life has changed in a significant and ongoing way, such as your support needs, where you live, or the informal support around you. Only you, your plan nominee or a child representative can ask for one, and the NDIA has 90 days to decide. For a crisis or a short-term change, a plan variation is the quicker path.

If your plan shrank but nothing about your situation changed, a review is usually the one to look at.

If you still disagree

After the internal review, you can take it to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). This step has a much shorter window: 28 days after you receive the internal review decision. Put that date in your calendar the day the letter arrives.

Free help in NSW

The NDIS Appeals Program funds advocates to help people take NDIA decisions to the ART, and its supports are free. The Department of Social Services lists the NSW organisations, including:

  • People with Disability Australia, 1800 422 015
  • Self Advocacy Sydney, 02 9622 3005
  • Sydney Region Aboriginal Corporation, 02 4722 3524

You can also search the Disability Advocacy Finder on Ask Izzy by postcode. For legal help, Legal Aid NSW is on 1300 888 529. Legal Aid assesses who it can help, and that can take around 30 days, so ask early. First Nations people can call the NDIA's First Nations Connect line on 1800 411 640.

For support coordinators and plan managers

You're often the first to see a new plan, so you're well placed to note the date it was received and work out the three month and 28 day deadlines. Keep copies of letters and dated notes of phone calls.

If a participant's self-management has been removed or restricted, ask for the reasons in writing. Self Manager Hub released a report on 27 October drawing on a survey of 266 people. Of the 54 whose self-management was removed, restricted or refused, 94% said they had no chance to respond before the decision.

While you wait

Keep using the plan you have while you wait. Talk to your providers about which supports matter most and how to spread hours to the end of the plan. If you're juggling rides and support, the Zoomly app can book a ride, a Support Partner, or both in one booking.

Where this comes from

Need a lift, a Support Partner, or both?

Zoomly books accessible transport and Support Partners across Penrith and the suburbs around it, often on the same day. Tell us what you need and a person comes back to you.

Tell us what you need How Zoomly works

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