10 Tips to Prepare for Your NDIS Plan Reassessment

Important Information:

• A reassessment checks if your current NDIS plan is still meeting your needs and goals.
• You may not need one unless your situation or support needs have changed.
• Start preparing early: gather evidence, review your plan, and note any changes.
• Be ready to explain your daily challenges and what supports will help you moving forward.

What’s NDIS plan reassessment?

A National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIS) plan reassessment is a formal process to work out whether your plan is meeting your needs and helping you reach your goals, or if any modifications are needed.

Not everyone needs a full plan reassessment. If you haven’t experienced any big changes and don’t anticipate any upcoming shifts in impact or life events, it’s likely you can continue with the same plan – assuming it’s working well for you!

If you’ve had big changes in your circumstances, e.g.:

• The impact of your disability has changed
• Your personal situation or living arrangements have changed significantly
• You’ve started a new life stage like school or work

Then you will likely need a reassessment to ensure you get the support you need going forward. Children under 9 are also likely to need reassessments as their developmental needs and support needs can change frequently. Your child’s plan reassessment will be through an early childhood provider report, or where possible their supports will be more appropriately provided through the Thriving Kids program.

We’ve rounded up 10 tips to help you prepare for your NDIS reassessment.

Tip 1: Confirm your reassessment date and format

A plan reassessment will typically happen as your current plan ends. If your plan is close to or beyond its end date, the NDIS will contact you to set this up – or you can request one as a NDIS participant with an active plan.

Either way, make a note of:

1. When your current plan ends.
2. When your plan reassessment meeting is scheduled.

Check whether this reassessment meeting will be in person, by phone, or a video meeting. This can help you avoid last-minute stress like finding parking, making sure you’re in a quiet space for a call, or making sure you have a reliable internet connection for a video chat.

Tip 2: Check how much of your current plan’s funding you’ve used

Your NDIS plan is designed to provide the type and level of support you need, which means you shouldn’t have over or underspent in your current NDIS funding period.

Overspendingis usually more of an issue in the sense that you have spent your budget too early in the funding period, and have none left. The NDIS won’t approve provider invoices for supports you don’t have available funding for, which may leave you out of pocket.

Underspending can also indicate that your current plan isn’t quite right for you. If you’re not using a big part of the approved funding for some of your supports, that might be a sign to think about whether something else would be more helpful before your plan reassessment.

Tip 3: Identify the gaps in your current NDIS plan

Reassessment is a time to correct gaps, if they’re present in your current plan. Take some time to think about how well your current plan supported your needs, and whether it helped you progress towards your goals.

To get you started:

• What supports were missing in this plan period – what didn’t you have funding for, that could have helped you?
• Did any waitlists or provider shortages impact the supports you could access?
• Were you able to make progress toward your goals with your current supports?

Tip 4: Gather recent, relevant evidence

Traditionally, evidence from relevant treating professionals has been the best way to ‘prove’ what you need at plan reviews.

If you are planning to submit supporting evidence, make sure you have this ready to go in advance… but not so far in advance that it’s not considered relevant. Evidence needs to be linked to functional impact and your current, ongoing support needs; not just a diagnosis.

Related: 8 Tips to Make Your NDIS Evidence More Effective

Tip 5: Document changes in your circumstances

Reassessment is the time to bring up what’s changed, so you can make sure you get the help you need.

• Has the impact of your diagnosis changed (increased or decreased)?
• Do you have any new diagnoses, and how do these impact your life?
• Are you still able to access the same level of informal supports? Your informal supports are the people who provide unpaid disability support in your everyday life (like your family). If your situation has changed you should let the NDIS know you need more formal (paid) support to fill the gap.
• Any significant changes in housing, employment, or education?

Tip 6: Make sure your goals are practical

Your goals need to be specific and measurable, so you can work towards them. Broad goals like “improve my independence” aren’t considered NDIS goals, because it’s difficult to track progress in any meaningful way.

Instead, try refining to specific achievements such as:

• “I want to gain the skills to prepare three simple meals independently each week.”
• “I want to build my skills in using public transport, so I can travel independently to my community art class.”

Tip 7: Prepare examples of your daily challenges

It’s good to prepare real-life examples of what you need help with, before you go into your reassessment meeting. Otherwise, you might skip over some of the challenges you would like support with. Be honest about the barriers you face – this isn’t the time to try and tough it out!

Consider:

1. What happens on a typical ‘bad’ day, and where you would need the most support.
2. What tasks require assistance all the time.
3. What happens when support isn’t available.

Real examples are always more persuasive than general statements, so don’t be afraid to go into detail about the impact of your disability on your everyday life and activities.

Tip 8: Decide who will advocate for or support you

You don’t have to go into this alone! Your support coordinator (if you have one in your current plan), a trusted family member or even an independent advocate can help make sure your voice, and your needs, are accurately represented.

Before you go in, decide on who will speak and what your advocate or support person’s role will be during the meeting. This helps to prevent any confusion.

Tip 9: Prepare any questions for the NDIS

Your reassessment is a two-way conversation. You’re allowed to ask questions. Asking them now can help avoid confusion later! For example:

• How was my funding calculated?
• What if I disagree with my new plan?
• What happens if my needs change partway through my new plan?

Tip 10: Be aware that assessment changes are coming

Recent years have seen a lot of NDIS reform, and new changes are still coming – including the I-CAN assessment framework. This will roll out progressively from mid-2026. It’s designed to focus more on what you can do, removing the cost and access barrier of providing supplementary evidence.

For some participants, having extra evidence to submit can still be helpful if you have complex or changing disability needs. If you submit evidence now or in future, make sure it clearly explains the functional impact of disability on your life.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for how reforms may impact future NDIS plans. Try our NDIS news blog for the latest updates, plus tips and education about navigating the NDIS system.

Related: I-CAN: The new NDIS assessment that focuses on what you can do

NDSP: Empowering NDIS participants across Australia

NDSP is always across the latest NDIS changes as they happen, so we can best support our clients on their NDIS journey. We know the NDIS inside and out; if you have questions, we have answers!

When it comes to your plan reassessment – and any other time you want to check on your plan’s progress – we make checking your budgets and spending super easy and accessible. You can see a live view of your NDIS budget any time, day and night, on our mobile-friendly Nappa portal. We also offer monthly reports, showing how we’re handling the financial admin of your NDIS plan.

Try our free online participant toolbox to learn more about the NDIS – or, contact our team today to find out how our comprehensive plan management services can help you.