What changed
Under older plans, the whole budget was available from day one. Under plans made or reassessed since 19 May 2025, each funding component is split into funding periods, and a portion is released at the start of each period. The total hasn't changed — only when you can get at it.
How the periods are set
- They run from your plan start date. A plan that starts on the 19th has periods starting on the 19th of each relevant month — not the 1st.
- Most supports are released every 3 months. A 12-month plan typically has four periods for Core and Capacity Building.
- Home and Living supports are usually monthly — twelve releases a year — because those costs fall due every month.
- Some capital items are released in full at the start, such as assistive technology or home modifications that are bought once.
- One plan can have different periods for different components. It's normal to have monthly Home and Living beside quarterly Core.
Your plan document, the my NDIS participant portal and the my NDIS app all show the periods and the amount released in each one. Your plan manager and support coordinator can see them too.
What you can and can't spend
- You can spend funding released in the current period or any earlier period.
- You cannot borrow from a future period. Supports delivered before the next release have to be covered by what's already been released.
- Unspent funding rolls over to the next period within the same plan. Nothing is lost between periods.
- At the end of the plan, unspent funding does not carry into the next plan.
A worked example
Therapy budget $36,000, plan starts 19 May, released quarterly: $9,000 on 19 May, 19 Aug, 19 Nov and 19 Feb.
By 14 October two releases have happened — $18,000. If $6,000 has been used, $12,000 is available now. There are 36 days until the next release on 19 November, so spending evenly to that date is $12,000 ÷ 36 × 7 ≈ $2,333 a week. Spreading everything left ($30,000) across the remaining 217 days of the plan is about $968 a week — the steadier long-term pace.
Both numbers matter. The first is the most you can use without running dry before the next release; the second is the pace that makes the whole plan last.
Why the weekly figure is a guide, not a rule
The NDIA doesn't set a weekly limit. The weekly figures are simply the released funding divided across the days left — a way of keeping spending even. A big week is fine as long as the period's released funding covers it. What you want to avoid is reaching the end of a period with nothing released and supports still needed.
Tips for staying on track
- Track each component separately. Funding can't be moved between components to cover an overspend.
- Re-check the figures after any big invoice, and at the start of each new period.
- If spending is running well ahead of pace, talk to your support coordinator or plan manager early — before the gap becomes a problem.
- If your circumstances have changed, a plan reassessment or a change to how funding is released may be the right answer rather than cutting supports.
Work it out for a real plan
Our free calculator shows what has been released, what's available right now and a safe weekly amount for any plan — no sign-up, nothing stored.
Open the funding period calculator Support coordinators: send a referral