The rules on NDIS and aged care at 65 are simpler than most people expect. The age limit applies on the day you apply to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), not on your birthday. So if you are already a participant, turning 65 does not end your plan. If you are 65 or older and have never applied, aged care is the system built for you.
Here is how it works in three lines:
- You must be younger than 65 on the day you apply to the NDIS.
- If you are already a participant, you can keep your NDIS supports after 65 or choose to move to aged care.
- You cannot use NDIS supports and aged care supports at the same time.
The age rule applies when you apply, not when you turn 65
Anyone applying for the NDIS must be younger than 65 on the day they apply. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) explains on its age requirements page that this is a legal requirement in NDIS law and is the same for everyone.
Age is only one part of eligibility. You also need to meet the residency requirements and the disability or early intervention requirements. The guide to NDIS eligibility and how to apply covers each of these step by step.
If you are already an NDIS participant
Turning 65 does not change anything on its own. Your plan continues, and nothing changes if you choose to stay a participant.
You do have a choice. You can keep using NDIS supports, or you can decide to change to aged care supports. Which suits you depends on the supports you rely on now and the help you expect to need as you get older.
There are two situations where the choice is made for you. If you move permanently into residential aged care after turning 65, or start receiving permanent home care services after turning 65, you will leave the NDIS. The NDIA notes this is a legal requirement.
If you are 65 or over and have never applied
If you are 65 or older, you are not eligible to apply for the NDIS. You may be eligible for aged care supports instead, which are arranged through My Aged Care.
Entry to aged care starts with an assessment. An assessor looks at your needs and works out which services you can be approved for, from help at home to a place in an aged care home. You can read what happens at an aged care assessment before you book one, and the My Aged Care assessment page explains how to apply.
For many people living at home, the main aged care program is Support at Home. The guide to how the Support at Home program works explains what it can fund.
You cannot use both systems at the same time
The NDIS and aged care are separate systems, funded and run in different ways. You can use one or the other, but not both together.
In practice, this means you cannot keep an NDIS plan for some supports and take aged care services for others. If you move to aged care, your NDIS supports stop. Before you decide, look at your whole week of support and check that one system can cover all of it.
First Nations people and aged care from 50
If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person and an NDIS participant, you can choose to access aged care supports from 50 years of age, or continue as an NDIS participant. The same rule applies: you choose one system, not both.
My Aged Care has a page on aged care support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including culturally safe services.
How the two systems differ in practice
Both systems fund support so you can live well, but they get there by different routes.
- How you get in. The NDIS uses an access request and eligibility decision. Aged care uses an aged care assessment arranged through My Aged Care.
- What the funding is for. The NDIS funds supports linked to your disability and your goals, set out in a personal plan. Aged care funds services linked to your assessed care needs as you age.
- How funding is held. An NDIS plan is split into support budgets, and you can choose how it is managed. Aged care funding is usually managed by the provider you choose, within the program you are approved for.
- Who delivers it. NDIS participants can use registered and, depending on how their plan is managed, unregistered providers. Government-funded aged care is delivered by providers registered under the aged care rules.
- What you contribute. NDIS supports in your plan are funded by the NDIS. In aged care, many people contribute towards the cost of some services, depending on their income and assets.
The guide to your NDIS plan and its funding categories explains the NDIS side in more detail.
Questions to ask before switching
Moving from the NDIS to aged care is your decision, and it helps to work it through before you act. Ask yourself, and the people who support you:
- Which supports in my NDIS plan do I use every week, and would aged care cover each one?
- Would I need to contribute towards aged care services, and can I estimate how much?
- Would I keep the same workers or providers, or would they change?
- Am I thinking about moving into an aged care home, and do I understand that this means leaving the NDIS?
- Who can I talk this through with? Your my NDIS contact or support coordinator can explain your current plan, and My Aged Care can explain the aged care side.
The NDIS guide to residential aged care covers what happens if you are considering a move into an aged care home.
Finding providers on either side of 65
Whichever system suits you, the next step is finding the businesses that deliver the support. For NDIS supports, you can browse NDIS providers by state on Provider24 or look through the In-Home Support Services category. The guide on how to find and choose an NDIS provider sets out the questions worth asking on a first call. Provider24 does not verify listings, so check registration and service details with each provider yourself.
This article is general information, not advice; your my NDIS contact or My Aged Care can answer questions about your own situation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have both NDIS and My Aged Care?
No. You cannot use NDIS supports and aged care supports at the same time. If you are an NDIS participant aged 65 or over, you can choose to stay on the NDIS or change to aged care, but not combine them.
Does NDIS stop after 65?
Not for existing participants. The age rule applies on the day you apply, so a participant who turns 65 keeps their NDIS plan unless they choose to move to aged care. The exceptions are moving permanently into residential aged care, or starting permanent home care services, after 65; either means leaving the NDIS.
Can you use NDIS for aged care?
Your NDIS plan funds disability supports, not aged care services. If you want aged care services, you would change from the NDIS to aged care rather than use your plan to pay for them.
Can I apply for the NDIS if I am 65?
No. You must be younger than 65 on the day you apply. If you are 65 or older, you may be eligible for aged care supports through My Aged Care.