Much of the therapy in an NDIS plan is funded from one place: the Improved daily living category in your capacity building budget. If you use occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy or another allied health service through the NDIS, this is usually where the money sits. This guide explains what improved daily living NDIS funding pays for, who can deliver the therapy, how stated funding works and what changes from October 2026.
If you are not yet an NDIS participant, start with the NDIS eligibility checker.
What Improved Daily Living pays for
Improved daily living is one of the nine categories in the capacity building budget. It funds assessment, training or therapy to help you build skills for everyday life. Therapy from allied health professionals is a large part of it.
The NDIS calls these therapy supports. They must be evidence-based, and they are there to help with the effects of your disability on daily life. The NDIS page on therapy supports sets out the rules, and the page on capacity building supports lists the other categories in the same budget.
What stated funding means for your therapy budget
Therapy supports are funded as stated supports. That means the funding can only be used for the supports described in your plan. You cannot move it to your core budget or spend it on a different kind of support.
If you need more therapy, or a different type of therapy, talk to your my NDIS contact. Evidence from your allied health professional about your needs and progress is what the NDIA looks at.
Who can deliver NDIS therapy
Only qualified allied health professionals can deliver NDIS therapy supports. They must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), or accredited by the relevant peak body if their profession is self-regulated.
Whether the therapist is also a registered NDIS provider matters only for some funding types. If your funding is self-managed or plan-managed, you can use registered or unregistered providers. If it is NDIA-managed, you can only use registered providers.
You choose your therapists. A support coordinator, if you have one, can help you find and contact them. You are not limited to a list held by any one provider.
Common therapies in an NDIS plan
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapists work on the everyday tasks your disability makes harder, such as dressing, eating, grooming and fine motor skills. They can also help you prepare for living more independently or for work. Read more about occupational therapy and employment support, or compare occupational therapists listed on Provider24.
Speech pathology
Speech pathologists work with speech, language, voice and swallowing. Participants with speech or language delays, autism, hearing impairment or a neurological condition may use this therapy. Read how the NDIS funds speech therapy for neurological conditions, or compare speech therapists listed on Provider24.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists work on movement, strength, balance and mobility related to your disability. Rehabilitation straight after an injury or surgery, and clinical treatment of chronic conditions, are generally health-system supports rather than NDIS supports. Read more about physiotherapy and ongoing therapy under the NDIS.
Psychology
Psychology can be funded as a therapy support when it relates to your disability and meets the funding criteria. Clinical mental health treatment is a health-system support, not an NDIS one.
Exercise physiology
Exercise physiology plans usually sit under Improved health and wellbeing, another capacity building category, rather than Improved daily living.
Capacity-building and maintenance therapy
NDIS therapy supports include two kinds of therapy. Capacity-building therapy aims to help you build new skills. Maintenance therapy aims to help you keep the skills and function you already have. Both have to be evidence-based and linked to your disability, and your therapist’s reports help the NDIA understand which kind you need.
Children and therapy
The NDIS funds children’s therapy differently before and after age 9. If your child is approaching 9, ask your my NDIS contact how their therapy supports will be set out in the next plan.
From 1 October 2026, a new program called Thriving Kids begins a phased rollout. It is for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs, and it provides supports outside the NDIS. It is due to be fully operational from 1 January 2028. Details are on the Securing the NDIS page.
The 2026 change to improved daily living budgets
From 1 October 2026, funding for improved daily living skills supports is reduced by 10% as plans are created, reassessed or renewed over the following 12 months. Some supports within the category are not affected, and other parts of your plan are not affected. You can keep using your current plan until it is reassessed or renewed. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing explains the change in Funding changes for NDIS supports.
With a smaller budget, it is worth agreeing with your therapist on priorities before your next reassessment.
Getting more from your therapy
- Set goals together. Agree what you are working towards with your therapist, and check progress at regular points.
- Talk openly. Tell your therapist what is working, what is not and what has changed.
- Turn up and practise. Attend your sessions and follow through with any activities set for home.
- Involve your support network. Family, friends and carers can help with home practice if they know what you are working on.
Compare allied health providers on Provider24
Provider24 lists allied health providers by therapy type and state, so you can compare who offers the therapy in your plan. Browse NDIS allied health providers, or start from the wider Health & Therapies category.
Last updated October 2026. This article is general information, not advice. NDIS rules are changing in stages, so check ndis.gov.au or ask your my NDIS contact about your own plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Improved Daily Living in an NDIS plan?
Improved daily living is a capacity building category. It funds assessment, training or therapy to help you build skills for everyday life, and much of the allied health therapy in a plan is funded from it. The funding is stated, so it can only be used for the supports your plan describes.
Can I spend my therapy funding on any therapist?
The therapist must be AHPRA-registered or accredited by their peak body, and the therapy must be evidence-based. If your funding is NDIA-managed, they must also be a registered NDIS provider. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can also use unregistered providers.
Does the NDIS fund physiotherapy?
It can, when the physiotherapy relates to your disability and meets the funding criteria. Rehabilitation straight after an injury or surgery is generally a health-system support.
What is changing for children’s therapy under the NDIS?
From 1 October 2026, Thriving Kids begins a phased rollout for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism who have low to moderate support needs. It provides supports outside the NDIS and is due to be fully operational from 1 January 2028.