In April 2026, Minister for the NDIS Mark Butler gave a speech at the National Press Club that set out the government’s plan to reshape the NDIS. The announcement was significant. The scheme is spending $38 billion in the nine months to March 2026 alone, and costs are growing at 11.3% annually. Change was coming whether participants wanted it or not.
Here is what was announced, what is actually happening on the ground right now, and what it means for self-managed participants specifically.
The four pillars
The government framed the reforms around four goals:
- Fighting fraud and stopping rorts
- Slowing rapid cost increases
- Clearer eligibility requirements
- Delivering quality services and support to participants
These are not new concerns. The NDIA has been cracking down on fraud since the Fraud Fusion Taskforce launched in November 2022. What is new is the scale of what is being proposed and the speed at which changes are expected to land.
What is already happening
Fraud crackdowns are intensifying
The NDIA reviewed more than 19,200 high-risk claims worth over $53.5 million in just the three months to March 2026. Two out of three claims reviewed were rejected or cancelled. More than 2,500 problematic providers have been removed from the NDIS since 2022, and the Fraud Fusion Taskforce is currently investigating more than 660 allegations across 24 government agencies, with more than 60 referred for criminal prosecution.
This matters for self-managed participants because the scrutiny is not limited to providers. Claims submitted by participants and plan managers are also being reviewed, and manual payment reviews can be placed on individual accounts when the NDIA identifies risk.
The practical takeaway: If you self-manage, your records need to be clean and complete. Keep invoices, service agreements, and payment receipts for every claim. “I lost the invoice” is not a defence that holds up under review.
A new way of planning is coming
The most significant structural change is a new planning process, now scheduled to roll out from 1 April 2027. The NDIA has already run simulated support needs assessments with participants and completed more than 10,000 internal desktop exercises.
The change introduces a formal support needs assessment as the basis for building a plan, rather than the current approach which has been criticised as inconsistent and dependent on who you happen to speak with at the NDIA. This has moved beyond simulation: some participants have already been through real assessments using the new tool since mid-2026, as the NDIA tests the process at a larger scale ahead of the April 2027 rollout.
More than 7,000 people have already contributed to shaping this process through workshops and engagement activities. If you want a say in how it works, you can get involved via NDIS Engage or apply to join Participant First.
The practical takeaway: Your next plan reassessment may look and feel different. It is worth understanding what a support needs assessment involves before it arrives. The NDIA has committed to giving participants clear notice before anything changes that directly affects them.
Pricing has been reviewed
Between November 2025 and February 2026, the NDIA ran its largest ever pricing consultation, hearing from nearly 600 participants and more than 2,500 providers. The Annual Pricing Review has now been completed — check the new pricing schedule to see what has changed.
Key areas reviewed include disability support worker rates, therapy supports, support coordination, plan management, and social and community participation.
The practical takeaway: For self-managed participants, pricing changes affect what you can reasonably pay unregistered providers and still have your claims accepted. Check whether your current service agreements are aligned with the new pricing schedule.
What the reforms mean for self-managed participants specifically
Self-management is a minority category. As of March 2026, 26% of participants self-manage all or part of their funding, accounting for 9% of total payments. The government’s fraud focus has historically skewed toward high-volume registered providers, but self-managed participants are not exempt from scrutiny.
The clearer eligibility requirements pillar is the one to watch most carefully, and it is no longer just a proposal. The NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 passed Parliament on 19 August 2026, received Royal Assent the next day, and its key measures commenced on 27 August 2026. Detailed guidance is now published. For self-managed participants specifically, two changes are already set in motion: a tighter “reasonable and necessary” test applies from 1 February 2027, and new access criteria based on functional capacity apply to new applicants from 1 January 2028, with existing participants reassessed against them over the following three years. If you are close to an eligibility boundary or have a plan that has grown significantly, be prepared for harder questions at reassessment, starting now.
What is not changing is the principle of self-management itself. The NDIA has been explicit that it supports participants’ right to self-manage and that funding management type is not binding. You can switch, and you can advocate to switch back.
The honest picture
The NDIA is under genuine financial pressure. Total payments grew from $28.6 billion in 2022 to $46.4 billion in the 2025 financial year. That trajectory is not sustainable without intervention. The reforms are a response to that reality, not just a political exercise.
The risk, as always, is that the people who bear the most cost from tighter eligibility and more compliance burden are the people the scheme exists to support. The disability community has been vocal about this, and there is real tension between sustainability and equity that the government has not fully resolved.
At Hai Helper, we think self-managed participants deserve the tools to stay on top of this, not just survive it. Clean records, clear documentation, and understanding your rights under the scheme are your best protection through any reform period.
What to do right now
- Check your records. Every invoice, every service agreement, every payment. If you cannot reconstruct your claims from your records, fix that now.
- Review the new pricing schedule. It will affect what you can pay and claim.
- Engage with the new planning process. The NDIA is still consulting. This is one of the rare windows where participant input actually shapes the outcome.
- Don’t treat eligibility and funding changes as hypothetical. The reforms are now law, and some are already active, including funding reductions phasing in for Social, Economic and Community Participation and Improved Daily Living Skills supports from 1 October 2026. The NDIA has committed to giving clear notice before a change affects your own plan, but that notice may already be on its way.
- Watch the new claiming deadline. From 1 December 2026, claims must be made within 90 days of the support, down from 2 years. Claims made more than 90 days after a support already face extra checks from 15 October 2026.
Hai Helper is an NDIS technology platform for self-managed participants. We help you track budgets, process invoices, and manage claims without the paperwork spiral. 10% of our profits go to disability organisations.
This post reflects publicly available information from the NDIA Q3 2025-26 Quarterly Report and Minister Butler’s April 2026 National Press Club address. It is not legal or financial advice.
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