Daily Living Supports: A Plain-English Guide for NDIS Participants

If your NDIS plan includes funding under Assistance with Daily Life, you can use it to pay for support workers who help you with everyday tasks - things like personal care, meal preparation, household cleaning, and getting ready for the day. This funding sits in the core supports budget, which means it is generally the most flexible part of your plan. You can use it across a range of providers without needing NDIA approval for every decision. This guide explains exactly what Daily Living supports cover, who is eligible, how to choose a good provider, and what warning signs to watch for.

---

What are Daily Living supports under the NDIS?

Daily Living supports fall under the NDIS support category formally called Assistance with Daily Life (support category 01). They are designed to help you with tasks you would do every day but find difficult because of your disability.

Common examples include:

• Personal care - showering, dressing, grooming, and toileting
• Meal preparation and feeding assistance
• Household tasks such as cleaning, laundry, and tidying
• Overnight or 24-hour support (including sleepover and active night support)
• Support with medication prompting (not administration - that requires a registered nurse)
• Community access that is bundled with daily living tasks
• Short-term accommodation and respite (which has its own line item)

Daily Living is the most commonly funded support category in the NDIS. According to the NDIA's quarterly reports, it consistently accounts for the largest share of total plan expenditure across Australia.

What Daily Living does NOT cover

It is worth being clear about what this category does not fund, because misunderstandings here can cause problems later:

• Clinical or medical services (those sit under Improved Health and Wellbeing or Therapeutic Supports)
• Transport to and from activities (transport has its own category)
• Support worker travel time charged beyond what the NDIS Pricing Arrangements allow
• Household items, groceries, or equipment (consumables and assistive technology have separate budgets)

---

Who can access Daily Living funding?

To have Daily Living supports funded in your plan, the NDIA needs to be satisfied that the support is reasonable and necessary for you given your disability-related needs. That means it must:

1. Relate to your disability, not a general life circumstance everyone faces
2. Not be something that is the responsibility of another system (such as the health system or aged care)
3. Represent value for money relative to the benefit it delivers
4. Be likely to help you pursue your goals or maintain your functional capacity

If you are a new participant or coming up for a plan review, your planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) will look at your support needs assessment and any evidence from allied health practitioners. A good occupational therapist report can make a significant difference to how Daily Living funding is allocated in your plan.

Participants who are self-managing or plan-managed have the most flexibility when it comes to choosing providers. NDIA-managed participants must use NDIS-registered providers. You can check your plan management type in the myplace participant portal.

If you are new to the scheme and still finding your feet, the participant resources on OpenWay are a useful starting point for understanding how the marketplace works and what to look for in a provider.

---

How does the funding actually work?

Core supports budget and flexibility

Daily Living funding sits in your core supports budget. One of the practical advantages of core supports is that you can often shift funds between sub-categories - for example, between Daily Living and Social and Community Participation - without needing a formal plan variation. This flexibility is not unlimited, and it does not apply if your plan has stated supports or if specific line items are separately managed, so always check your plan document first.

Pricing rules and hourly rates

Providers must charge within the limits set by the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (formerly the Support Catalogue), which the NDIA updates periodically. Rates vary depending on:

• The time of day (weekday, evening, Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday)
• The support intensity (standard, high intensity, or specialist)
• Whether the support is delivered in a centre-based or community setting
• Your state or territory (some remote and very remote loadings apply)

As a participant or family member, you do not need to memorise every rate. But it is worth knowing that a provider cannot legally charge above the published price limits unless you are self-managing and have agreed to a higher rate in a written service agreement. If a provider quotes you a rate that seems unusually high, ask them to explain how it aligns with the current pricing arrangements.

Service agreements

Before a provider begins delivering supports, they should give you a service agreement - a written document that sets out what they will deliver, when, at what rate, and what happens if you need to cancel. Under the NDIS Commission's practice standards, registered providers are required to have a service agreement in place. Even if your provider is unregistered (which is allowed for self-managed participants), a written agreement protects both of you.

Never start receiving supports without a signed service agreement. If a provider is reluctant to put things in writing, that is a red flag.

---

How to choose a Daily Living provider

Choosing a support worker or provider organisation is one of the most personal decisions you will make as an NDIS participant. The right fit depends on your goals, your communication style, your cultural background, your language preferences, and the specific tasks you need help with.

Here is a practical checklist to work through when you are shortlisting providers:

1. Check registration status. If you are NDIA-managed, the provider must be NDIS-registered. You can verify this on the NDIS Commission's public register. If you are self-managed or plan-managed, you have more choice, but registration is still a useful quality signal.
2. Ask about worker screening. Every support worker delivering personal care must hold a current NDIS Worker Screening Check in their state or territory. Ask the provider how they verify this for their staff and how they handle gaps in rostering.
3. Clarify availability and consistency. One of the most common complaints from participants is inconsistent rostering - different workers turning up each week. Ask directly how the provider handles sick leave and last-minute cancellations.
4. Discuss cultural and communication needs. If you communicate using AAC (augmentative and alternative communication), speak a language other than English at home, or have specific cultural or religious requirements, ask how the provider will accommodate these.
5. Read the service agreement carefully. Pay attention to the cancellation policy. The NDIS Pricing Arrangements include a short-notice cancellation framework, but providers have some discretion in how they apply it.
6. Ask for references or testimonials. Established providers should be able to share feedback from current or former participants (with consent). Online reviews can also be informative, though take any single review in isolation with a grain of salt.
7. Start with a trial period. Many providers will agree to a short trial arrangement before you commit to a longer service agreement. This gives you a low-risk way to assess fit.

Support coordinators often play a key role in this shortlisting process. If you work with a support coordinator, ask them to share at least three options so you can compare. The support coordinator workspace on OpenWay is designed to make this comparison process faster and easier.

---

Red flags to watch for

Unfortunately, not every provider in the disability sector operates with integrity. Here are warning signs that should prompt you to ask more questions or look elsewhere:

• Pressure to sign quickly. A reputable provider will give you time to read and understand the service agreement.
• Vague or verbal-only agreements. Everything should be in writing.
• Requests to pay in cash or outside the NDIS system. This is never appropriate for NDIS-funded supports.
• No worker screening documentation. If a provider cannot confirm that their workers hold current NDIS Worker Screening Checks, do not proceed.
• Billing for hours not delivered. If you notice discrepancies between your service bookings and what appears in your myplace portal, raise this with your plan manager or the NDIA immediately.
• Dismissing your feedback. A good provider will welcome your input and adjust their approach. If a provider becomes defensive or dismissive when you raise a concern, that tells you something important.

The NDIS Commission handles complaints about registered providers. If you have concerns about an unregistered provider, you can still contact the Commission for guidance, or reach out to your state or territory's disability advocacy service.

OpenWay's trust and safety information explains the steps taken to verify providers listed on the platform, so you can understand what checks have been applied before you make an enquiry.

---

Frequently asked

Can I use Daily Living funding to pay a family member to support me?

In some circumstances, yes. The NDIA allows participants to pay a family member as a support worker, but there are conditions. The family member must not ordinarily be expected to provide that support as part of a typical family relationship, they must be employed through a registered provider or as part of a self-managed arrangement, and the support must be documented properly. This is an area where the rules are nuanced, so speak with your planner or LAC before making arrangements.

What happens to unspent Daily Living funding at the end of my plan?

Unspent core supports funding does not roll over to your next plan. When your plan ends, any remaining balance is returned to the NDIA. This is one reason why it is worth reviewing your utilisation regularly throughout the plan year - if you are significantly underspending, it may be worth discussing with your support coordinator or LAC whether your plan adequately reflects your needs.

Can I use Daily Living supports to access support in a group setting?

Yes. Group-based supports, sometimes called centre-based or community-based group activities, can be funded under Assistance with Daily Life or under Social and Community Participation, depending on the nature of the activity. Group supports are typically charged at a per-participant rate that is lower than one-to-one support, which can make your funding go further. Ask providers whether they offer group options if cost efficiency is a priority for you.

---

How OpenWay can help

Finding a Daily Living provider that genuinely suits your needs - your schedule, your communication style, your goals - takes time and research. OpenWay is a free-to-use marketplace where NDIS participants and their families can browse Daily Living providers across Australia, filter by location and support type, and send enquiries directly through the platform.

You do not need to create an account to browse. If you are a support coordinator managing multiple participants, the coordinator tools on OpenWay let you shortlist options, share profiles with participants and families, and keep track of your enquiries in one place.

There is no cost to participants or families to use OpenWay. Providers list their services and manage their own profiles, so the information you see comes directly from them.

OpenWay is not part of the NDIS, NDIA or NDIS Commission. Final scope, pricing, travel, cancellation rules and non-face-to-face charges must be confirmed in a written service agreement between the participant (or their authorised support person) and the provider.