From the Rostery team in Sydney. We make rostering software for NDIS and aged-care providers, and this is a short, fresh take on a topic we covered in depth on our own blog.
If you run a small disability support business, Core Supports are probably paying your wages. They're the everyday side of an NDIS plan, and they make up roughly seven in every ten dollars committed to participants. So it's worth knowing how they work, what they can't be used for, and where claims usually go wrong.
Four buckets, one budget
Core funding is split into four support categories. You can spot the category from the first two digits of any support item number.
- 01, Daily Life. Personal care, meals, help around the house, supported independent living (SIL) and short stays away from home for respite.
- 02, Transport. Getting the participant to work, study, appointments or social outings when public transport is too hard for them to use. In the newer PACE system this is often paid to the participant as a regular amount.
- 03, Consumables. Low-cost items bought often, like continence products and cheap assistive technology. Pricier equipment comes from a different budget.
- 04, Community Participation. Going out with a support worker, group programs, centre-based activities and help at work.
The good news for participants is that Core is flexible. Someone who needs a bit less personal care one month can usually put that money towards community outings instead.
What Core can't pay for
Every plan has three purposes, and money doesn't jump between them.
- Core covers daily living.
- Capacity Building covers skills and independence, such as therapy, support coordination and employment help.
- Capital covers bigger purchases like equipment, home or vehicle changes and specialist housing.
So if a participant asks you to put a therapy session through their Core budget, the answer is no. To see an item's purpose, look at the final digit. Core items end in 1, Capital items in 2 and Capacity Building items in 3.
Two other limits are worth knowing. Some supports, like SIL, are written into the plan as "stated" supports and can only be used for that exact thing. And since October 2024, the law spells out what counts as an NDIS support at all, so a healthy balance doesn't make every purchase claimable.
Money arrives in instalments now
This one catches lots of small providers out. Many plans now release funding in three-month blocks instead of all up front. The yearly total doesn't change, only the timing.
What that means for you: a participant might have plenty left for the year, but nothing left this quarter. If you roster a run of extra shifts late in a period, the claims can bounce. A quick look at the current period balance before you say yes to extra hours saves a lot of chasing later.
The new price limits
New maximum prices took effect on 24 September 2026 under the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026–27. For standard personal care by a support worker anywhere outside remote and very remote areas, the hourly limit is $73.58 on a weekday during the day. It's $103.54 on Saturday, $133.50 on Sunday and $163.46 on a public holiday. Remote and very remote areas get higher limits, based on where the support takes place.
If you want the full list, our free NDIS tools include a searchable price guide and a shift price calculator. For a rundown of what moved this year, see NDIS Price Guide 2026–27: what changed.
Six things to check before you claim
Most rejected or underpaid claims come down to the same small set of slips:
- The time band. If a shift crosses 8pm or runs into the weekend, the higher rate can apply to the whole shift. Splitting it across two rates means charging less than you're allowed to.
- The location. Charge the rate for the place the support happened.
- The funding period. Check this quarter's balance, not just the annual figure.
- Your PACE status. Participants on PACE plans list the providers they use. Make sure you're on that list.
- Cancellations. You need cancellation terms in the service agreement, and you can't claim if the worker was given other billable work instead.
- Real hours. Claim the time actually worked, even when it differs from the roster.
Cancellations are worth a closer look. Our post on cutting no-shows with better rostering has practical ideas, and there's a longer write-up on Medium about reducing no-shows and claiming correctly when they happen. If you run SIL houses, our dev.to guide to building a roster of care for a SIL house fits alongside this.
Want the full detail?
This primer leaves out a lot: PACE category numbers, group pricing, travel claims and the changes still due this financial year. Our complete guide, NDIS Core Supports explained, with 2026–27 prices and claiming rules, covers all of it with sources.
General information only. Always check the current schedule on ndis.gov.au before you claim. Rostery is NDIS and aged-care rostering software made in Sydney: rostery.com.au.
The Rostery team
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