Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for the NDIS

Before even talking about applying, the first question is simple: are you eligible? Because there’s no point filling in forms or calling numbers if you don’t meet the basic criteria. Age, residency, disability needs, those checks are the gate in. If you’re under 65, living in Australia as a citizen, permanent resident or protected visa holder, and your disability is permanent or likely to be permanent with a significant impact on daily life, then you’re in the zone to apply.

But eligibility is just the start. The bigger picture is knowing what comes with funding. Applying for the NDIS isn’t like signing up for a service and walking away. It means meetings, reviews, paperwork, gathering reports, and talking about what’s changed in your life. Sometimes it’s about explaining goals, other times it’s showing that your needs have stayed the same. If you choose self-management, there’s even more, separate bank accounts, checking invoices, paying workers yourself.

It can feel heavy, but it’s better to know all this up front. Applying for the NDIS is not just ticking a box, it’s stepping into a system that will stay with you.

What applying involves

The first step is still the easiest: check the official NDIS eligibility checklist. If you match the requirements, you move to an Access Request. That can be done in a few ways:

• call 1800 800 110 and ask to make an Access Request
• complete and submit the Access Request form (a long one, 28 pages)
• or contact a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIS office in your area

For children aged 0–9, the pathway is through Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI). If you’re already linked to an early childhood partner, they’ll help you through the process. If not, you can ask your GP or check the NDIS website to find your local partner.

What to expect

Once you start the application, the NDIA will want evidence. That usually means reports from specialists, doctors, or allied health professionals. These reports explain the disability, the functional impact and the need to receive support. The person has to be ready to describe how his or her disability influences the daily life, movement, communication, self-taking care, studies, interpersonal interrelations. Such information is important since it reveals to the NDIA what you find within the rules.

You’ll also need to talk about goals. It doesn’t mean you need a perfect list, but you do need to explain what you want to work towards. Living more independently, getting back into study, being able to travel to community activities, goals give shape to the plan.

There will be meetings, sometimes face to face, sometimes phone, sometimes online. Reviews are part of the system. Plans change, needs change, funding may adjust. And you need a MyGov account to connect with the NDIS portal, where your plan, budgets, and spending records are stored.

Taking responsibility

The application process also carries an unspoken message: with funding comes responsibility. The NDIA expects you to be open about your needs and accountable for how the funding is used. If you self-manage, that responsibility gets bigger, you’re the one making payments, keeping receipts, storing records for audits. Even if you go with plan management or agency management, you’ll still be part of the reviews, the conversations, the goal-setting.

Some of this can feel like red tape. Still, it is worth it since the NDIS is the source of opportunity to receive some supporting benefits that will help to live easier and more independently. It all depends on what is expected to intentionally prevent someone who has just applied to the job to feel like they have been caught off guard.