Are you wondering which NDIS funding you can use for psychology? Find out now.

It can be a bit daunting when it comes to working out which NDIS funds can be used for psychology — we hope this article provides some clarity.

What is the NDIS?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a government program designed to support people with disabilities in Australia.

The NDIS provides financial support to give individuals and their loved ones peace of mind, knowing there are funds to support them. The aim of NDIS funding is to enable people with disabilities to develop their skills and improve their independence.

Here’s a video about the NDIS:

About NDIS funding for psychology

Although the NDIS provides funding for a number of psychology supports, not every type is covered. If you have an NDIS Plan, you can utilise your Capacity Building and Core Supports budgets for psychology support.

Capacity Building Budget

Improved Daily Living

The NDIS provides psychology funding for support that improves a person’s quality of life, including their independence, ability to carry out day to day tasks and community participation.

For example, a psychologist may be able to provide support with identifying and managing emotions. They may also be able to provide strategies to assist with understanding and taking perspective of social situations.

As an NDIS participant, for psychology support, you can access your Capacity Building Budget, specifically your Improved Daily Living funds, item 15_054_0128_1_3. These funds can only be used by a psychologist.

Behaviour Support

Behaviour Support funding is used to help you develop positive behaviours and interact with others. If you have Behaviour Support funding and a Behaviour Support service with Ability Consultants, you can use item 11_022_0110_7_3 for psychological assessments provided as a one-off in collaboration with your Behaviour Support service. Therapy sessions may also be provided by Ability Consultants using this funding. If you have not been issued a PACE NDIS plan, Behaviour Support may appear as Improved Relationships on your NDIS plan.

Core Support Budget

You can use your Core Support Budget for psychology, if you have funds which are not allocated to a specific support category.

For example, in your NDIS Plan, if you have $30,000 in Core Support and you have $10,000 allocated to school transport and the remaining $20,000 is not allocated to a specific item, you can choose to allocate all or part of this funding to psychology.

Watch this video to learn more about different NDIS Plan Budgets:

Psychology support the NDIS doesn’t fund

The NDIS doesn't fund all types of psychological support for NDIS participants, such as support that’s not related to a person’s disability or if the support is covered by another government organisation, such as Medicare.

For further guidelines about NDIS funding and psychology, visit the NDIS website. At the link provided, you’ll find information about mental health and psychosocial disabilities and what the NDIS will and won’t fund.

How we claim NDIS funds

How we claim NDIS funds depends on how your funds are managed. If your NDIS funds for psychology are NDIA-managed, we book these funds directly, through the government’s portal called Proda.

If your NDIS funds are plan managed, we send a bill to your plan management organisation and they will pay the bill on your behalf.

If your NDIS funds are self-managed, we will email you an invoice, along with details of what services were provided.

Additional support for participants

At Ability Consultants, you can also access Positive Behaviour Support (PBS). PBS can be delivered by a behaviour support practitioner on our team. For more information about PBS, please visit our website or speak with your psychologist or support coordinator.

For more information

If you’re unsure of which NDIS funds you can use for psychology, we recommend speaking with your support coordinator. Your support coordinator will have a good understanding of your NDIS Plan and can provide you with advice as you make decisions about your support.

You can also visit the NDIS website for the latest information on NDIS funding and psychology.

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Originally published 26 May 2022.

Updated 16 December 2024.