Flexible funding from 1 April | Disability Support Services

This page provides high level information about people’s responsibilities and support to manage their flexible funding from 1 April 2026.

It applies to people with Carer Support, Individualised Funding, Enhanced Individualised Funding and / or hosted Enabling Good Lives Personal Budgets.

Responsibilities for everyone with flexible funding

Managing your flexible funding comes with some general responsibilities that apply to everyone.

These help you to make sure your flexible funding is used for the right purpose, supports your needs, and is managed consistently.

Your spending must:

match the purposes in your funding plan

relate to your disability and the support you need

help you (or your carers) manage the impact of your disability. For carers, this means using Carer Support for respite or supports that help them take a break or sustain their caring role.

You need to stay within your budget and make sure it lasts for your full funding period.

You need to keep records, including receipts, invoices, and employment records if you hire support workers.

You need to check if supports can be provided in time by other government agencies before using your flexible funding. Your host, NASC or Enabling Good Lives site can help you look at the options.

The support must be provided in the community, not residential care. (This does not include residential respite care, unless it becomes continuous and ongoing.)

You cannot use your funding for drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling or illegal activities.

Certain purchases need prior approval. This is described below.

Prior approval

Some purchases need prior approval before you use your flexible funding.

Overseas travel

Equipment

Complementary therapies

Buying the same or a similar item again before it would normally need replacing

One-off purchases of items over a set limit:

For people who get Carer Support the limit is $1,500.

For most people getting hosted flexible funding, the limit is $1,500. For some people who receive very frequent guidance and contact with their host, the limit is $500. For more details go to: Information for people using hosted flexible funding.

Who you need to ask

Who you need to ask depends on how you manage your funding:

Your host (if you have one).

Your NASC or Enabling Good Lives (EGL) site (if you do not have a host – for example, if you get Carer Support.)

Your host, NASC or EGL site will let you know what information they need from you and what to do.

How prior approval decisions are made

Equipment

Equipment can be approved if it is safe and suitable for you.

This means either:

your host, NASC, provider of EGL site assesses it as low risk for your individual situation and needs, or

a registered health professional confirms it is safe, appropriate, and any risks are managed.

Complementary therapies

A complementary therapy is a therapy that may be used alongside, or instead of, mainstream health or disability supports.

Activities that people commonly do for wellbeing or community connection are not considered complementary therapies and do not need prior approval. This includes things like going to the gym, yoga, or community activities such as riding for the disabled or line dancing.

Complementary therapies can be approved if they:

clearly link to a purpose in your plan, and

are safe and appropriate for you.

This may involve:

advice from a registered health professional

evidence that the therapy is likely to be effective

a plan for how it will be monitored

a backup plan if it does not work.

If there is not enough evidence, you may need to try the therapy first to show it is effective.

Overseas travel

Flexible funding can be used for overseas travel in some situations.

Approval will consider whether:

the costs are extra costs related to your disability

the travel supports a purpose in your plan

it will not affect your ability to meet your needs for the rest of your funding period

you can arrange the supports you need while overseas.

Buying the same or a similar item again before it would normally need replacing

If you want to replace an item before it would normally need replacing, this will be reviewed.

This is to check:

whether a replacement is needed

whether the item is still the right option for you

whether a different type of support might work better.

Your funding plan

Your funding plan guides how you use your flexible funding.

Your current funding plan will continue for now – whether that’s an Individual Service Plan, Enabling Good Lives Funding Plan, Support Agreement, or My DSS Funding Plan.

If you are not sure about the purposes of your funding set out in your plan, talk to your host, NASC or Enabling Good Lives site.

Over time, everyone who gets flexible funding will move to a new My DSS Funding Plan, making the purposes of your funding clearer. This will happen at your next reassessment with your NASC or Enabling Good Lives site.

Information for people using hosted flexible funding

Hosted flexible funding and hosts

Hosted flexible funding is when a person manages their own disability support funding with guidance from a host – for example, an Individualised Funding Host or a Flexible Disability Support provider.

Hosted flexible funding covers:

Individualised Funding (IF Personal Care, IF Household Management, IF Respite)

Enhanced Individualised Funding

Hosted Enabling Good Lives Personal Budgets.

Guidance from your host

Everyone with hosted flexible funding gets some sort of guidance from their host, to help manage their funding confidently and responsibly, and in line with their plan.

Some people will need only light-touch contact. Others need more regular and active guidance and coaching. This may include:

helping you understand your plan and purpose of your funding

supporting you with claims

guidance, coaching and oversight with keeping records, budgeting, employing workers (if relevant)

checking that spending fits your plan and budget, and helping adjust if needed.

Four tiers of host guidance

There are four tiers which describe how often your host will check in and how much guidance you receive. 

Your tier is based on things like how much flexible funding you get, your experience and confidence managing your funding responsibilities, and how you engage with your host.

A higher tier means more contact, more guidance, and closer monitoring from the host. It does not change the amount of funding you get.

Tier	Level of host guidance	Disabled person	Host
1	Very low	Manages funding confidently and mostly independently. They self-check claims and manage funding in line with their funding plan, disability support needs and budget, keep records, and seek prior approval when required, including for one-off purchases above $1,500.	Checks in at least annually.
2	Low	Manages most responsibilities well, with some occasional guidance. They keep records, manage funding in line with their plan, disability support needs and budget, and seek prior approval when required, including for one-off purchases above $1,500.	Checks in at least every 6 months.
3	Medium	Needs regular guidance and coaching. They may be newer to flexible funding or need more guidance but can still manage most things in line with their plan, disability support needs and budget. They seek prior approval when required, including for one-off purchases above $1,500.	Checks in at least every 3 months and provides some guidance and coaching.
4	High	Needs frequent support. They discuss all new purchases with the host first, agree about changes, keep records and get prior approval when needed, including for one-off purchases above $500.	Checks in at least monthly and provides active coaching.

Your tier can change over time. Your tier is assigned by your NASC or EGL site as part of assessment or review. Hosts do not assign the tier, but they do provide feedback to inform tier decisions.

For more information on tiers: Tiered host guidance for managing flexible funding

More information and operational policy

For more information on tiers: Tiered host guidance for managing flexible funding
Operational policies: DSS Operational Policy
Questions and answers: Flexible funding | Disability Support Services
Scenarios: Examples of using flexible funding
What to expect at a needs assessment or reassessment: Getting ready for your needs assessment or reassessment

Questions or complaints

Contact your host at any time if you have questions about:

using your flexible funding or making a claim

your responsibilities like record keeping

budgeting.

Contact your NASC or Enabling Good Lives site if:

your disability support needs have changed

you want to change the purposes in your funding plan.

If you are unhappy with a decision about your support, first talk with your NASC, EGL site, or host to see if you can resolve the issue. You can also visit the DSS webpage: Complaints about disability support services.

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From 1 April 2026: