NDIS Support Types in Plain English: What You Can Ask For

1) Support types: the big buckets (and why it matters)

In your NDIS plan, supports usually fit into a few big “buckets”. Knowing the bucket helps you talk clearly with your planner, support coordinator (if you have one), and providers. It also helps you make sure you’re funding the right things for the outcomes that matter to you—like getting out more, living more independently, or improving daily routines.

The first bucket is Core supports. These are the day-to-day supports that help you with everyday activities. Think of things like personal care, getting around at home, support to access the community, meals support, or help with daily tasks. Next is Capacity Building supports. These help you build skills and independence—like therapy, skill development, assistive tech training, behaviour support, or support to improve daily living skills.

A third bucket is Capital supports, which is for certain one-off or major purchases (for example, assistive technology or home modifications) that increase your functional capacity or help you live more safely. Finally, there are Support Coordination supports (if included in your plan) to help you find, organise and manage your supports. If you use plan management, it can also affect how services are paid—tools like MyMoney NDIS (www.planmanager.net.au) can help you understand how invoices and payments typically flow.

Key takeaway: When you ask “What support type is this?”, you’re really asking “Is this helping my daily life now, building skills for later, or funding a bigger purchase?”

If you’re comparing providers, My Care Finders can help you look at what different providers actually do under each support type—so you can ask the right questions and choose services that match your goals, not just their advertised services.