Before you can ask for funding, you have to work out what you need. This sounds simple, but it’s where a lot of people stumble. Most of us aren’t great at assessing our own needs objectively. We minimise things we’ve adjusted to. We forget routines that have become second nature. We don’t count the help we get from family because it’s “normal.”
Here’s a method that works for working out your real support needs.
Track Your Week
For seven days, write down everything you do and where you struggle or get help. Morning routines: how long does it take, what do you find difficult, who helps if anyone. Meals: who cooks, who shops, can you do it yourself. Cleaning and laundry: how much do you do, how much gets left undone, who picks up the slack. Getting out of the house: do you go places, how do you get there, who comes with you. Medical and health appointments: how do you manage these, who organises them, who drives you. Social contact: who do you see, how often, do you feel isolated.
Be Honest About Informal Support
Be honest. If your sister does your washing every weekend, that’s a support you’re currently relying on. If your mum drives you to appointments, that’s another one. These things might not be in your NDIS plan but they’re filling gaps. If those people stopped, what would you do? The answer to that question often reveals an unmet need.
Look at What You’d Like to Do but Can’t
The NDIS is partly about supports for what you do now and partly about supports to let you do more. If you’d like to work but can’t manage the transport, that’s an unmet need. If you’d like to live alone but can’t manage household tasks, that’s an unmet need. If you’d like to be active in the community but don’t have anyone to go with, that’s an unmet need. Don’t dismiss your goals just because you’re not currently pursuing them.
Ask People Who Know You Well
Ask family members what they think you struggle with. Ask any allied health professionals you see. Sometimes others see needs that we don’t acknowledge to ourselves. People close to us notice patterns we’ve stopped noticing because we’re inside them.
Categorise What You Find
Personal care needs (anything related to body and daily routines). Domestic needs (household tasks). Community needs (getting out, doing things, being social). Skill building needs (learning to do things you can’t currently do). Transport needs (getting from A to B). Health needs (allied health, therapy, exercise). This helps because each category maps roughly to NDIS funding categories.
Estimate Your Hours
For each thing you’ve identified, work out roughly how many hours of help per week. Two hours of personal care a day, six days a week, is twelve hours. Cleaning four hours a fortnight is two hours a week. Community access one outing a week of three hours is three hours. Add it all up. The total might surprise you. Most people underestimate how much support they use.
Check Your Numbers Against What’s Typical
If your numbers seem high, that’s not necessarily wrong. If your numbers seem very low compared to what you actually do, you’ve probably missed something. Most people we work with need more support than they initially estimate, not less.
Don’t try to talk yourself out of things. If you’ve identified a need, it’s a need. Whether the NDIA agrees to fund it is a different question, but you’ve at least made your case clear by knowing what you’re asking for. The worst position is going into a planning meeting unsure of what you need. The planner will fill in the gaps with their own assumptions and you’ll end up with a plan that doesn’t fit.
Plan for How Things Might Change
Are you getting older? Is your condition progressive? Are family carers getting older or facing health issues? Are you planning a major change like moving out or starting work? Build some flexibility into your needs assessment for what’s coming, not just what is now.
Document Everything Before Your Meeting
Keep your week-tracking notes. Write down the conversations you have with family or professionals. Save any reports or assessments you have. When you go into your planning meeting, you’ll be able to refer to actual evidence rather than guesses.
This kind of honest needs assessment is the foundation for getting a plan that actually works. Take the time to do it. A weekend spent really thinking about your support needs can be worth tens of thousands of dollars in funding over the life of your plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I work out how many NDIS support hours I need?
Track a full week of your routines and add up the time spent on tasks you struggle with or get help for. Most people underestimate this until they write it down.
Does help from family count toward my NDIS needs assessment?
Yes. Informal support from family is worth noting, especially if it’s not guaranteed to continue, since that reveals an unmet need.
What categories do NDIS support needs fall into?
Broadly: personal care, domestic tasks, community participation, skill building, transport, and health-related needs, which map roughly to NDIS funding categories.
Should I include future needs in my NDIS plan?
Yes, where relevant. If your condition is progressive or your circumstances are likely to change, build some flexibility into what you ask for.
What should I bring as evidence of my support needs?
Your week-tracking notes, records of conversations with family or professionals, and any existing reports or assessments.
