A lot is going around in support worker groups about hours being cut. Some of it is true, some of it is not. Let us separate the two.
WHAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED
The government published guidance on 15 July 2026 setting out a proposed reduction to participant budgets:
- Social, civic and community participation budgets: reduced by 50%
- Capacity building daily activity budgets: reduced by 10%
- Proposed start: 1 October 2026
- Applied progressively, as each plan is renewed or reassessed, over roughly 12 months
Critical daily living supports and continuous 24/7 supports are listed as excluded from the reduction.
IS THIS LAW YET?
No. The amendments were agreed to in the House of Representatives on 1 July 2026, but the Senate inquiry has been extended to 14 August 2026. Until that process finishes, none of this is a legal obligation.
We will update this page as decisions are made.
WHAT THIS IS NOT
This is the part causing the most confusion.
It is not a cut to NDIS price limits. The maximum prices stay the same. If you charge $73.58 an hour for a weekday shift, you still charge $73.58 an hour.
What is being proposed is a reduction in the amount allocated in the participant's plan for that category. The hourly price does not change. What may change is how many hours a participant can fund.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU IN PRACTICE
If most of your work is community access, it is worth preparing for three things.
1. Fewer hours per participant, gradually. This does not happen overnight. It follows each plan renewal, so the impact lands at a different time for every client.
2. More conversations about money. Some participants will ask you to stretch the budget. That usually turns into a request for a discount, unbilled hours, or a note that is not quite accurate. Decide where your line is now, before you are in the middle of that conversation.
3. More competition for hours. If the pool shrinks, the relationship you have built and the quality of your records start to carry more weight in a participant's decision.
WHAT TO DO OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
Know when each plan ends. Write down the renewal date for every client. That date determines when the change reaches them, if it goes ahead.
Check your service agreements. Look at whether yours describes fixed hours or hours subject to available funding. The second gives everyone more room to move.
Do not change your prices without a conversation. Any change to your rates needs to be discussed with the participant before it takes effect.
Keep your records up to date. When budgets tighten, the record of what was done and why it was needed is what supports the case for continuing.
WHERE WE STAND
We are not going to pretend we know the outcome. The process is still running, and anyone telling you it is definitely a 50% cut is going further than the facts allow.
What you can do now is stay organised, know your plan dates, and keep clear records.
Official source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, changes to the NDIS.