Key points

  • New framework planning, the centrepiece of the 2023 NDIS Review's recommendations, will now start on 1 April 2027 rather than mid-2026.
  • The support needs assessment tool is I-CAN version 6, developed with the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies. It is designed for participants aged 16 and over; an approach for children is still being developed.
  • Testing is happening in phases: 30 simulated assessments, a second phase from March 2026, and further testing from July to December 2026. Applications to help test closed on 14 September 2026.
  • Once live, all participants are expected to move to the new planning approach over about five years.

On 22 April 2026 the NDIA announced it needed more time to consult and test before switching on the new way of planning. For participants that means another year of the current process, and more time to understand what a "support needs assessment" will actually involve.

What new framework planning is

The 2023 Independent Review recommended replacing line-by-line plans built on individual therapy reports with a standardised assessment of a person's support needs, leading to a flexible whole-of-plan budget. The 2024 Act created the legal framework; the NDIA has been building the tools since. The idea is that two people with similar needs in similar circumstances should receive similar budgets, regardless of how good their reports are.

The I-CAN tool

I-CAN (Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs) has been used in Australian disability services for more than a decade. Version 6 has been adapted for the NDIS. An assessor talks with the participant and the people who know them best about everyday life: health, communication, mobility, learning, home life, community, behaviour and relationships. It focuses on what support a person needs, not on diagnosis or deficits.

The NDIA has said assessments will be free, conducted by trained assessors rather than your own therapists, and that participants will be able to bring a family member, advocate or support person.

Why the delay matters

  • Children: the tool is built for people 16 and over. The approach for younger participants, which will also be used for the children's eligibility changes from 1 January 2028, is still being designed by a technical advisory group.
  • Budgets: the 1 October 2026 budget reset is happening before the new assessments. Advocates have pointed out that reductions are being applied using the old planning process.
  • Plan management funding: under the new model, plan management funding will be added separately from the support needs assessment, which ties into the commissioned plan management panel due on 1 October 2027.

What participants can do now

  1. Keep a simple record of a typical week: what help you need, when, and what happens without it. This is exactly what an I-CAN conversation covers.
  2. Ask therapists to write reports in functional language, describing tasks and the support required rather than only test scores.
  3. Follow the NDIA's "new way of planning" page for consultation opportunities. Senator McAllister has said participants are "shaping" the design.
  4. Talk to your support coordinator or to us about preparing for your next plan under the current rules, which will apply at least until April 2027.

Sources

General information current at 15 September 2026. Dates may change as the NDIA completes testing.