When you first look at your NDIS plan, it can feel like a completely new language. Between Core, Capital, and Capacity Building, knowing how, where, and when to use your funding isn’t easy.
If your plan includes therapy, plan management, support coordination, or learning new workplace skills, all of that funding comes out of one specific bucket: your Capacity Building Support budget.
Unlike other supports, Capacity Building funding is structured and rule-based. Navigating these rules successfully means understanding each sub-category, how pricing works, and how to maximise your allocation to build long-term independence.
What is Capacity Building Support Under the NDIS?
The NDIS has three main funding categories: Core (daily functional needs), Capital (equipment or home modifications), and Capacity Building.
Capacity Building funding is designed to help you build skills, increase independence, and work towards your long-term goals.
The key difference: Core funding pays someone to do a task for you, while Capacity Building pays for training and professionals to teach you to do it yourself. Because it’s skill-focused, much of this funding is time-limited.
The long-term objective is simple: As your skills grow, your reliance on formal, ongoing paid support naturally decreases.
The Key Rule You Need to Know
In your Core budget, you can move money around across sub-categories if your daily needs change.
Capacity Building does not work that way.
Every sub-category within this budget is strictly “stated.” This means the money allocated to one specific area cannot be transferred to another. For example, if you have excess funds in your “Improved Life Choices” (plan management), you cannot use that money to pay for a speech therapy session under “Improved Daily Living.” Knowing these boundaries in advance prevents unexpected, out-of-pocket expenses when invoices are processed.
The 9 NDIS Capacity Building Sub-Categories
NDIS Capacity Building Support is divided into 9 areas. Your plan may include only a few of these depending on your goals.
1. Support Coordination
This funding is allocated to help you understand, implement, and manage your NDIS plan. A Support Coordinator works with you to navigate the provider landscape, establish service agreements, and build your confidence so that you can eventually coordinate your own services if you choose to.
2. Improved Living Arrangements
This category funds targeted assistance to guide you through rental applications, navigate local tenancy obligations, manage relations with landlords, or undergo supported housing inspections.
3. Increased Social and Community Participation
This sub-category focuses on building the foundational skills needed to join community groups, participate in sports teams, engage in creative hobby classes, and build a lasting, independent social network.
4. Finding and Keeping a Job
Whether you are transitioning out of high school or looking to re-enter the workforce, this category funds employment supports. This includes career planning, workplace skills development, resume building, interview preparation, and specialised on-the-job training.
5. Improved Relationships
This allocation focuses on developing positive social interactions and community connections. It primarily funds the development of evidence-based Positive Behaviour Support plans and targeted speech or behavioural therapy aimed at reducing challenging behaviours, while expanding social skills.
6. Improved Health and Well-being
Disability-related health goals are supported here. This funding covers professional dietary advice or physical training plans designed to maintain or improve your functional mobility and overall physical well-being.
7. Improved Learning:
If you are moving from high school into higher education, this category provides practical support. It covers transition planning, specialised academic tutoring, and study skill development for TAFE, university, or certified short courses.
8. Improved Life Choices
This is where your Plan Management funding lives. It pays for a professional plan manager to look after your budget, process invoices from your providers, and take care of the financial reporting side of your NDIS plan. It can also cover training to help you learn how to self-manage your funds.
9. Improved Daily Living
This is often the largest allocation in a participant’s budget because this is where your essential therapy funding sits. Many families expect therapy to be under “Health and Wellbeing,” but the NDIS structure places developmental and therapeutic services right here. It funds occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, psychology, and specialised nursing care aimed at boosting your everyday functional skills.
What are the Current NDIS Capacity Building Price Limits?
The NDIA sets strict maximum hourly rates that registered providers can charge for these services. These price ceilings ensure sustainability across the scheme while giving participants a clear framework for budgeting.
The rates vary depending on your location. The NDIS classifies regions into standard metropolitan areas, Remote (MM 6), and Very Remote (MM 7) based on the Modified Monash Model.
Current NDIS Capacity Building Price Limits (2025-26)
The following table outlines the current maximum price limits across the core sub-categories as defined in the official NDIS Pricing Arrangements:
| Sub-Category / Support Item | Metro Max (Per Hour) | Remote Max (Per Hour) | Very Remote Max (Per Hour) |
| Support Coordination (Level 2) | $100.14 | $140.19 | $150.21 |
| Specialist Support Coordination (Level 3) | $190.54 | $266.75 | $285.80 |
| Psychosocial Recovery Coaching | $105.43 | $147.60 | $158.15 |
| Improved Living Arrangements (Tenancy Support) | $80.06 | $112.08 | $120.09 |
| Increased Social & Community Participation | $80.06 | $112.08 | $120.09 |
| Employment Coaching / Finding a Job | $80.06 | $112.08 | $120.09 |
| Improved Relationships (Specialist Behaviour Support) | $232.99 | $326.19 | $349.49 |
| Improved Health & Wellbeing (Dietitian) | $188.99 | $264.59 | $283.49 |
| Improved Learning (Transition Support) | $80.06 | $112.08 | $120.09 |
| Improved Daily Living (OT, Speech, Psychology) | $193.99 | $271.59 | $290.99 |
Note: Plan Management (Improved Life Choices) is a fixed monthly administration fee of $104.45/ per month, applied nationally. The 2025-26 pricing schedule does not list a separate remote/very remote rate or one-off setup fee for this item.
How Can You Maximise Your Budget Rules Effectively?
Getting the most out of your budget comes down to careful planning and choosing the right team. Because you cannot shift money between these 9 categories, you need to set up highly clear service agreements with your providers early in your plan’s lifecycle.
- Audit Your Stated Allocations: Look closely at your current plan to see exactly which of the 9 sub-categories have active funds.
- Prioritise Goal-Aligned Therapy: Work with your therapists under Improved Daily Living to focus on functional outcomes that build long-term independence.
- Keep Regular Tabs on Invoices: Ensure your plan manager or coordinator tracks your spending pace so you don’t run out of funds mid-plan.
Your Partners in Building True Independence
At Cam Can, we specialise in tailoring disability support solutions that put your choices, family dynamics, and unique personal goals at the center of everything we do.
If you are looking for an experienced, deeply supportive team to help walk you through your funding journey and manage your disability support needs, we are here to assist.
Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you turn your NDIS plan into a practical pathway toward long-term independence.
