Understanding NDIS Core vs Capacity Support
August 1, 2025 ·
Maximize the value of your plan budgets with practical examples of everyday support versus independence skill-building. “Core” and “Capacity Building” are two of the budget types you will see in an NDIS plan, and mixing them up can mean spending funding in a way your plan does not really support.
Core Supports: your everyday, flexible budget
Core Supports help with everyday activities and taking part in the community. This is generally the most flexible budget in a plan: in most cases you can move funding between the categories within it as your needs change, without asking the NDIA for approval first.
Examples include help with personal care, community participation, and everyday consumables. See the NDIS information on core supports for the official explanation.
Capacity Building: funding to build a specific skill
Capacity Building Supports are there to build your skills and independence, working towards specific goals in your plan. Funding in this budget is usually tied to a stated purpose, so unlike Core Supports, you generally cannot move it between categories or spend it on something else.
Examples include capacity building supports, support coordination, and therapy aimed at building a specific skill. See the NDIS information on capacity building supports for more detail.
A simple way to tell them apart
A useful question to ask is: is this support helping me do something today (more likely Core), or is it building a skill so I need less help with it over time (more likely Capacity Building)? If you are not sure how a support in your plan is categorised, your support coordinator, planner, or the NDIS guide to support budgets can help.
Getting the most from your plan
Understanding your budgets helps you plan ahead rather than running short before your plan is reviewed. Our support coordinators can help you understand what is in your plan and match it to services such as our NDIS services. See our NDIS funding page for how plan management options affect who pays your providers.
Want help understanding your own plan? Call 1300 782 227 or start your journey online and we will go through it with you.