NDIS quarterly report shows reassessment bottlenecks as scheme growth continues

New NDIA data shows the scheme reached 774,456 participants by the end of March 2026, while timeframes for plan changes and reassessments lagged well behind first-plan performance.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme continued to grow through the March 2026 quarter, but new official data suggests the agency is struggling more with reassessments

and plan changes for existing participants than with getting first plans in place.

The NDIA’s Q3 2025-26 quarterly reporting shows 774,456 people had approved NDIS plans as at 31 March 2026. That was a net increase of 13,014 participants since December 2025, with 18,530 people entering and receiving a plan during the quarter.

The same reporting shows the agency is still meeting most timeframes for first plans, with more than 96 per cent of participants receiving their first plan within Participant Service Guarantee timeframes. But performance drops sharply once participants need changes to an existing plan.

According to the NDIA’s published Participant Service Guarantee results for the March 2026 quarter, the agency started setting up a plan reassessment on time in 47 per cent of cases. It decided whether to do a participant-requested reassessment within timeframe in 29 per cent of cases, made changes to a plan on time in 39 per cent of cases, and completed reviews of decisions on time in 34 per cent of cases.

The agency says the number of participants seeking reassessment continues to be high, and has linked that demand to weaker performance in several review-related measures.

The quarterly report also shows cost pressure inside the scheme has not disappeared.

Average payments per participant increased by 3.0 per cent per annum over the past two years, while average plan budgets rose by 4.1 per cent per annum over the same period.

For participants who remained in the scheme from 31 March 2025 to 31 March 2026, the average plan budget rose from 82,500 dollars to 90,600 dollars, a 9.8 per cent increase.

That combination matters because the federal government is now trying to push through a broader NDIS overhaul aimed at slowing growth, tightening eligibility and changing how some supports are funded. The government introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 to Parliament on 14 May 2026, and the bill has been referred to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee for report by 16 June 2026.

Official participant guidance published alongside the reform package says some social, civic and community participation budgets will begin to be reset from 1 October 2026, while some tighter access settings are scheduled to begin from 1 January 2028.

The quarterly report also points to a more complicated picture than a simple savings narrative. The NDIA says community and social participation outcomes improved for participants who had been in the scheme for two years or more, with the overall rate for participants aged 15 and over rising from 34 per cent at baseline to 41 per cent at latest reassessment. But that still sits below the agency’s 2025-26 target of 43 per cent.

The report also shows the scheme remains heavily concentrated among children. Participation rates peak between ages five and seven, with about 10 per cent of children in that age group participating in the NDIS.

That is likely to sharpen attention on how the next stage of reform affects both reassessments for current participants and access settings for future entrants. The public fight over the overhaul has focused heavily on long-term sustainability. The March quarter data suggests another question is becoming harder to avoid: whether the system charged with reviewing and adjusting plans is already under enough strain to make the next round of changes more disruptive for participants.

What is confirmed

• The NDIS had 774,456 participants with approved plans at 31 March 2026.

• The net increase since December 2025 was 13,014 participants.

• More than 96 per cent of first plans were delivered within Participant Service Guarantee timeframes.

• Performance on several reassessment and plan-change measures was much lower, including 29 per cent for deciding whether to do a requested reassessment within timeframe.

• The government introduced its new NDIS reform bill on 14 May 2026.

  
  

Sources

• NDIA Q3 2025-26 actuarial presentation.

• NDIA quarterly reports page.

• Participant Service Guarantee page.

• Australian Government Health, Disability and Ageing reform overview.

• Parliament bill page for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.

• Participant FAQ on the reform timetable.