SDA funding after 1 October 2026: what the NDIS reset does, and does not, change
Specialist Disability Accommodation funding is not part of the 1 October 2026 NDIS funding reset for social, economic and community participation supports and improved daily living skills supports. Keep designing and certifying against the published SDA Design Standard. The Design Standard review is a separate track. Provisional and as-built certification are set out on SDA Design Standard certification.
Tell the board, in three sentences. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing lists Specialist Disability Accommodation among critical supports that are not impacted by the 1 October 2026 funding reset. New-build certification still follows the published SDA Design Standard (Edition 1.1 for post-1 July 2021 new builds) until the NDIA publishes a replacement and transition rules. The October reset is not a reason, on its own, to pause provisional or as-built certification.
What changed on 1 October 2026, and what did not
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing funding-changes page states that, from 1 October 2026, funding for some NDIS supports is reduced when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed. The published reductions are 50 per cent for social, economic and community participation supports, and 10 per cent for improved daily living skills supports. The change is staged. Participants see it when their plan is created, reassessed or renewed, with the rollout described through to 30 September 2027. Confirm the live Health.gov.au page and the NDIS "Securing the NDIS for future generations" overview on the day you brief a board. This page does not set price limits.
The same Department material lists critical supports that are not impacted. Specialist Disability Accommodation is on that list, with other supports such as supported independent living, specialist disability accommodation-related home and living supports as published, and disability-related health supports as named on the page. SDA payments to a registered provider for an enrolled dwelling are not the social-participation line item that the reset cuts.
Participant plan messaging and dwelling revenue are different conversations. A participant whose plan is reassessed may see reduced funding in the named support groups. That is not the same statement as "SDA funding has been cut". Do not invent a dollar change to SDA price limits from the reset.
Do not conflate the funding reset with the Design Standard review
| Track | Status to confirm on the day you rely on it | Action for projects |
|---|---|---|
| NDIS plan funding reset for social, economic and community participation supports, and improved daily living skills supports | Enacted from 1 October 2026, applied when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed | SDA is listed as not impacted. Continue provider planning. Separate participant plan advice from dwelling enrolment. |
| SDA Design Standard review toward Edition 2.0 | NDIA review, with a technical working group. Recommendations are not a substitute Standard until the NDIA publishes one. | Design and certify to the published edition in force. Do not invent grandfathering from review rumours. |
The NDIA has published a review of the SDA Design Standard. Consultation ran in late 2025. That review is not the funding determination. Until the NDIA publishes a new Standard and transition rules, new-build certification follows the published Design Standard. Edition 1.1 (25 October 2019) remains the published Standard for post-1 July 2021 new builds. Check the NDIS Design Standards page before you date a drawing set.
What still applies to SDA certification
New-build enrolment still needs Design Standard certification by an accredited third-party SDA assessor at design stage and again when the dwelling is built. The four design categories remain Improved Liveability, Robust, Fully Accessible and High Physical Support. The assessor lodges the certificate and assessment documents. Only the registered provider enrols the dwelling. Certification is not enrolment.
The assessor must be independent of the provider, developer and owner. Gary Finn of Sydney Access Consultants is listed as accredited SDA assessor SDA00039. An assessor cannot certify a dwelling the same firm designed. If Sydney Access Consultants is preparing design documentation, certification is commissioned from an independent assessor, and the other way around. That split is set out on SDA design documentation.
Practical checklist for this quarter
- Confirm participant plan messaging separately from dwelling enrolment. The reset and SDA payments are different lines.
- Keep an independent accredited assessor engaged for provisional design certification and for final as-built certification.
- Date the Design Standard edition on the drawings. Do not annotate "Edition 2.0" as if it were in force.
- Do not invent grandfathering, price-limit changes, or a pause rule from review commentary.
- Choose certification or design documentation support. Do not ask the same firm to do both on the same dwelling.
- Keep the NCC and Premises Standards access report for council or the certifier on its own path. It is not Design Standard certification.
NCC access reports are a different product
A disability access report for a development application or construction certificate tests the Premises Standards and NCC access provisions. In NSW that is NCC 2022 Amendment 2 until 1 May 2027, with the Premises Standards referencing AS 1428.1:2021 from 29 July 2025. That report does not enrol an SDA dwelling. Livable housing and AS 4299 adaptable housing are different pathways again. Use SDA, livable and adaptable housing, livable housing assessments and adaptable housing to choose the product. Council and certifier reports are on DA and CC access reports.
How Sydney Access Consultants helps
Sydney Access Consultants provides independent SDA Design Standard certification through Gary Finn, accredited assessor SDA00039, or design documentation support when the firm is not the assessor. The practice office is in Hurstville, with work concentrated on Cronulla, the Sutherland Shire and Georges River. Call (02) 9586 3111. Category questions are also covered in the SDA Design Standard FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
Did the 1 October 2026 NDIS funding changes cut Specialist Disability Accommodation?
No. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing states that the reset applies to social, economic and community participation supports and improved daily living skills supports. Specialist Disability Accommodation is listed among critical supports that are not impacted. Confirm the live Health.gov.au page on the day you publish or brief a client.
Which plan supports are reduced, and when do participants see the change?
The published reductions are 50 per cent for social, economic and community participation supports and 10 per cent for improved daily living skills supports, applied when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed, on a staged rollout. That is not an SDA price-limit change.
Is the SDA Design Standard review the same as the funding reset?
No. The funding reset is a plan-support determination for named support groups. The Design Standard review is a separate NDIA track toward Edition 2.0 recommendations. Until the NDIA publishes a new Standard and transition rules, new-build certification follows the published Design Standard in force.
Should providers pause provisional or as-built certification because of the reset?
Not on the basis of the funding reset alone. Keep the independent accredited assessor engaged, document to the published Design Standard, and treat Edition 2.0 rumours separately from plan-support messaging.
What should architects and developers commission now for NSW SDA dwellings in design?
Commission either independent Design Standard certification or design documentation support, not both from the same firm, and commission the NCC and Premises Standards access report the consent or certifier requires. State the Design Standard edition on the drawings.
How does SDA funding differ from an NCC access report?
SDA funding is an NDIS payment stream for enrolled dwellings that meet the Design Standard and the provider rules. An NCC access report is evidence for a council or certifier that the building meets Premises Standards and NCC access provisions. One does not replace the other.