An easy-to-understand guide to NDIS travel support - for travellers, families, coordinators and plan managers.
There’s a lot of confusion about what the NDIS will and won’t fund when someone wants to travel. Some of it comes down to the rules being genuinely complex. Some comes from guidance that’s been misunderstood or passed on incorrectly. And some of it comes from the fact that things have changed, and it’s difficult to keep up.
This article sets out what’s true – clearly, accurately, and in a way that’s easy to understand.
The NDIS doesn’t fund holidays, but it may fund the support you need during one
This is the distinction that clears up most of the confusion, so it’s worth stating first.
The NDIS does not pay for holidays. flights, accommodation, meals, transport, activities – those are the traveller’s costs to cover, the same as anyone else planning a trip.
What the NDIS may fund are the disability-related supports a traveller needs while they’re away, that they’d receive at home:
- personal care
- daily living assistance
- community participation support
The logic is simple: a traveller’s disability doesn’t go away because they’re on holiday. If someone needs help getting dressed on a Tuesday at home, they still need that same help on a Tuesday in Far North Queensland. Their support needs travel with them.
Supports that may be funded during travel
Depending on the traveller’s NDIS plan and goals:
- Personal care and daily living support
- Community participation support – assistance to engage in social, recreational, or community activities
- Support worker hours required because of the traveller’s disability-related needs
- Skill building and development
Supports that are not funded
- Flights, transport costs
- Accommodation and meals
- Tourism expenses, entry fees, or holiday activities
- Support workers’ personal travel costs
Funding periods: what changed in May 2025 and why it matters for travel
From 19 May 2025, the NDIA introduced funding periods to all new and reassessed NDIS plans. This is one of the more significant changes recently, and it has real practical implications for anyone planning to travel.
Previously, most travellers could access their full plan budget from day one. Under the new system, that budget is released in regular portions – called funding periods – across the life of the plan. The funding periods are usually released in quarterly blocks. The total funding amount doesn’t change; only when it becomes available does.
Key facts about funding periods
- Applies to all new and reassessed plans from 19 May 2025. Existing plans aren’t affected until reassessment
- Periods are usually three months (quarterly). Some funding components may be monthly
- Unspent funds within a period roll over to the next period within the same plan
- Unspent funds at the end of a plan go back to the NDIA – they don’t carry over to a new plan
- The NDIA won’t release funding ahead of schedule just because a traveller has run out. Evidence of exceptional need must be provided.
How funding periods affect travel support
For travel, this means one thing above all else: the support hours needed for a trip have to be available in the funding period that covers the travel dates. You can’t draw on last quarter’s budget to cover a trip happening this quarter.
Before any travel booking is confirmed, it’s worth checking which funding period covers the travel dates, confirming the required support hours are available within that period, and making sure other services running at the same time won’t use up those funds.
Raising travel plans at the next plan review is also worth doing early, so future plans reflect the traveller’s goals.
Cancellation rules: the 7-day notice period explained
Before heading off on a supported holiday, it’s important to pause any regular ongoing services that won’t be used while away – things like weekly support worker visits, therapy sessions, or other scheduled supports. Giving the right notice to each provider avoids being charged for sessions that weren’t attended.
This is separate from any cancellation terms that apply to the holiday booking itself, which will vary depending on the provider and may involve longer notice periods due to supplier commitments like flights, accommodation, activities (not NDIS funded). The guidance below relates specifically to those individual support sessions.
Under the NDIS pricing rules, a cancellation is considered short notice if it’s made less than 7 clear days before the scheduled support. “Clear days” means you don’t count the day you give notice or the day of the service itself. So if a session is booked for Wednesday, notice needs to be given the previous Tuesday at the latest. As a general rule, give notice as soon as travel is confirmed rather than leaving it to the week before departure.
For therapy and other non-support-worker services such as physiotherapy or occupational therapy, the notice period is 2 clear business days. Some service agreements may specify a shorter notice period than the maximum – that shorter period would apply.
Service agreements: what the law requires
Service agreements for individual support sessions are contracts. Like all contracts in Australia, they’re covered by Australian Consumer Law. That applies to every NDIS provider, registered or not.
Put simply, providers can’t put whatever they like in a service agreement and expect it to hold up. If a clause is unfair under Australian Consumer Law, it’s void and cannot be enforced, even if the traveller has signed it.
Before travel, it’s worth checking that all service agreements for your individual support sessions are current, that cancellation terms are clearly set out, and that an agreement is in place before the holiday starts. If anything looks unclear or out of date, a plan manager or support coordinator can help sort it out.
About Leisure Options
Leisure Options is Australia’s leading disability travel agency. We’ve been helping people with disability travel safely, confidently and with the right level of support for over 30 years. As a nationally registered NDIS provider, we understand how the funding works from the inside.
If you’re a coordinator, plan manager, traveller, or family member trying to work out how NDIS travel support applies to your situation, we’re happy to help. Contact us online or call 1300 363 713.
Frequently asked questions
Does the NDIS fund holidays?
No. The NDIS does not pay for holidays – not flights, accommodation, meals, transport or activities. It may fund the disability-related supports a traveller needs while on a holiday, such as personal care or community participation support. Support needs don’t change just because someone is travelling.
What does the NDIS fund during travel?
Personal care, daily living support, community participation and skill-building supports may all be funded during a trip, provided they’re in the traveller’s NDIS plan, linked to their goals, and reasonable and necessary. The cost of the holiday itself is paid separately by the traveller.
How do funding periods affect travel planning?
Since 19 May 2025, new and reassessed plans release funding quarterly rather than all at once. The support hours for a trip need to be available in the specific funding period covering the travel dates – you can’t use funds from a previous period. Confirm the timing with your plan manager before booking.
How much notice is needed to cancel NDIS services before travel?
At least 7 clear days for most disability support worker services. Clear days exclude the day you give notice and the day of the service. For therapy services, the notice period is 2 clear business days. Give notice as soon as your travel dates are confirmed – not the week before departure.
Do NDIS service agreements have to comply with Australian Consumer Law?
Yes. All agreements with registered and unregistered providers have to comply with Australian Consumer Law. If a clause is found to be unfair under Australian Consumer Law, it’s void and cannot be enforced even if the agreement has been signed.
The information in this article is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication, 10 June 2026. NDIS rules, pricing arrangements and policies are updated regularly — if you have questions about your specific situation or want to check current guidelines, we recommend speaking with your support coordinator or plan manager, or visiting ndis.gov.au