Reasonable and necessary NDIS supports: what to check

Three things to know about ‘reasonable and necessary’

By Yooralla · Originally published 2 May 2019

People sitting at a table with notebooks during a discussion

How participants can check a proposed support before paying

Identify the actual assistance or item, why it relates to disability needs and how it will be used. Check whether it is an eligible NDIS support or requires agreed replacement approval. Separate ordinary costs from disability-related assistance and check your actual funding component.

Ask for useful evidence and a clear invoice breakdown. The funding criteria apply together; a provider’s confidence or your plan goal is not approval of every purchase.

Original article and dated context

Yooralla is a disability specialist with almost 100 years’ experience supporting people with disability. Yooralla’s free guide to prepare for the NDIS has more information about what supports are funded under the NDIS, and can help you to prepare for your NDIS planning meeting.
One important NDIS concept to understand during your transition to the NDIS is ‘reasonable and necessary’.
Read on to find out more.

1. What does reasonable and necessary mean?

The NDIS applies the ‘reasonable and necessary’ criteria to determine what supports will be funded in a NDIS plan.
__‘Reasonable’ __is something that is fair.
‘Necessary’ is something a person needs because of their disability.
A person’s reasonable and necessary supports aim to support them to:
  • be more independent (e.g. be able to travel on public transport by themselves)
  • get involved in the community (e.g. join a supporting club or get a job)
  • get the disability services they need (e.g. a disability support worker to help them shower in the morning or speech therapy to help them to communicate better)
  • get the equipment they need (e.g. a wheelchair and maintenance of it, or an iPad app to help with communication difficulties).

[Clickability update, October 2026: Communication support and a mainstream tablet are not automatically the same eligible purchase. Check the actual item and support rules. Certain replacement supports require written NDIA approval before purchase. Read the replacement-support process.]

A person’s reasonable and necessary supports will also take into account any informal supports (e.g. support from family) mainstream supports (e.g. support from your Doctor).

2. Why is reasonable and necessary important in the NDIS?

Reasonable and necessary is important to understand, because the NDIS will only fund supports that meet the ‘reasonable and necessary’ criteria.

3.  How can I tell if a support will be considered reasonable and necessary?

The NDIS applies ‘reasonable and necessary’ criteria to determine whether supports will be funded in a person’s NDIS plan. To be ‘reasonable and necessary’, supports must:
  • be identified in the person’s NDIS plan as helping them achieve their goals
  • be related to the person’s disability
  • help the person take part in the community, or to find paid work or volunteering work
  • not include day-to-day living costs not related to the person’s disability
  • represent value for money
  • be evidence-based
  • be beneficial to the person and be evidence-based (tried and tested), and
  • take into account informal family, carer and community support that is available to the person, for example the support you provide them as their carer.

Clickability editorial update: October 2026

Help describe need without promising the funding result

With permission, explain the assistance already being provided and the practical gap the proposed support addresses. Keep the participant’s preferences central. Check the approval route before buying an item and do not assume a plan manager can authorise a replacement support on the NDIA’s behalf.

Questions readers ask

Does a goal automatically make every related purchase eligible?

No. The relevant funding criteria and support rules still apply. Official guidance

Can I buy a replacement support and ask for approval afterwards?

Do not rely on retrospective approval. The replacement process requires written NDIA approval before purchase. Official guidance

Find help to organise suitable disability supports

Describe the assistance you need through Clickability. Compare coordination profiles and reviews and ask how a provider will help you understand the practical options and approval boundaries.

Find a support coordinator · Browse support coordination providers

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