Can you get SDA if you're 65 or older?
By The Find My SDA Team · Reviewed by Bhav Singh, Licensed Estate Agent · Published 10 Sep 2026 · Updated 11 Sep 2026
Short answer
Yes, if you became an NDIS participant before your 65th birthday. You can stay on the NDIS after 65 and keep SDA in your plan. You can't apply to the NDIS for the first time once you are 65, and moving permanently into residential aged care for the first time after 65 means leaving the NDIS.
For SDA, the age that matters is how old you were when you applied to the NDIS. This guide covers the rules after 65 that end NDIS participation, and what they mean if you live in an SDA home or are close to your 65th birthday.
Who can apply to the NDIS
You must be younger than 65 on the day you apply to the NDIS. This is a legal requirement in the NDIS Act and it is the same for everyone, whatever your disability.
SDA is only funded through an NDIS plan. If you are 65 or older and not already a participant, you can't get SDA. Our guides on who is eligible for SDA and how to apply for SDA explain the steps for people who are under 65.
What happens to your plan when you turn 65
If you became a participant before your 65th birthday, you can stay on the NDIS. The NDIS says nothing changes if you choose to stay. Turning 65 does not end your plan or your SDA funding.
Your supports are still based on your needs. If your situation changes a lot, you can ask the NDIS for a plan reassessment, the same as before you turned 65.
When you have to leave the NDIS after 65
You have to leave the NDIS if you move permanently into a residential aged care facility for the first time after you turn 65. The NDIS says you leave on the same day you move in. You also have to leave if you are approved for aged care home services, such as Support at Home, on a permanent basis for the first time after 65.
This is a legal requirement, so there is no internal review and no cooling off period. Your plan ends and the NDIS stops funding your supports, including SDA. Living in your SDA home is not residential aged care, so staying where you are does not trigger this rule.
Leaving after 65 can't be undone
To come back to the NDIS you would have to apply again, and new applicants must be younger than 65. In practice, once you leave the NDIS after your 65th birthday, you can't rejoin.
For some people aged care is the better fit, for example when needs linked to ageing start to outweigh needs linked to disability. Make that choice knowing it is permanent.
Aged care from age 50
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be eligible for government funded aged care from age 50. So can people aged 50 or over who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. You still need an aged care assessment.
If you are under 65, you must be given the chance to look at other services before you start aged care. The NDIS rule about leaving applies to aged care that first starts after you turn 65. If you are an NDIS participant under 65 and thinking about aged care, talk to the NDIS before you start any service.
If you live in SDA and are getting close to 65
Talk to your support coordinator or your my NDIS contact before you make any change. They can explain how aged care eligibility works and help make sure your current needs are included if you have an aged care assessment.
If you want to compare options, you can ask for an aged care assessment through My Aged Care. Tell the NDIS before you start residential aged care or aged care home services, because starting either on a permanent basis for the first time after 65 ends your NDIS plan. Our guide to NDIS housing options covers the other home and living supports the NDIS funds.
Common questions
Does turning 65 end my SDA funding?
No. If you became an NDIS participant before 65, you can stay on the NDIS and your plan continues. SDA funding stops only if you leave the NDIS, for example by moving permanently into residential aged care for the first time after 65.
I'm 65 and not on the NDIS. Can I get SDA?
No. SDA is only funded through an NDIS plan, and you must be younger than 65 on the day you apply to the NDIS. My Aged Care is the place to ask about aged care support and housing.
Does living in an SDA home count as residential aged care?
No. SDA is disability housing funded through your NDIS plan. The rule that ends NDIS participation after 65 is about moving permanently into a residential aged care facility or starting permanent aged care home services.
Is there a cooling off period if I leave the NDIS for aged care after 65?
No. The NDIS says the cooling off period does not apply when you leave because you started aged care supports for the first time after 65, and there is no internal review.
Sources
We check the facts in this guide against these official sources before it goes live.
- NDIS - What are the age requirements (NDIS Act 2013 s22)
- NDIS - What is specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
- NDIS - Guide to leaving the NDIS
- NDIS - What is a plan reassessment
- NDIS Our Guidelines - Leaving the NDIS (home care); NDIS Act 2013 s29
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Guide to aged care law
- My Aged Care - Support for younger people in aged care
- National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 s29
This article is general information only, not advice. The NDIA decides who can access the NDIS and when a person stops being a participant, based on their circumstances. NDIS and aged care rules change, so check ndis.gov.au and myagedcare.gov.au, or speak with your support coordinator, before you make a decision.