How long does SDA approval take?
By The Find My SDA Team · Reviewed by Bhav Singh, Licensed Estate Agent · Published 11 Sep 2026 · Updated 15 Sep 2026
Short answer
There is no single timeframe for SDA approval, because gathering evidence takes as long as it takes. Once the NDIA has your request, the law gives it 21 days to decide a plan variation request or tell you it needs more time. For a plan reassessment request that meets the conditions for one, it has 90 days to decide whether to reassess.
SDA funding gets into your NDIS plan through a change to your plan, so the wait follows the NDIA's rules for changing plans. Those rules set firm decision periods, and the period for plan reassessment requests got longer on 27 August 2026. Below is what the law says, where the time goes, and what you can do if you disagree with the decision. If you haven't started yet, read how to apply for SDA first.
What decides how long SDA approval takes?
Two things set the pace. First, you need evidence. The NDIS needs evidence from your treating health professionals, such as an occupational therapist, before it can include home and living supports like SDA in your plan. Second, the NDIA needs time to decide once your request is in, and that part has timeframes set by law.
The NDIS doesn't publish a typical time for gathering evidence. It depends on how soon you can book assessments and get reports back, so book those appointments early.
What evidence does the NDIS need first?
When you ask for home and living supports for the first time, the NDIS says your evidence needs to explain your daily support and housing needs, including how often and when you need support each day. It also needs to cover what you can and can't do because of your disability, how that affects your daily life and housing needs, and what other home and living options you've explored and why they don't meet your disability-related support needs.
Evidence should be recent and come from a relevant treating health professional. For a plan reassessment request, the NDIS says recent usually means within 4 months of the date you ask, and after your current plan was approved. It can't include home and living supports in your plan without the correct evidence.
How long does the NDIA have to decide a plan variation?
A plan variation changes part of your current plan. Under section 47A of the NDIS Act 2013, when you ask for a variation the NDIA must, within 21 days of receiving your request, vary the plan, decide not to vary it, or tell you it needs more time. If it does none of these within 21 days, it is taken to have decided not to vary your plan, and that decision is reviewed automatically.
When the NDIA says it needs more time, the Act doesn't give a set number of days. It must decide within any period set by the NDIS rules or, where there is none, as soon as reasonably practicable. You get a copy of a varied plan within 7 days of the variation taking effect.
How long does the NDIA have to decide a plan reassessment request?
A plan reassessment is for when you need a new plan with different supports because your situation has changed significantly. From 27 August 2026, the NDIA has 90 days from receiving a reassessment request to decide whether to vary your plan, reassess it, or not reassess it. Before that date the period was 21 days. The change came from the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026.
No decision within 90 days means the NDIA is taken to have decided not to reassess your plan, and that decision is reviewed automatically. The 90 days only covers deciding whether to reassess. Doing the reassessment is a separate step, and the NDIS says it sends your new plan within 7 days of it being approved.
You can keep using your current plan while the NDIA decides whether to reassess it.
Who can ask for a plan reassessment?
Since 27 August 2026, only you, your plan nominee or your child representative can ask. The NDIS says you can't give consent for someone else, like a provider, to ask for you. Your my NDIS contact can help you gather the information and evidence.
The request has to be on the NDIS plan reassessment request form and include evidence of a significant and ongoing change, for example to your ability to do daily activities or to your living arrangements, education, work or help from others. You can ask for a plan variation at any time using the plan variation request form.
What if you disagree with the decision?
You can ask for an internal review of a decision you don't agree with, including a decision not to include SDA. Section 100 of the NDIS Act says you must ask within 3 months after receiving the written notice of the decision, and nobody who was involved in the original decision can do the review.
The NDIS aims to complete internal reviews within 60 days, and you can send new evidence with your request. If you still disagree after the internal review, the NDIS says you have 28 days to ask for an external review. Our guide on what to do if your SDA request is rejected goes through each step.
What happens once SDA is in your plan?
When home and living supports are included, the NDIS invites you to a plan meeting with an NDIA planner, who explains how your plan was created or changed. SDA is the housing itself. You pay a reasonable rent contribution and other day-to-day living costs, such as electricity bills.
Finding a home that matches your funded design category is a separate step with its own wait. Our guides on SDA waitlists and moving into an SDA home cover that part.
Common questions
Can I keep using my current plan while I wait?
Yes. The NDIS says you can keep using your current plan while it decides whether to reassess it.
What happens if the NDIA misses the deadline?
For a variation request, if the NDIA does nothing within 21 days it is taken to have decided not to vary your plan. For a reassessment request, no decision within 90 days counts as a decision not to reassess. In both cases the NDIS Act says that decision is reviewed automatically.
Can a provider ask for a plan reassessment for me?
No. Only you, your plan nominee or your child representative can make the request, and the NDIS says you can't give consent for someone else, like a provider, to ask. Your my NDIS contact can help you get the evidence together.
How recent does my evidence need to be?
For a plan reassessment request, the NDIS says recent evidence usually means within 4 months of the date you ask, and after your current plan was approved.
How long do I have to ask for an internal review?
You need to ask within 3 months of receiving the decision. The NDIS aims to finish internal reviews within 60 days.
Sources
We check the facts in this guide against these official sources before it goes live.
- NDIS Act 2013 s 47A(4), compilation 27 Aug 2026
- NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026, Sch 1 Pt 2 item 19; commencement table item 2; NDIS Act s 48(3)
- NDIS Act s 48(2)(b); ndis.gov.au What is a plan reassessment (current as of 28 Aug 2026)
- ndis.gov.au What is a plan variation (28 Aug 2026)
- ndis.gov.au How to request a review of a decision (current as of 27 Jul 2026, read via web.archive.org)
- ndis.gov.au How to ask for home and living supports (3 May 2026) and Requesting home and living supports
- ndis.gov.au Requesting home and living supports
- ndis.gov.au What is SDA (1 Jul 2026)
This guide is general information only and is subject to change. It is not legal or personal advice and does not guarantee an outcome. The NDIA makes all SDA funding decisions, and the rules for plan reassessments changed on 27 August 2026, so check the current process with the NDIS, your planner or your support coordinator before you act.