Eligibility, applying and funding
These guides follow the path to SDA funding: who can be eligible, how to ask the NDIA for it, how long decisions take, what the funding pays for, and what you can do if the answer is no.
Start hereAm I eligible for SDA? NDIS SDA eligibility explainedSDA is funded for a small number of NDIS participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. Learn how SDA eligibility works, what evidence helps, and what to do if SDA is not in your plan yet.More in this topic
How SDA funding works: NDIS SDA payments explainedSDA funding pays for the specially designed home, is paid to the SDA provider, and sits alongside a reasonable rent contribution. Learn what SDA funding covers, what you pay, and what sets the amount.How to apply for SDA: getting SDA funding in your NDIS planSDA is funded through your NDIS plan, not applied for separately. Learn the practical steps to request SDA, the evidence that helps, and what happens after you ask, explained in plain language.What to do if your SDA request is rejectedRefused SDA by the NDIA? Read the reasons, ask for an internal review within 3 months, apply to the Tribunal with no application fee, and find free advocacy in SA.Can you own a home and still get SDA?What the NDIA checks if you already own a home, how a family-owned house can be enrolled as SDA, and the home modification rule that can block enrolment.How long does SDA approval take?How long SDA approval takes: the NDIA's legal decision timeframes for plan variations and reassessments, what changed on 27 August 2026, and review rights.Can you get SDA if you're 65 or older?You can keep SDA after 65 if you joined the NDIS before your 65th birthday. Here is what changes if you move into residential aged care or start Support at Home.Does SDA funding cover home modifications?SDA funding pays for an enrolled SDA home, not for changes to the home you live in now. Here is how NDIS home modification funding works instead.