NDIS access guide
NDIS access decisions now take up to 90 days under the new rule
Updated Sep 2, 2026
Written and checked by Caroline M. Last checked September 2, 2026. Research and verification follow the QueueCheck editorial standards. How we verify information
The NDIS access clock changed on August 27, 2026. For access requests made from that date, the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act gives the NDIA up to 90 days instead of 21. The agency's current application page uses the same 90-day figure once the application and all supporting evidence are submitted.
Older NDIS pages and the June Participant Service Guarantee table still show 21 days, which makes the change easy to miss. For a new request, use the enacted Act and the current how-to-apply page. Also separate the day you first contacted the NDIS from the day your completed application and evidence were submitted, because those are not always the same starting point.
NDIS access decision official wait signal right now
OfficialNDIS access decision: for access requests made on or after August 27, 2026, the NDIA says it will decide eligibility within 90 days once the application and supporting evidence are submitted
Reader timelines are being collected for this service. The tracker page keeps the current official figure and what people who applied in your month are reporting.
Wait anxiety for NDIS access decision
Editorial score from official sources. Last checked 2 September 2026.
From first contact to an access decision
The 90-day rule applies to access requests made on or after August 27, 2026. Earlier requests remain subject to the rule that applied when they were made.
- 1Make contact and request access
- 2Gather and submit evidence of disability
- 3The NDIA assesses the complete request
- 4Access decision issued
- 5If refused: internal review
- 6If still refused: Administrative Review Tribunal
Make contact and request access
Day 0You contact the NDIA to make an access request, either by phone or by submitting an Access Request Form. At this point nothing is guaranteed to be running: what matters next is whether what you send is treated as complete.
Gather and submit evidence of disability
Weeks to months, and it is the usual bottleneckYou need evidence from treating professionals about your impairment, its permanence, and its functional impact. This stage is where most of the real waiting happens, because it depends on specialist appointments and report turnaround rather than on the NDIA. Sending a partial file to start the clock sooner tends to backfire, because an incomplete request does not start it.
The NDIA assesses the complete request
Up to 90 days for new requestsFor a request made from August 27, the statutory period is 90 days. The current application page describes that period as beginning once the application and all supporting evidence are submitted. If the agency says something is missing, ask it to identify the item and confirm the date it is using for the decision window.
Access decision issued
Within the 90-day windowYou are told either that you meet the access criteria, in which case planning begins, or that you do not. A decision that you do not meet the criteria is not the end of the process; it is the trigger for review rights with defined deadlines.
If refused: internal review
Request within 3 monthsYou have 3 months from receiving the decision to ask the NDIA for an internal review. This is a mandatory first step; you cannot go straight to the tribunal.
If still refused: Administrative Review Tribunal
Apply within 28 days of the internal review decisionAfter an internal review decision you have 28 days to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal, which may allow longer depending on circumstances. If the NDIA has not completed the internal review within 90 days of your request, the Tribunal may be able to review the decision without waiting.
What actually makes a request incomplete
The most common reason an access request stalls is evidence that does not answer the legal test. The NDIA is not asking whether you have a diagnosis; it is asking whether you have an impairment that is likely to be permanent and that substantially reduces your functional capacity in specified areas.
Reports that describe a condition in clinical terms but say little about what you can and cannot do day to day are the usual weak point. Evidence that speaks directly to functional impact, in the areas the scheme cares about, does more work than a longer stack of general medical history.
This is also why sending in a request early with whatever you have to hand tends not to help. The current NDIS page ties the 90 days to an application submitted with its supporting evidence, so a thin file can start a correspondence loop instead of producing a quick answer.
Permanence is a legal test, not a medical opinion about the future
Applicants often assume permanence means their condition can never change. In the scheme's framing the question is whether the impairment is likely to be permanent, including where all reasonably available treatments have been tried or considered and the impairment is expected to persist.
This distinction matters when a treating professional is reluctant to write the word permanent. What is usually needed is a clear statement of what has been tried, what the expected trajectory is, and what functional impact remains, rather than a prediction stated with false certainty.
A rejection is a stage, not a verdict
Access rejections are frequently overturned when better functional evidence is supplied, because many initial refusals turn on evidence that did not address the statutory test rather than on a judgement that the person is not disabled enough.
The deadlines are strict and worth writing down: 3 months to request an internal review from the date you receive the decision, then 28 days from the internal review decision to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal. You cannot skip the internal review. If the NDIA takes more than 90 days over the internal review, the Tribunal may be able to step in regardless.
Free support exists for the external stage. The NDIS Appeals Program can provide an advocate to help present your case at the Tribunal, and you have the right to advocacy or legal support. Nobody should be paying a private intermediary for access to that.
When the access process stalls
It has been close to 90 days with no decision
What helps
Ask the NDIA whether it has your completed application and supporting evidence, exactly what remains outstanding, and which date it is using for the 90-day period. Keep the answer in writing if possible.
You cannot get the specialist reports the NDIA wants
What helps
Ask precisely which functional areas the evidence must address, then take that list to your treating professionals. A GP who knows the specific functional domains required can often write a far more useful report than a specialist writing in general terms.
Your access request was refused
What helps
Note both deadlines immediately: 3 months for an internal review, then 28 days from that outcome for the Administrative Review Tribunal. Use the interval to obtain evidence that speaks to permanence and functional impact, which is what most successful reviews turn on.
The internal review itself is dragging on
What helps
If the NDIA has not completed the internal review within 90 days of your request, the Administrative Review Tribunal may be able to review the decision without waiting for the agency to finish. Ask about this rather than waiting indefinitely.
You are being charged for help with an appeal
What helps
Check the NDIS Appeals Program first, which funds advocacy support for external review, and disability advocacy organisations more generally. Paid assistance is not a requirement for exercising review rights.
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Share my NDIS access decision datesNDIS access decision timeline questions
How long does an NDIS access decision take?
For an access request made on or after August 27, 2026, the NDIA has up to 90 days. Its current application page says that period applies once the application and all supporting evidence are submitted. Requests made before August 27 were not moved into the new rule by the Act's transition clause.
Why do some NDIS pages still say 21 days?
The rule changed on August 27, 2026, and not every official page was updated at once. The current how-to-apply page says 90 days, and Act No. 66 of 2026 makes the same change for new access requests. The older 21-day figure still matters to requests made before commencement.
What does permanent impairment mean for the NDIS?
It refers to an impairment likely to be permanent, including where reasonably available treatments have been tried or considered and the impairment is expected to persist. It is a legal test about likely persistence and functional impact, not a demand that a clinician promise a condition can never improve.
How do I appeal an NDIS rejection?
First request an internal review from the NDIA, within 3 months of receiving the decision. If the internal review outcome is still unfavourable, you have 28 days to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal, which may allow longer in some circumstances. You cannot apply to the Tribunal without first seeking an internal review.
Can I get help with an appeal without paying for it?
Yes. The NDIS Appeals Program can provide an advocate to help present your case at the Administrative Review Tribunal, and you have the right to advocacy or legal support. Check this before engaging any paid service.
Does a diagnosis guarantee access?
No. The scheme's test is about impairment, likely permanence, and substantially reduced functional capacity, not about holding a particular diagnosis. Evidence describing what you can and cannot do day to day generally carries more weight than clinical history alone.