Money arrives in funding periods
A plan's funding is released in funding periods that run back to back from the day the plan starts, none longer than 12 months.
NDIS Act 2013, section 33 (funding periods) — legislation.gov.auFree tool · runs in your browser
An NDIS budget, period by period.
Enter a plan’s budget, its funding periods as the plan states them, and the support you plan to deliver. See what each period releases, what rolls forward into the next, the first day the money runs short — and what the plan will have left at its end.
Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Rolls forward
Period 1 leaves $1,696.00
It's added to period 2, which starts with $11,696.00 available.
Runs short
Period 4: short by $880.00
From 24 October 2027, the support planned outruns the money released.
The whole plan
$40,880.00 of $40,000.00
$784.00 a week of support, over 52.1 weeks.
From the invented example plan below.
The calculator
The plan, the periods, and the support you plan.
Change a figure and every period changes with it. Each period's amount comes from the plan — the calculator never splits the total for you.
General information, not financial or planning advice. The participant's plan is the authority — copy each funding period's amount from it.
The plan
An invented example — type over itCopy each period’s amount from the plan. Leave them all empty to count the whole plan as available from the start.
- Period 1: 1 Nov 2026 – 31 Jan 2027
- Period 2: 1 Feb 2027 – 30 Apr 2027
- Period 3: 1 May 2027 – 31 July 2027
- Period 4: 1 Aug 2027 – 31 Oct 2027
The support you plan to deliver
Your price and hours a week — or a set amount a week for anything else.
What the plan can carry
The support you entered runs past the money released from 24 Oct 2027, in period 4 — short by $880.00 by the period’s end.
- Support entered
- $784.00 a week
- Over the plan (52.1 weeks)
- $40,880.00
| Period | Released | Available | Planned | Left, or short |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 1 Nov 2026 – 31 Jan 2027 | $12,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $10,304.00 | $1,696.00 rolls on |
| 2. 1 Feb 2027 – 30 Apr 2027 | $10,000.00 | $11,696.00 | $9,968.00 | $1,728.00 rolls on |
| 3. 1 May 2027 – 31 July 2027 | $9,000.00 | $10,728.00 | $10,304.00 | $424.00 rolls on |
| 4. 1 Aug 2027 – 31 Oct 2027 | $9,000.00 | $9,424.00 | $10,304.00 | short $880.00 |
- Available is what was released for the period plus what was left over before it — unspent money rolls forward within the plan.
The rules it follows
How funding periods actually work.
Straight from the NDIS Act and the NDIA — the arithmetic above follows each of these.
Usually three months at a time
The NDIA usually sets three-month periods, and sets their length and amounts to the participant's needs and circumstances.
Changes to NDIS funding periods, 19 May 2025 — NDIAThe plan says how much each period gets
Periods don't have to get equal shares: the plan states each one. That's why this calculator asks for each period's amount, and never splits the total for you.
NDIS Act 2013, section 33 (funding periods) — legislation.gov.auWhat's left rolls forward
Whatever goes unspent in one period is added to the next, so money left over builds up across the plan instead of disappearing at the end of a period.
NDIS Act 2013, section 33 (funding periods) — legislation.gov.auPeriods change when, not how much
Funding periods leave the plan's total as it is — they set when each part of it becomes available.
Changes to NDIS funding periods, 19 May 2025 — NDIAIn Corella
Every plan, measured this way.
In Corella, each funding period's dates and amount go on the service agreement, and spend is measured against every period that has started, so money carried over from an earlier period still counts — on the Funding tab, in the forecast's warnings, at booking and in the budget utilisation report. The forecast carries each plan to its end date from the roster you've built, so a plan heading for underspend or running out is named while there's still time to change it.
Common questions
Straight answers.
Why do I type each period's amount?
Because the plan sets it, and the NDIA doesn't always split a plan evenly. A calculator that divided the total for you would show a number that looks right and might not be. Copy each period's amount from the plan — or leave them all empty to treat the whole plan as available from the start.
What happens to money that isn't spent in a period?
It rolls into the next period, and keeps rolling forward within the plan. The calculator carries it for you: each period's available amount is what was released for it plus what was left over before it.
What does a shortfall in a period mean?
That the support you entered costs more than the money released so far, and the date shown is the day it would run past it. It's the moment to talk with the participant, their support coordinator or plan manager about the pattern of support — before the claims, not after.
What if the plan will have money left at the end?
Unspent funding is support the participant didn't receive. When the calculator shows money left at the end of the plan, it also shows how many hours a week the plan could carry at your rate, so the gap is easy to talk about.
Where do the funding periods come from?
From the participant's NDIS plan, which states each funding period and how much it provides. A plan manager or support coordinator can help read it.
Is what I type kept or sent anywhere?
The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved, and closing the page clears it.
Sources: NDIS Act 2013, section 33 (funding periods) — legislation.gov.au · Changes to NDIS funding periods, 19 May 2025 — NDIA. Read 15 October 2026.
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