What's Covered · Items & equipment
Does the NDIS Cover Vehicle Modifications?
Vehicle modifications and NDIS funding: the catalogue items that exist, the capital budget they sit in, and the assessor evidence and quotes involved.
The short answer
It depends, and rarely quickly: vehicle modifications are individually assessed capital supports, quoted case by case rather than bought off the shelf.
The Support Catalogue does list vehicle modifications - driver controls, seating and seat-belt work, hoists and ramps, chassis and body work. What it does not do is attach a fixed price or an automatic entitlement to any of them. Each modification is assessed and quoted for the person and the vehicle in front of the assessor.
The NDIS funds supports it decides are reasonable and necessary for your goals. The same item can be approved for one participant and not another, so no list or website can tell you what your plan will include.
The test the NDIA applies
A vehicle modification request is an assistive technology case. The assessment evidence must explain how the equipment helps you pursue your goals, cover any assistive technology you have used before, and set out how the modification interacts with your other supports.
The NDIA uses that evidence to decide whether the modification meets the legislation and rules, or whether the need is better met another way. An item that increases independence can change the rest of the support picture, and the assessment is expected to address that.
Where it sits in the catalogue
Capital supports funding is stated rather than flexible: it is set aside for the assessed item and cannot be moved to other kinds of support. These are the current vehicle modification items:
Vehicle modification appears under the capital Assistive Technology category in the current NDIS Support Catalogue.
| Support item | Code | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Modification - Adaptions for Driver Control | 05_121205811_0109_1_2 | No fixed limit published |
| Vehicle Modification - For Seating and/or Seat Belts | 05_121209821_0109_1_2 | No fixed limit published |
| Vehicle Modification - Hoist for Occupied Wheelchair Loading | 05_121218811_0109_1_2 | No fixed limit published |
| Vehicle Modification - Hoist/Ramp for Unoccupied Wheelchair Loading | 05_121221811_0109_1_2 | No fixed limit published |
| Vehicle Modification - Chassis/Body work - For Wheelchair Passenger | 05_121227121_0109_1_2 | Quoted individually |
| Vehicle Modification - Chassis/Body work - For Wheelchair Seated Driver | 05_121227221_0109_1_2 | Quoted individually |
Source: NDIS Support Catalogue, effective (Pricing Arrangements). Price limits are GST-exclusive and are ceilings, not fixed prices. Self-managed participants can agree different prices.
The evidence involved
For high-cost assistive technology the assessor must be a suitably qualified allied health professional - an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, or rehabilitation engineer, for example. The evidence includes a formal quote, NDIA approval comes before purchase, and you can be asked to trial or rent equipment first.
Higher-cost assistive technology usually needs a quote and an assessment from an occupational therapist or another qualified assessor before the NDIS will consider it.
Before you act on this
If you intend to claim, check with your plan manager or support coordinator before purchasing.
Whether a vehicle modification can be claimed depends on your individual plan, your goals, and how your funding is managed. Your plan manager or support coordinator can confirm what applies to you.
Questions people ask
Does the NDIS pay for a car?
The current Support Catalogue lists vehicle modification items - driver controls, seating and seat-belt work, hoists, ramps, and chassis work - rather than vehicles themselves. Whether any modification is funded for you depends on your plan, your goals, and the assessment evidence behind the request.
Who does a vehicle modification assessment?
High-cost assistive technology needs an assessment from an AT assessor: a suitably qualified allied health professional such as an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, or rehabilitation engineer. The assessment explains how the modification helps your goals, covers prior equipment, and includes the formal quote the NDIA considers.
Do vehicle modifications need a quote?
Yes, at this level. Published guidance requires a formal quote for high-cost assistive technology, prepared as part of the assessor evidence, and NDIA approval before the work is done. Several of the chassis and body-work items in the catalogue are flagged as quotable rather than fixed-price.
Which budget do vehicle modifications come from?
They sit in the capital supports budget, which covers more expensive assistive technology, home and vehicle modifications, and specialist disability accommodation. Capital funding is stated rather than flexible, so an amount approved for a modification stays with that item instead of moving between support types.
Can I get the modification done before approval?
The published process runs the other way: assessment and quote first, NDIA approval next, then purchase. Guidance for high-cost assistive technology also says you can be asked to trial or rent the equipment before funding is settled, so build that time into your planning.
Official sources
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