How to apply for the NDIS as an adult.

Step 1 — Confirm you might be eligible

The NDIS has three main eligibility requirements:

• Age. Under 65 at the time of applying.
• Residency. Australian citizen, permanent resident, or holder of a Protected Special Category Visa.
• Disability. A permanent or long-term disability that significantly affects your daily life and ability to participate in the community.

If all three apply to you, you are likely worth a try. The NDIS website has an eligibility checklist that takes about five minutes.

Step 2 — Make the access request

You can do this two ways:

• Phone. Call the NDIA on 1800 800 110. They will record your verbal request.
• Form. Download the Access Request Form from the NDIS website and submit it by email or post.

Either way, the agency starts a file with your information. They have 21 days to make a decision once they have all the evidence.

Step 3 — Gather the evidence

This is where most applications get stuck. The NDIA needs evidence that:

• You have a permanent disability (not a temporary illness or injury).
• The disability significantly affects your daily life.
• You will likely need supports for the rest of your life.
• Early intervention supports will benefit you.

The evidence usually comes from three or more sources:

Your GP

A letter from your GP confirming your diagnosis, the duration, and how it affects you day to day. Most GPs are familiar with this — ask for an extended consultation specifically to write the NDIS letter.

Your relevant specialist

Depending on your condition, this might be a neurologist, rheumatologist, psychiatrist, geneticist, or others. The specialist letter should focus on the medical evidence: diagnosis, prognosis, treatments tried, and likely future course.

An allied health professional

Most often an occupational therapist (for a functional impact report), a psychologist (for cognitive or mental health evidence), a speech pathologist, or a physiotherapist. The OT report — sometimes called a functional impact report — describes what you can and cannot do day to day, and is one of the most important pieces of evidence the NDIA looks at.

Step 4 — Submit and wait

Once the agency has all the evidence, they have 21 days to make a decision. In practice, decisions can take longer if they ask for additional information.

Three outcomes are possible:

• Approved. You become a participant and move into planning. A Local Area Coordinator or NDIA planner will contact you to build your first plan.
• Approved subject to more information. The NDIA wants something specific before deciding. They will tell you what is missing.
• Declined. If declined, you can request a review of the decision (the formal name is "internal review"). You usually have three months to request this.

Step 5 — Plan your plan

If approved, you go into a planning conversation. This is where the NDIA decides what support categories and how much funding you receive. Coming to this conversation prepared — with clear goals and an understanding of what supports would help — makes a significant difference.

How long does the whole process take?

Realistically, three to six months from start to finish for most adults. The slowest parts are gathering evidence (because it depends on appointments with your GP, specialist, and allied health) and the NDIA's own decision time.

Where Functional Pathways OT fits

We provide the OT functional impact report — one piece of the evidence puzzle. Most adults applying to the NDIS need our work plus their GP letter plus their specialist letter. Our role is to make sure the OT evidence is well-written, structured the way the NDIA wants, and arrives without unnecessary delay.

We do not lodge applications on your behalf, and we are not advocates. But we will tell you honestly whether your situation is likely to meet the access criteria before you invest months in the process. Sometimes the answer is no, and it is better to know that early.