Can a family member be paid to support you under the NDIS?

The short answer

The NDIS generally does not pay family members to provide NDIS supports. The NDIA says this in its guidelines 'Including specific types of supports in plans' and 'Your plan'.

Family and friends who give unpaid, disability-related help are called informal supports. The NDIA says NDIS supports don't replace the help family and friends can reasonably give. But it also looks at whether that help is safe for everyone and can keep going.

Why the NDIA has this rule

The NDIA says evidence shows that paying a family member to replace paid supports can affect the relationships, health and wellbeing of participants and their families. In its words, this may:

• limit a participant's choice and control in the delivery of their supports
• stop family members who provide paid supports from taking a break
• create a conflict of interest.

The exceptional circumstances

The NDIA won't pay family members to deliver NDIS supports unless there are exceptional circumstances. Its guideline says it will think about whether:

• there's a risk of harm or neglect to the participant
• there are cultural or religious reasons for funding family members to provide support
• there are significant risks to the participant's privacy or dignity that can only be managed by paying a family member to provide these supports
• all other options to find a suitable provider for supports including personal care and community access have been exhausted.

How the NDIA decides

The NDIA looks at each person's circumstances, including any wishes they have expressed. It says it will work with the participant and their family to find suitable providers.

If the NDIA approves a family member to be paid, that person is no longer counted as an informal support. Talk to the NDIA before you pay a family member from a plan. Call 1800 800 110 or speak with your my NDIS contact.

Does it matter how the plan is managed?

The family rule applies however the plan is managed. The NDIA's guide to self-management repeats the same rule and exceptions.

• NDIA-managed: a family member can only be paid to provide NDIS supports if they are a registered NDIS provider. The NDIA still decides if exceptional circumstances apply.
• Plan-managed or self-managed: you can usually use registered or unregistered providers. That choice doesn't remove the family rule.
• Self-managed and hiring your own staff: you can use funding for costs of engaging your own workers, such as insurance and superannuation. Hiring a family member is still covered by the family rule.

Other ways the NDIS can support families

Even when family can't be paid, a plan can include supports that take pressure off carers. Whether any of these is funded depends on your plan and what the NDIA agrees is reasonable and necessary.

• Paid help with the hardest tasks. The NDIA considers whether care is safe and sustainable for family, including the carer's age and health. In one NDIA example, an older wife could no longer safely give her husband personal care, so personal care could be funded. She kept helping him at meals because they both wanted that. Read about personal care.
• Your wishes about intimate care. The NDIA says a request that intimate personal care not be provided by family members or friends should always be respected when it decides how much help to fund.
• Short breaks for carers. Short-term accommodation (STA) lets you spend time apart from your main informal supports overnight while someone else supports you. The NDIA guideline says this is for up to 14 days at a time and up to 28 days a year. See accommodation and SIL, STA and SDA explained.
• Training for family. The NDIA may fund training for informal supports so they can help you build your skills.
• Help to find workers. If your plan includes support coordination, your support coordinator can help you look for providers.

Help for carers outside the NDIS

Payments for carers come from Services Australia (Centrelink), not from an NDIS plan. Each one has its own rules:

• Carer Payment is income support if you give constant care to someone with disability or a medical condition, or an adult who's frail aged. The person must need care for at least 6 months, or be at the end of their life. Constant care means about a normal working day, and it stops you working full time. You can still do paid work for up to 100 hours in a 4-week period. You both need to be Australian residents and meet an income and assets test.
• Carer Allowance is a fortnightly supplementary payment. It is for you if the person you care for needs ongoing daily care for at least 12 months, or has a terminal medical condition. It has an income test but no assets test.
• You may be able to get both payments, and you can make one combined claim.
• Carer Gateway is an Australian Government program for carers. It offers services such as counselling, coaching, and planned and emergency respite. Call 1800 422 737 to check if you can use it.

Talking to Heart for Care

If you care for someone and want paid support to share the load, you can contact Heart for Care on 1800 148 857, by email at admin@heartforcare.com.au or through our contact form. We match workers to the person's needs and preferences, and we review support regularly and when needs change. You can learn more about how the scheme works on our NDIS page.