Last reviewed: September 2026. Written by Renova Build — registered NDIS provider 4-LOYDGPV, NSW builder licence 397801C, Hornsby.
The short answer. In Australia there are three ways a home modification gets paid for, and which one applies to you depends on why you need the work — not on what the work is.
- NDIS funds modifications related to a permanent and significant disability, from your Capital Supports budget. The NDIS splits them into minor and complex, with roughly a $25,000 line between them.
- Aged care funds them through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme under Support at Home, in three tiers: under $500, up to $2,000, and up to $15,000.
- You pay for anything outside those two, or for the gap between the funded amount and the real cost of the job. A gap is normal, not a sign something has gone wrong.
What counts as a home modification?
A home modification is a change to the structure, layout or fittings of a home so that a person can move around it and use it safely. In practice, for the households we work with on Sydney's North Shore, it is usually one of a short list:
- Converting a step-over shower to a level-entry (hobless) shower
- Grab rails in the shower, beside the toilet, and along hallways
- Slip-resistant flooring in wet areas
- Widening doorways for a walking frame or wheelchair
- A ramp or step-free entry to the front or back door
- Lowering benches, or changing tapware to lever handles
The bathroom is by far the most common. It is where most falls at home happen, and it is the room that most often decides whether someone can keep living independently.
Does the NDIS pay for a bathroom modification?
Yes, where the modification is reasonable and necessary and relates to your disability. NDIS home modifications are funded from the Capital Supports part of your plan, and that funding is quoted — it is not a general pool you can spend freely.
The NDIS divides home modifications into two categories, and the category changes who has to be involved before anyone picks up a tool.
| Minor home modification | Complex home modification | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Generally under $25,000 | Generally over $25,000 |
| Nature of work | Straightforward and non-structural, lower risk | Often structural and custom-built, higher risk |
| Examples | Grab rails, door widening, ramps, some plumbing work | Work affecting multiple areas of the home, structural change |
| Who must be involved | A home modification assessor (an occupational therapist with the right qualifications) | The assessor, plus an independent building construction practitioner. Building approvals and certification usually apply. |
Two things about that $25,000 figure are worth understanding. First, it is a guide, not a rule — the NDIS is explicit that a modification under $25,000 can still be classified as complex because of what it involves. Second, the number is about risk and structure, not about how nice the finish is. A simple level-entry shower in a slab-on-ground house can be minor. The same shower on a suspended timber floor in a 1930s Federation house, where the floor has to be cut and re-framed to drop the wet area, can tip into complex.
Source: NDIS — Guide to providing home modifications.
What does the NDIS want to see before it approves?
The sequence matters, and getting it out of order is the single most common reason a home modification stalls.
- An occupational therapist assessment first. A home modification assessor — an OT with appropriate qualifications and experience — assesses the person in their own home and writes the report. The report is what justifies the work. A builder's quote on its own will not get you funded.
- A builder's quote that matches the OT report. The scope in the quote has to answer the need the OT identified. If the OT specifies a 1200mm level-entry shower with a fold-down seat and the quote prices a standard shower, it will come back.
- For complex modifications, an independent building construction practitioner. The NDIS asks for this person to be independent of the other providers involved.
- Approval, then build. Work should not start before the funding is approved.
A practical note from our side of it: ask your OT to write the report so the scope is unambiguous, and get the builder to quote line by line against it. Vague scope is what creates the back-and-forth.
Does the builder have to be a registered NDIS provider?
It depends on how your plan is managed, and this is where a lot of confusion sits.
If your plan is NDIA-managed (often called agency-managed), the answer is yes. The NDIS states it plainly: "You can choose the providers of your NDIS supports, but they must be registered providers," and "You can't use unregistered providers for NDIS supports you have NDIA-managed funding for." (NDIS — What is NDIA-managed funding)
If your plan is plan-managed or self-managed, you have more freedom in who you engage. Many participants still prefer a registered provider for building work, because registration means the provider has been through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's requirements.
Renova Holdings Pty Ltd, trading as Renova Build, is a registered NDIS provider — registration ID 4-LOYDGPV — and holds NSW builder licence 397801C.
What will aged care pay for in 2026?
This changed recently, and a lot of information still online is out of date.
On 1 November 2025, the Support at Home program commenced, replacing the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) was not replaced at the same time — it continues, and will transition no earlier than 1 July 2027. (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing)
Under Support at Home, home modifications are funded through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme. The important structural point is that AT-HM is a separate pool of money from your ongoing Support at Home budget. You do not have to drain your ongoing budget to pay for a shower.
| Tier | Amount | What it realistically covers |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Under $500 | Grab rails, a handheld shower, small safety fittings |
| Medium | Up to $2,000 | Several rails, a shower seat, slip-resistant flooring, minor door work |
| High | Up to $15,000 | Structural work — converting a step-over shower to level-entry, a ramp, widening doorways |
Funding is available for a 12-month period. High-tier funding may be extended to 24 months where evidence of progress is provided. You are assessed for AT-HM as part of your aged care assessment, and the assessor determines which tier applies.
One transitional detail that catches people out: if you moved across from a Home Care Package, any unspent HCP funds must be used before you can access AT-HM funding. (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — AT-HM scheme)
What if the funding does not cover the whole job?
This is the question almost nobody answers honestly, so here it is.
The AT-HM high tier is up to $15,000. Meanwhile, the Archicentre Australia Cost Guide 2026 puts a bathroom or ensuite fit-out at $17,500 to $35,000. Those two numbers do not meet. That is not a flaw in the scheme — AT-HM is designed to fund the modification, not a full bathroom renovation. If the tiles are thirty years old and you want the whole room redone at the same time, the funder pays for the accessibility work and you pay for the rest.
In our experience that is the sensible way to do it anyway. If the floor is already open and the waterproofing is already being renewed, doing the cosmetic work at the same time costs far less than coming back in three years. A good builder should quote it as two clear columns: what the funder is being asked to pay for, and what you are choosing to add.
If you are paying for part or all of it yourself, our cost guides go into more detail: what a bathroom renovation costs in Australia in 2026 and how much a small bathroom renovation costs.
How long does the whole process take?
Neither the NDIS nor the aged care system publishes a guaranteed turnaround, and any builder who gives you a firm date for approval is guessing. What we can tell you is the shape of it: the assessment and approval stage is almost always longer than the build.
For a bathroom modification, the construction itself is typically a matter of weeks — we set out a realistic week-by-week breakdown in how long a bathroom renovation takes. The OT assessment, quoting, submission and approval that come before it are the part that varies, and the part worth starting early.
Do you need council approval on Sydney's North Shore?
Usually not for the work itself. In NSW, bathroom renovations can be exempt development under the Codes SEPP where there are no structural changes — we cover the detail in do I need council approval for a bathroom renovation in NSW. Structural work, heritage listings and strata change the answer.
Two North Shore specifics are worth flagging:
- Strata. A large share of accessible bathroom work around Chatswood, Lane Cove, North Sydney and Hornsby happens in units. A bathroom renovation in a NSW strata scheme is a major renovation under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 because it disturbs waterproofing, and it needs a special resolution at a 75% threshold — not the ordinary majority most owners assume. We explain it in strata bathroom renovation approval in NSW. Build the owners corporation timeline into your planning.
- Older housing stock. Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby and Willoughby have a lot of mid-century and Federation housing on suspended timber floors. Dropping a wet area to achieve a true level entry in those homes is structural work, and it is the single most common reason a job that "sounds minor" is assessed as complex.
We work across Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai, Willoughby, Lane Cove, North Sydney, Mosman, Ryde, The Hills and the Northern Beaches, and our showroom is in Hornsby.
Frequently asked questions
Does NDIS pay for a full bathroom renovation?
No. The NDIS funds the modification that relates to your disability — the level-entry shower, the rails, the doorway — not a cosmetic upgrade of the room. If you want the whole bathroom redone at the same time, you fund the difference.
Can I use my own builder for NDIS home modifications?
If your plan is NDIA-managed, the builder must be an NDIS registered provider. If you are plan-managed or self-managed you have more choice, though many people still choose a registered provider for building work.
Do I need an occupational therapist report?
Yes. A home modification assessor — an occupational therapist with appropriate qualifications — has to assess and document the need. The OT report comes before the builder's quote, not after it.
How much will aged care pay for a walk-in shower?
Up to $15,000 under the high tier of the AT-HM scheme, over a 12-month period, which may be extended to 24 months where evidence of progress is provided. Whether you receive that tier is determined by your aged care assessment.
What replaced Home Care Packages?
The Support at Home program, which commenced on 1 November 2025 and replaced both the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme continues separately until no earlier than 1 July 2027.
What is the difference between a minor and a complex home modification?
Minor modifications are straightforward and non-structural, generally under $25,000. Complex modifications are often structural and custom-built, generally over $25,000, and require building approvals and an independent building construction practitioner. Cost alone does not decide it — a modification under $25,000 can still be complex because of what it involves.
Can I combine NDIS or aged care funding with my own money?
Yes, and it is common. The funder pays for the accessibility scope; you pay for anything beyond it. Ask your builder to quote the two separately so the submission is clean.
Where to start
If you are at the beginning of this, the order that works is: talk to your occupational therapist or aged care assessor first, then get a builder to quote against their report. If you have a report already, we will quote from it.
Renova Build offers a free on-site assessment across Sydney's North Shore and a written quote you can submit to your plan manager, your provider or the NDIA. We are a registered NDIS provider (4-LOYDGPV) and a licensed NSW builder (397801C), with a showroom in Hornsby where you can see fittings in person.
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This article is general information about how funding programs work, current as at September 2026. It is not financial advice and it is not an assessment of your eligibility. Funding decisions are made by the NDIA and by aged care assessors, not by builders. Always check the current rules with the NDIS or My Aged Care.
