Guide · Australia
AAC funding in Australia: NDIS, education and informed trials
AAC funding can involve the NDIS, an education provider, personal funds or another support system. Responsibility depends on the purpose, the person's circumstances and the current rules. This guide explains the official framework without promising that a particular app or device will be funded.
The short version: the NDIS may fund eligible assistive technology that meets its criteria. Education providers must consult and make reasonable adjustments so a student with disability can participate and learn on the same basis as peers. Neither statement guarantees funding for a particular product.
Start with the person, not the funding category
A communication system may be used across home, education, work, healthcare and community settings, while administrative responsibility can differ between those settings. Begin with the person's communication goals, preferred access method, existing AAC, support needs and views about the proposed option.
Keep an existing communication system available during any trial. A funding pathway should not determine what the person is allowed to say or remove a route that already works.
How the NDIS considers assistive technology
Current NDIS guidance says assistive technology must be an NDIS support and meet the applicable funding criteria. Decisions consider the person's disability-specific needs, goals, supporting evidence, cost and risk, and whether another system is more appropriate to fund it. The NDIS lists text-to-voice apps as one example of a low-cost communication aid, but an example is not automatic approval.
- Describe the communication task and disability-related need the proposed support addresses.
- Explain how it connects to the person's goals and why it is suitable and safe.
- Compare value and fit with other reasonable options, including what has already been tried.
- Identify setup, training, review or risk-management support when it is relevant.
Clear functional goals and evidence help explain why a support is being considered, but a goal alone does not secure funding. Use the person's own priorities and language wherever possible.
The cost levels, and what evidence each needs
The NDIA groups assistive technology by price, and the paperwork scales with it:
| Level | Typical value | What's usually required |
|---|---|---|
| Low cost | Under $1,500 per item | For a low-risk item with suitable plan funding, no quote, evidence, assessment or prior approval is generally required. The item must still meet the current NDIS rules and be safe. |
| Mid cost | $1,500–$15,000 per item | Written evidence from an allied health practitioner or other AT adviser. This may be a letter, email or report and should explain need, value, goals and estimated cost. |
| High cost | Over $15,000 per item | An assessment report from a qualified AT assessor and a supplier quote are required. A trial may also be needed. |
Sources checked 12 September 2026: NDIS guidance for low-cost AT and mid- and high-cost AT. The NDIS notes that information may change as legislation is updated, so verify the live guidance before acting.
What useful written evidence may cover
Where written advice or assessment is required, the current NDIS guidance focuses on the support needed, value, goals, cost, trials and risk. For AAC, useful evidence may include:
- The person's priorities: the real communication tasks, settings and messages they want the support to enable.
- What was considered or trialled: duration, access method, assistance, fatigue, repair, preference and the person's own response.
- Why this option: feature matching against motor, sensory, language, literacy and future access needs.
- Value and goals: why the option is suitable compared with reasonable alternatives and how it supports plan goals.
- Risk and support: setup, training, review and any steps needed for safe, reliable use.
Education-provider obligations
Australian education providers have obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005. Current Department of Education guidance says they must consult regularly with students with disability and their parents or caregivers and make reasonable adjustments that support participation and learning on the same basis as peers.
Those obligations do not automatically decide who pays for a particular app, tablet or device. The NDIS also considers whether another system is more appropriate to fund a support. Ask each organisation to explain its position using the person's circumstances and the current rules, and keep the person's views central to the consultation.
Keep access continuous. During assessment, trial or funding discussions, keep the person's existing AAC available. Agree who will support setup, communication-partner learning and review, but do not make access conditional on perfect training or a funding decision.
What to do while a decision is pending
Do not remove or delay communication access while administrative decisions are pending. With the person's agreement, a suitable free or low-risk option on a device they already own may be one way to explore fit alongside existing AAC.
Record only the observations the person agrees are useful: tasks attempted, access method, assistance, fatigue, errors, repair, preferences and whether they could reach their intended meaning. Avoid collecting sensitive communication content unless it is necessary and consented to. These observations may help the person and an AAC professional compare options; they do not prove clinical effectiveness or guarantee NDIS funding.
Explore a free core AAC option
Ryan's Voice has a free core app, requires no Rockshore account and keeps core communication tools available offline. Trial it alongside existing AAC and decide whether the interaction fits the person.
Get Ryan's Voice →Frequently asked questions
Does the NDIS fund AAC apps and devices?
It may fund eligible assistive technology when it is an NDIS support and meets the applicable criteria. A communication aid may be eligible, but no particular app, tablet or device is automatically funded.
Do I need a speech pathologist's report?
For low-cost, low-risk AT under $1,500 with suitable plan funding, the current guidance generally does not require a quote, evidence, assessment or prior approval. Mid-cost AT requires written evidence from an allied health practitioner or other AT adviser. High-cost AT requires a qualified assessor's report and a supplier quote. Higher-risk items can require advice regardless of price.
Will the NDIS pay for an iPad?
Funding for a mainstream device depends on the person's plan, the disability-related purpose, the support rules, evidence, value and whether another system is more appropriate. Check the current NDIS guidance or ask the person's NDIS contact before purchasing; this guide cannot determine eligibility.
What if the request is declined?
Read the reasons and review options in the decision letter, then use the current NDIS review guidance. An independent disability advocate, support coordinator or appropriately qualified adviser may help. Review rights and deadlines are individual, so seek legal advice where needed.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No. This is general information written by an Australian software company that builds AAC. Rules change and every plan is different — check ndis.gov.au and work with your speech pathologist, plan manager or support coordinator.