Can the NDIS Pay for Gardening?

The NDIS may fund help with essential yard maintenance if you're unable to complete those tasks because of your disability and you have appropriate funding in your plan. 

The NDIS specifically lists yard maintenance as an example of an everyday task that may be funded through Assistance with Daily Life. 

So yes, gardening or yard maintenance can sometimes be funded, but that doesn't mean every landscaping or gardening expense is automatically covered. 

Source: [NDIS: What are Core Supports?] 

What kind of gardening can the NDIS pay for? 

A useful way to think about this is the difference between maintaining your home and improving your garden. If your disability prevents you from completing essential yard maintenance yourself, appropriate support may be able to help with those tasks. 

That's quite different from deciding you'd like to completely redesign the backyard. 

Think: 

“Help me do what I can't reasonably do because of my disability” 

rather than: 

“Give the backyard a makeover.” 

That's the basic distinction. 

What about lawn mowing? 

Lawn mowing may fall within yard maintenance where you need disability-related assistance to complete essential maintenance and the support meets the NDIS funding rules. 

Whether you can use your funding will depend on your individual circumstances and plan. 

Having an NDIS plan by itself doesn't automatically make lawn mowing an NDIS-funded expense. 

Is gardening part of Core Supports? 

Assistance with Daily Life sits within your Core Supports budget. 

Current NDIS guidance specifically gives yard maintenance as an example of an everyday task that a support worker may help with, depending on your goals. 

Source: [NDIS: What are Core Supports?] 

How do I know if I can use my funding? 

Before setting up an ongoing gardening service, check: 

• whether you have appropriate Core funding 
• whether your need for support relates to your disability 
• whether the service meets the current NDIS funding rules 
• whether the support is in line with your plan. 

If you're unsure, check before you commit to the service. It'll save a bit of mucking around later.