Can I claim sport and activities through my NDIS funding?

Claims from NDIS budgets must fit in with your goals. For example, if your goal is to build social skills and relationships with peers, family and in the community, you may be able to claim the cost of joining a sporting team.

The two support categories that sports and recreational activities fall under are:

1. Core (Assistance with Social and Community Participation)
2. Capacity Building (Increased Social and Community Participation)

Case study: Jack is 11, in year 6 at school and lives with autism. He has some clear goals about building and improving his social skills so he can have meaningful relationships with others. Jack is ‘sports mad’ according to his Mum, he has joined numerous teams across a number of sporting codes. Playing in a team gives Jack the opportunity to make friends both on and off the field. An added bonus for Jack is that some his teammates go to the same school, providing an extra connection.

Jack is able to claim the cost of Club player registrations from his NDIS plan as it is directly linked to one of his goals.

When Jack was younger, he attended specialised swimming lessons, with an instructor who was trained to support people living with disability. The specialised swimming lessons were funded in Jack’s plan (and great news, he learnt to swim!). To claim these, the support must relate to your disability and help achieve your NDIS goals. Regular or mainstream swimming lessons are not supported through the NDIS.

Before we get out of the pool, some important things to note – you may be able to claim swimming as an activity with a support worker to enjoy social swimming with others as a community activity. The cost of the support worker is funded, but you’ll have to pay the entry fee if one applies.  To chat about this or any other queries about claiming sport or activities, please give us a call on 1800 549 670 or visit Live Chat in the bottom right hand corner of this website.