NDIS Age Limit: What Happens When You Turn 65
By Care Steps Australia
You can stay on the NDIS after 65 if you became a participant before your 65th birthday. You cannot apply once you turn 65. You leave the NDIS if you move permanently into residential aged care or start aged care support at home, because you cannot receive both.
Key Takeaways
- To apply for the NDIS you must be younger than 65 on the day you apply. At 65 or older, aged care is the pathway instead.
- If you are already a participant, turning 65 does not end your plan. You choose whether to keep your NDIS supports or change to aged care.
- You cannot use NDIS and aged care supports at the same time, so moving into residential aged care or being approved for support at home ends your NDIS plan.
- Want to talk through the supports you need in the Canterbury-Bankstown area? Call Care Steps Australia on (02) 8201 3100, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Your situation and what happens
Source: NDIS, "What are the age requirements" and "Guide to leaving the NDIS".
What is the NDIS age limit?
The NDIS age limit applies on the day you apply: you must be younger than 65. The NDIS says you may be eligible if you are aged 0 to 64, meet the residency requirements, and meet the disability requirements, the early intervention requirements, or both. These age rules are the same for everyone because they come from NDIS legislation, according to the NDIS age requirements page.
Age is only one of three tests, so a person under 65 still has to meet the other two. Our guide to NDIS eligibility requirements covers residency and disability in full. For this article, the question is what the age test means once you are already inside the scheme.
Can you stay on the NDIS after you turn 65?
Yes, you can stay on the NDIS after 65 as long as you became a participant before your 65th birthday. The NDIS says nothing changes if you choose to continue as a participant, and it also says you can decide to keep your NDIS supports or change to aged care supports.
So turning 65 is not a cliff edge. The NDIS does not remove you on your birthday. The change happens when you start using the aged care system.
When does the NDIS end after you turn 65?
The NDIS ends after 65 when you start using the aged care system. The NDIS lists three situations that matter at this age, and each one has a different trigger.
You move permanently into residential aged care
If you move permanently into residential aged care for the first time after turning 65, you leave the NDIS on the same day you move in. The NDIS describes residential aged care as a service funded by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's aged care system.
The NDIS calls this a legal requirement and says there is no possibility of an internal review. You can read the exact wording in its guide to residential aged care.
You are approved for support at home through aged care
If you are approved for support at home services from the aged care system after you turn 65, you leave the NDIS. The NDIS asks you to tell it when this happens, by calling 1800 800 110, submitting an enquiry through its service hub, or talking to your my NDIS contact.
The same page says you won't be able to ask for a review once you are receiving home care services. It also explains that the cooling-off period used for some other exits does not apply when you leave because you are receiving aged care supports for the first time after 65. The full list of reasons is in the NDIS guide to leaving the NDIS.
Your eligibility changes
The NDIS can also contact you for an eligibility reassessment if it thinks you may no longer be eligible. If it decides you are not, you have 3 months from the written notice to ask for an internal review. This one is not specific to age, but it is worth knowing about when your needs are changing.
Whichever way you leave, your plan stops and you can't use the remaining funding. That is why timing matters, and why it helps to know what the aged care system offers before you take that step.
Can you have the NDIS and aged care at the same time?
No, you cannot have the NDIS and aged care supports at the same time. The NDIS states this on its age requirements page, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing says older people with disability can get aged care services through Support at Home or the NDIS, but not at the same time.
Support at Home is the aged care home program. According to My Aged Care, it was introduced in November 2025 and replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-term Restorative Care Programme. If you have heard about home care packages from family or older articles, this is the program that took over. Our comparison of Support at Home and home care packages explains how the two names relate.
Can you apply for the NDIS if you are over 65?
No, you cannot apply for the NDIS once you are 65 or older. The NDIS says that if you aren't a participant and you are 65 or over, you aren't eligible to apply, and that you may be eligible for aged care supports instead.
If you are close to 65 and think you might qualify, the date of your application is what counts, because the NDIS checks that you are younger than 65 on the day you apply. If you are younger than 65 and unsure, our eligibility guide above is a good first read.
NDIS vs aged care: what is the difference?
The NDIS and aged care are two separate government systems that work differently. The NDIS is for people with a permanent or significant disability who are under 65 when they become a participant. The aged care system is for people over 65 who need help with the costs of care related to ageing.
Source: NDIS, "Guide to residential aged care" and "What are the age requirements".
The practical difference is how the money flows. The NDIS gives funding directly to participants for the supports in their plan, while the aged care system pays providers directly. If you are comparing the two, that is a useful question to ask each one.
What are the alternatives to the NDIS for over 65s?
The main alternative to the NDIS for people over 65 is the aged care system, accessed through My Aged Care. It includes Support at Home and aged care homes, and you start with an assessment.
My Aged Care says that if you meet the requirements, you can apply for an assessment straight away. The NDIS also tells participants that they can ask for an aged care assessment when their ageing needs outweigh their disability needs. If you are not sure how to start, our guide to applying for aged care funding in Sydney walks through the steps.
One more detail from the NDIS: First Nations people can access My Aged Care from 50 years of age, which is earlier than other Australians.
Does the disability pension stop at 65?
Age Pension age in Australia is 67, not 65, so the 65 rule for the NDIS is a different rule from the pension rule. Services Australia says Age Pension is the main income support payment for people who are 67 or older.
For people on the Disability Support Pension, Services Australia says that if you get DSP and you are nearing Age Pension age, you can choose to transfer to Age Pension. The Age Pension page sets out who can get it. Because pension rules depend on your own income and circumstances, check with Services Australia before you change anything.
When should you start planning before you turn 65?
Start planning before your 65th birthday. The NDIS suggests exploring My Aged Care before you turn 65, so you know which services exist, how to apply and how the assessment works.
A simple order works for most people:
- Talk to your my NDIS contact or support coordinator about your aged care eligibility. They can help with the transition and make sure your current needs are included in the conversation.
- Look at what My Aged Care offers, including Support at Home and residential aged care.
- Ask yourself whether your ageing needs now outweigh your disability needs. If they do, you can ask for an aged care assessment.
- Before you start any aged care service, tell the NDIS, because you can't receive both.
If you do not have a support coordinator, our article on NDIS support coordination explains what one does and whether you need one.
Need NDIS or aged care support in Canterbury-Bankstown?
Care Steps Australia is a registered NDIS provider and aged care service based in Punchbowl, NSW. We support people across Sydney's south-west, including Bankstown, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Campsie, Lakemba and Greenacre. Our directors have more than 10 years of experience in aged care and clinical nursing.
Decisions about your NDIS plan and your aged care eligibility are made by the NDIS and My Aged Care, so contact them for those. If you want to talk through the day-to-day supports you need, you can read about our NDIS support services and our aged care services, or contact our team and we'll talk it through.
Care Steps Australia
48 Lancaster Avenue, Punchbowl NSW 2196
Phone: (02) 8201 3100
Email: info@carestepsaustralia.com.au
Find us on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZsJQgwvKcMMUVb1MA
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you do not lose your NDIS just because you turn 65. If you became a participant before your 65th birthday, you can stay. You leave when you move permanently into residential aged care for the first time after 65, or when you are approved for support at home through aged care.
No. You must be younger than 65 on the day you apply. If you are 65 or older and not an NDIS participant, you aren't eligible to apply, but you may be eligible for aged care supports through My Aged Care.
No, the NDIS does not cut out at 65. It continues if you were already a participant, and you can choose to keep using NDIS supports or change to aged care. The NDIS ends when you start using the aged care system, because you can't use NDIS and aged care supports at the same time.
The alternative is the aged care system, accessed through My Aged Care. It includes Support at Home and aged care homes. You start with an aged care assessment, and the NDIS says you can request one when your ageing needs outweigh your disability needs.
No. The NDIS says you can't use NDIS and aged care supports at the same time. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing says the same about Support at Home, noting that older people with disability can use aged care or the NDIS, but not both at once.
No. Support at Home is an aged care program, introduced in November 2025 to replace Home Care Packages. It is funded through the aged care system, and the NDIS says you leave the NDIS if you are approved for support at home services after you turn 65.
Age Pension age is 67, not 65. Services Australia says that if you get Disability Support Pension and you are nearing Age Pension age, you can choose to transfer to Age Pension. Check with Services Australia for your own situation.
If you move permanently into residential aged care for the first time after 65, you leave the NDIS on the day you move in. The NDIS says there is no internal review for this. If you start support at home through aged care, you also leave the NDIS, so tell the NDIS on 1800 800 110.
Related service
NDIS support services →Personal care, community nursing, daily living and community participation for NDIS participants.
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