Continence support and aids on the NDIS: a guide for families.

What are continence supports?

They're products, or help from someone, to manage bladder or bowel control.

This guide explains continence support and aids on the NDIS. It's for families and carers arranging care for someone, not for people looking for support work. You may see the products called continence aids, incontinence aids or continence products.

The NDIA treats continence supports as disability-related health supports. They can only be paid from NDIS funding if they relate to the person's disability and help with day-to-day activities. The NDIA says it knows this is a sensitive topic. Where you can, let the person you care for lead the conversation.

Can continence aids be paid from NDIS funding?

Continence products can be paid from NDIS funding if they're included in the plan. The NDIA decides what goes in a plan, and each support must meet the NDIS funding criteria.

NDIS plans have 4 support budgets, each with support categories. These are the names to look for in the plan.

Core supports funding is usually flexible across its categories. Capacity building funding must buy the supports described in the plan.

What the NDIA asks for

• A continence assessment by a continence nurse or other suitably qualified health professional
• How the disability affects managing incontinence
• What products or supports are used now, how often, and who helps
• What the treating health professional recommends, and why

A health professional can use the NDIA's assessment template, or write a report with the same information. The my NDIS contact or support coordinator can explain what's needed. If the NDIA says no, it gives written reasons, and an internal review can be requested within a time limit.

What the NDIS won't pay for

• Treating a health condition. Tests and diagnosis go through the health system.
• Supports not linked to the disability. This includes continence supports for unrelated health issues.
• Medicines. This includes suppositories and enemas. Speak with the doctor or pharmacist.

If it's for a child, families generally look after daily toileting. The NDIA may include continence supports if a child needs substantially more help than other children the same age. It says these are typically for children 5 or older who regularly experience incontinence.

What types of continence aids are there?

The right one depends on the person. A nurse continence specialist can help you choose.

Continence Health Australia says the right product depends on how well the person can grasp and reach, their body shape and size, how much leakage there is and how much help they need. It suggests trying samples before buying in bulk. The NDIA publishes a continence provider list, and those on it are NDIS registered. It says there may be others, and to compare before choosing.

How does the Continence Aids Payment Scheme fit with the NDIS?

The Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) is a separate Australian Government payment. A person generally can't get it if continence support is in their NDIS plan.

CAPS helps with some of the cost of continence products, from a supplier the person chooses. Services Australia runs it. The 2026-27 rate is up to $739.40 per person, paid in July, or in two parts in July and January.

To get CAPS, a person must

• Be 5 or older
• Have permanent and severe incontinence, confirmed by a registered health professional
• Have an eligible neurological condition or other condition on the Health department's list
• Also have a Pensioner Concession Card, if the condition is non-neurological
• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or have permanent residency rights while getting the payment

When a person can't get CAPS

• The NDIS plan includes continence support. Services Australia says a person can't be paid CAPS if their NDIS funding package includes continence support. The CAPS form asks about continence products in the consumables budget under core support. The NDIA's wording is "won't generally be eligible".
• Other reasons. The incontinence is temporary, treatable or only night-time bed wetting, the person can get help through the DVA's Rehabilitation Appliances Program, or they're in prison or have lived overseas for 3 years or more in a row.

Services Australia says a person under 65 with incontinence caused by a disability may be able to get help through the NDIS, and the CAPS form says to call the NDIA first. If things change for a person on CAPS, call the CAPS line, because they could be overpaid and have to pay it back.

To apply, a registered health professional completes the health report in the CAPS form. Since 1 November 2025, people on Support at Home or in residential aged care can also get CAPS, if they meet the criteria.

Who can assess and give advice?

Start with the person's doctor. A continence nurse or the helpline can go into more detail.

Continence Health Australia, formerly the Continence Foundation of Australia, is behind the helpline. It also has a course for carers, Everyday Continence Care, and a pocket guide for workers, Continence Support Now.

This guide doesn't give medical advice. For any question about the person's body or health, or a sudden change, ask their GP or continence nurse.

How do toileting and continence help fit in personal care?

Help with toileting is part of personal care on the NDIS. More complex care needs extra training.

The NDIS supports list puts assistance with eating and drinking, dressing and toileting under daily personal activities. Read more in the guide to what NDIS personal care is, or see what personal care at home can include. The NDIA says a person may also need help to use continence products.

A support worker, family member or friend may be able to give some continence support. Training from a registered nurse or other qualified health professional can be paid from NDIS funding if it's included in the plan. It must be for that task and that person.

Complex bowel care and urinary catheter management are high-intensity activities, with their own training rules. For those, read the guide to high-intensity supports on the NDIS.

What should you ask a provider?

Everyone who delivers NDIS supports must respect the person's privacy. It's fair to ask how that works in practice.

The NDIS Code of Conduct applies to registered and unregistered providers and their workers. For registered providers, the NDIS Practice Standards say each person should get supports that respect and protect their dignity and right to privacy. The NDIS Commission's guidance for workers gives examples: asking permission before physical touch, helping in good time with toilet breaks or pad changes, and a private space to shower and dress.

Ask the person you care for first: who they feel comfortable with, and how they like things done.

Questions for any provider

• How will workers explain what they're doing and ask permission each time?
• Can the person choose a female or male worker for this care?
• How many different workers would do this care, and who comes if one is away?
• What happens if a toilet break or pad change is needed outside the planned time?
• What training do workers have for this person's needs, and who gives it?
• Who can see the continence plan and notes, and how are they kept private?
• Will we see every support and price in writing before anything starts?

If you can't sort out a concern with the provider, the NDIS Commission takes reports about providers and workers. There's more on choosing someone in the guide to finding a support worker.

What has changed since 1 October 2026?

We found no new rule that's only about continence supports. But some wider NDIS changes matter, and the NDIA is still updating its pages.

Also announced

• December 2026: claims must be made within 90 days of delivering a support.
• February 2027: new criteria for reasonable and necessary supports, and clearer guidelines on what a parent is expected to provide for a child, including personal care.
• July 2027: mandatory registration expands for some providers, including those who deliver personal care.

Who can you call?

Each of these helps with a different part of continence care.

• National Continence Helpline1800 330 066Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm (times may vary)
• Continence Aids Payment line1800 239 309Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm AEST
• NDIS (NDIA)1800 800 110Plans and funding
• healthdirect1800 022 222A registered nurse, 24 hours a day
• NDIS Commission1800 035 544Concerns about a provider or worker

In an emergency, call 000.

This guide is general information, not advice about a particular plan.