Sitting within the Capacity Building budget, Improved Daily Living NDIS funding empowers participants to develop practical life skills for greater independence.
From managing daily routines and preparing meals to budgeting and participating in the community, these supports equip you with the capabilities to navigate everyday life more autonomously.
At Hunter Care Group, we work closely with NDIS participants to achieve meaningful goals, one step at a time. Here, we explain what Improved Daily Living funding is, what it can be used for, and how it can be tailored to your goals.
What is Improved Daily Living under the NDIS?
Improved Daily Living is a Capacity Building support category in an NDIS plan. It funds therapy, training and assessments that help participants develop practical skills for everyday independence.
Unlike Core Supports, which pay for help you need right now, Improved Daily Living revolves around building skills so that you can learn to do more for yourself.
This funding can support skills such as:
- self-care and daily routines
- communication and social interactionmeal preparation and household tasks
- managing emotions, behaviour or anxiety
- moving safely at home and in the community
This category can fund early intervention for children, skill development for adults, and, in some cases, training for families or carers. Services may be delivered individually or in groups, depending on what best suits your needs.
Overall, Improved Daily Living funding is designed to build capability, confidence and capacity through personalised, goal-driven support.
Examples of Improved Daily Living skills in daily life
Improved Daily Living funding is about turning everyday challenges into achievable skills. It focuses on what helps you live with more confidence, choice and control in real situations, not just in theory.
The capabilities you build through this support are practical, easy to apply in daily life and grow alongside your independence.
Examples of Improved Living skills in the home and community include:
- Structuring your day, including planning tasks, remembering commitments and managing time
- Establishing personal routines, including hygiene, dressing and daily self-care without prompts
- Managing a household, like cleaning, doing laundry and keeping living areas organised
- Making meals on your own, such as planning what to eat, shopping for food and cooking safely
- Handling money, such as budgeting, paying bills and using banking tools with confidence
- Getting around independently, including using buses, trains or other transport safely
- Accessing local services, including shops, appointments and community facilities
- Interacting with others, such as starting conversations, understanding boundaries and joining group activities
- Making decisions in real time, like responding to unexpected changes or asking for help when needed
- Managing health needs, including understanding medications, routines and when to seek support
- Improving physical capability, such as balance, mobility and strength through tailored movement programs
- Making informed food choices, such as reading labels, managing dietary needs and planning balanced meals
- Regulating emotions by learning strategies to manage stress, anxiety or frustration in daily life
How Improved Daily Living builds long-term independence
Above all, Improved Daily Living funding focuses on building skills instead of providing ongoing assistance. The aim is to support learning and confidence so that everyday tasks can be managed more autonomously over time.
Therefore, instead of doing things for you, these supports teach real-world skills in a way that suits your goals and pace.
This usually involves:
- starting with more guidance and reducing support as skills develop
- breaking everyday tasks into manageable steps
- practising skills regularly until they become familiar
- strengthening confidence alongside practical ability
Importantly, progress is different for everyone, and some skills take time to develop. With consistent, goal-driven support, you can gradually take on more responsibility in daily life. With guidance from the right professionals, you can recognise your strengths and apply new skills in real-world settings for lasting change.
What this NDIS funding category covers
Improved Daily Living funds assessments, therapies, skill-building supports, and carer training. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Assessments
Most supports under Improved Daily Living begin with an assessment. These identify your current abilities, the barriers you face, and what supports are reasonable and necessary under the NDIS.
Examples include:
- Functional Capacity Assessments (FCA) to evaluate daily living skills and independence
- Developmental assessments for childrenHome safety and falls risk assessments
- Swallowing and mealtime management assessments
- Speech and language assessments to support communication planning
- Assistive technology (AT) assessments and reports
- Home modification recommendations
These reports are essential evidence. They help justify funding in your NDIS plan, support plan reviews, and can unlock access to additional supports such as assistive technology or home modifications.
Allied health therapies
Improved Daily Living is one of the most flexible NDIS funding categories for allied health supports, such as:
- Psychology: Helps with emotional well-being, behaviour support, and developing coping strategies.
- Occupational therapy (OT): Supports skills for daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, personal care, budgeting, and using public transport.
- Physiotherapy: Improves strength, mobility, balance, and physical function to help you move safely and confidently.
- Exercise physiology: Builds fitness and physical capacity through tailored exercise programs.
- Speech pathology: Supports communication, social interaction, and safe eating and drinking.
- Dietetics: Supports nutrition, healthy eating, and management of food-related health conditions.
Other professionals may also be funded where appropriate, including social workers, art and music therapists, audiologists, and podiatrists, as long as the support is focused on building skills and independence.
Skills development
Beyond therapy, Improved Daily Living funds hands-on skill development that helps you manage daily life more independently.
This may include:
- Daily routine development, including meal preparation, household tasks, and time management
- Life skills training, such as using public transport, managing appointments, or budgeting
- Communication and social skills, to help you interact with others and participate in groups
- Community participation skills, building confidence to engage in activities, volunteering, or accessing local services
Carer and family training
NDIS recognises that skill development doesn’t happen in isolation. The people supporting you, from family members to support workers, may also need guidance.
Improved Daily Living can fund training for carers and families, including:
- Understanding your specific support needs
- How to support therapy goals at home
- Communication strategies
- Behaviour support approaches
- Safe manual handling and transfer techniques
This training helps ensure everyone involved can support your progress safely and effectively.
Early Childhood Intervention
Improved Daily Living also funds Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) supports for children under seven with developmental delay or disability.
These supports help children build functional skills and social participation while supporting families and caregivers to develop their own capacity. All services must be directly related to the child’s disability and their daily living needs.
Early childhood supports may include:
- Developmental assessments
- Skill-building strategies
- Therapy and intervention plans
- Services delivered at home, in early learning settings, or in the community
- Parent and caregiver training
How to get Improved Daily Living funding in your NDIS plan
Improved Daily Living funding is designed to help you build practical skills and increase independence. The key to having this support included in your NDIS plan is showing how the funding directly supports your goals.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to help you get started:
1. Define your NDIS goals
Every service funded under Improved Daily Living must link directly back to a goal in your plan, so start by thinking about the everyday skills you want to improve and how they affect your independence.
These goals should clearly describe what you want to work towards in daily life. This helps the NDIA understand why Improved Daily Living funding is reasonable and necessary.
Examples include:
- communicating more clearly and confidently, which may support speech therapy
- improving functional independence, which may support physiotherapy
- participating in the community, which may support exercise physiology or social work
Work with your NDIS planner or support coordinator to ensure your goals are practical, specific and linked to daily functioning.
2. Find service providers
Once your goals are clear, the next step is finding providers who specialise in the skills you want to build.
Look for NDIS-registered providers who deliver therapy or training focused on daily living and capacity building. The right provider should understand your goals, explain how their support will help, and tailor services to your needs.
Choosing a provider with experience in Improved Daily Living supports can make it easier to demonstrate how the funding will be used effectively.
3. Request funding
When preparing for a planning meeting or plan review, clearly request Improved Daily Living funding and explain how it supports your goals.
Reports from therapists or allied health professionals can support your request by clearly linking the support to your goals and daily functioning.
4. Attend sessions
Once funding is approved, you can begin working with your chosen provider.
As mentioned above, support may be delivered by occupational therapists, allied health professionals or trained practitioners who focus on building skills, confidence and independence.
Sessions may take place in your home, the community or a clinical setting, depending on your goals.
5. Review progress and adjust supports
Improved Daily Living supports aren’t fixed forever.
Check in on progress regularly to ensure the supports remain helpful and relevant. As your independence grows, services can be adjusted to reflect changing needs or new goals.
This ongoing review helps ensure your funding continues to deliver meaningful outcomes while maintaining choice and flexibility.
FAQs
What is the difference between Improved Daily Living and CB Daily Activity?
There is no difference between Improved Daily Living and CB Daily Activity. These labels refer to the same NDIS Capacity Building funding that pays for therapy, assessments and skill-building supports designed to increase your independence.
Specifically, CB Daily Activity is the official name used by the NDIS, particularly in the myplace portal. Meanwhile, Improved Daily Living is the more common term used by providers, support coordinators and participants.
Am I eligible for Improved Daily Living NDIS funding?
Eligibility depends on your individual NDIS plan and goals. If your plan includes goals focused on building independence, everyday life skills, or capacity, you likely qualify for Improved Daily Living funding.
This support category is available to NDIS participants of all ages when it aligns with their approved goals.
Children under 7 usually access this support through Early Childhood Intervention, with a focus on developmental skills.
NDIS participants aged 7 and over can use this funding for therapy, training and assessments that build functional skills and independence.
Your plan wording or support coordinator can confirm whether this funding is included.
Can I allocate my Improved Daily Living funding to various services as I please?
If you have an NDIS PACE plan, the answer is generally yes.
PACE plans allow flexibility within the Improved Daily Living category. This means you can usually use the funding on any therapy or support that fits the category and helps you work towards your goals.
For instance, if your goal is to improve day-to-day independence, and you have $5,000 in Improved Daily Living funding, you could use it for occupational therapy, skill-based training, or a mix of these supports, depending on what is most helpful.
Older non-PACE plans may include stated supports. For example, your plan might say “$5,000 for occupational therapy to build independence”. In this case, the funding must be used only for occupational therapy and cannot be redirected to other therapeutic supports.
Always check your plan details if you are unsure.
Does Improved Daily Living funding cover support workers and home modifications?
Improved Daily Living funding does not cover:
- Equipment purchases: these fall under Capital Supports (although assessments recommending equipment are covered)
- Home modifications: also funded through Capital Supports, with assessments included
- Ongoing support work: funded through Core Supports
- Purely recreational activities: unless there is a clear therapeutic or skill-building purpose linked to your goals
Remember that this funding is specifically for building skills, not for day-to-day assistance or equipment costs.
Do I need to see the same therapist every time?
No, you do not need to keep seeing the same therapist. You may change providers if a service is not the right fit or is no longer meeting your needs.
That said, consistency can be helpful for skill development, especially over time. The most important factor is that the therapy supports your goals and works well for you.
Can I use this funding for home visits?
Yes. Home visits are covered under the Improved Daily Living NDIS category, as long as the service supports your goals and meets funding criteria.
In-home sessions can be especially effective for learning practical daily living skills in your own space.
Can I use this funding for group activities?
Yes, provided the activity has a clear skill-building purpose.
Group programs can be funded when they focus on developing functional skills, capacity or independence and align with your NDIS goals.
Purely social or recreational groups are not covered unless there is a clear therapeutic or developmental outcome.
Get personalised NDIS support in Newcastle and the Hunter
Improved Daily Living is an NDIS funding category designed to build lasting confidence and capability. With the right providers, it helps transform daily challenges into steady progress. Each skill gained supports greater independence, stronger routines, and more control over your life.
At Hunter Care Group, we work alongside you to understand your goals and translate your NDIS plan into supports that genuinely fit your life. From Support Coordination and Supported Independent Living to psychosocial recovery coaching, everything we do is guided by choice, dignity, and what matters most to you.
If you’re looking for trusted NDIS support in Newcastle or the Hunter region, our friendly team is here to help. Call (02) 4950 2269 or enquire online today.