Your comprehensive guide to NDIS functional capacity assessments

A Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) is a detailed report, usually written by an occupational therapist, that shows how your disability affects everyday life across six areas: communication, learning, mobility, self-care, self-management and social interaction. You don't need one to apply for the NDIS, but it gives planners clear evidence of your support needs, and it is still one of the most useful documents to have for access requests, plan reassessments and decision reviews.

The way the NDIA builds plans is starting to change. From April 2027, participants will begin moving to new framework planning, where the NDIA arranges its own support needs assessment. Until you move across, FCAs work the way they do today. This guide covers how an FCA works right now, what to expect on the day, and what the 2026 and 2027 changes mean for you.

What is a functional capacity assessment?

A Functional Capacity Assessment is an official evaluation of your ability to do everyday tasks at home, at work, at school and in the community.

The NDIA says it can be completed by an occupational therapist (OT), physiotherapist, psychologist or medical specialist, as long as they are qualified to make the assessment. In practice, most are done by OTs.

The assessment gives a clear picture of your strengths, the areas you find difficult, and how your disability affects daily life.

It looks at six areas of functioning:

• Communication: Your ability to communicate your needs and understand others.
• Learning: Your capacity to learn new skills and information.
• Mobility: How you move around your home and community.
• Self-care: Your ability to manage personal hygiene, dressing and eating.
• Self-management: How you handle daily tasks like managing money, appointments and household chores.
• Social interaction: Your capacity to build and maintain relationships and take part in social activities.

To be eligible for NDIS funding, you need a permanent impairment that substantially reduces your ability to do these activities.

Why is a Functional Capacity Assessment important for your NDIS plan?

An FCA isn't required for every NDIS plan, but a good one does a lot of work on your behalf.

• Justifying funding: The report gives planners evidence for specific supports, therapies or assistive technology, so your requests are backed by more than a description of your day.
• Tailored support: By showing how your disability affects daily functioning, the report helps planners build a plan around your individual needs.
• A clearer picture of change: If your current supports no longer meet your needs, an FCA documents what has changed. This matters more since August 2026, when the rules for asking for an unscheduled plan reassessment tightened. You now need to show a significant and ongoing change in your functional capacity, living situation, education, work or informal supports, and an FCA is a strong way to do that.
• Supporting a review: If you disagree with a decision about your plan, an evidence-based FCA can strengthen your case. Most reviewable decisions need to be requested within three months of receiving the decision in writing, so check the NDIA's guide to decision reviews for the details.

What's the difference between a Functional Capacity Assessment and an Occupational Therapy Assessment?

Because an FCA is often completed by an occupational therapist, it gets confused with a general OT assessment. The two have different purposes.

• An FCA is a broad assessment of your overall functional abilities. It considers where you are now and puts that into a detailed report that informs your NDIS plan.
• A general OT assessment is built around a specific goal, such as working out whether you need a wheelchair or what home modifications would help. Once it's complete, it guides the therapy or equipment that follows.

The two can overlap. An FCA can inform an OT assessment, for example.

What is "substantially reduced functional capacity"?

"Substantially reduced functional capacity" means a significant limitation in your ability to perform daily tasks, take part in activities or engage in life without assistive technology, equipment or support from other people.

Your impairment is considered to significantly reduce your functional capacity if you typically need disability-specific supports to take part in any of the six areas listed above.

How can I get a Functional Capacity Assessment?

You can show your need for NDIS funding without an FCA, which is useful if the cost is a barrier. In that case, a support letter from a health professional that outlines your support needs can do the job.

If you'd like an FCA, you can arrange one before or after you've been granted NDIS funding.

Costs vary with the assessor and the number of hours involved, which can include the assessment itself, report writing and travel. Ask for an itemised quote before you book. The maximum hourly rates for assessments are listed on the NDIS Pricing Arrangements page, and your assessor can charge less than the limit.

If your plan includes Improved Daily Living funding, an FCA is usually paid from there. Read more in our guide to NDIS funding categories, and see the section below on how this budget is changing.

The Functional Capacity Assessment process

The process is designed to be thorough and collaborative. It varies with your needs, but a typical assessment follows these steps:

1. Initial meeting: The OT meets with you to discuss your NDIS goals, your current supports and your daily routine. This can happen at home, at a clinic or a mix of both.
2. Information gathering: The OT collects information from several sources. That includes watching you do everyday tasks, asking about your routine and, with your consent, speaking with family, carers and other health professionals.
3. Practical assessment: The OT assesses your abilities in practice, which might cover your mobility, how you complete household tasks or how you communicate. The OT is there to understand your challenges, not to judge them.
4. Report writing: The OT uses their observations and data to write a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations. This is the most time-consuming part.
5. Review and finalisation: The report is usually reviewed for quality and accuracy before it is finalised and sent to you. The final report is yours to share with your NDIS planner.

What is evaluated during functional capacity assessments?

This depends on your situation and the evidence you submit with your application.

Say you have a disability that significantly affects how you move, but your cognitive abilities are intact. In that case, the NDIA may not need to assess cognitive-related daily activities. The report would likely cover:

• Using toilet facilities
• Eating and feeding
• Dressing, personal hygiene and grooming
• Showering routines
• Using mobility aids and transitions

The assessment will probably also look at your social context, such as how you manage:

• Laundry and cleaning tasks
• Home maintenance
• Managing finances and budgeting
• Using the telephone
• Travel and transport
• Shopping
• Preparing meals and cooking

Who can perform a functional capacity assessment?

Occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and medical specialists can all carry out an FCA, provided they are qualified to do so. The right choice depends on your disability. A psychologist, for example, may be a better fit for a psychosocial disability than an OT.

A referral from your general practitioner can help, because they already know your situation and can suggest a suitable professional. A GP referral isn't a requirement, though, and you can find an assessor yourself.

Not every allied health professional specialises in FCAs. When you're choosing one, ask how many FCA reports they have written for the NDIS and whether they've worked with your type of disability. An assessor who knows what planners look for will link their findings to your goals and your support needs.

How long does a functional capacity assessment take?

The NDIA puts the range at one to ten hours, usually across more than one session. The time depends on how complex your situation is and on how many hours you or the NDIA have allowed for the assessment.

Assessments can take place in your home, at a clinic, or remotely by phone or video call. If you have a planning meeting or review coming up, tell the assessor before you book and ask for the report turnaround time in writing.

How to prepare for your assessment

Preparation is about accuracy. The goal is for your assessor to see your everyday reality, including your hardest days.

• Keep a short diary: Note the tasks you find difficult for a week or two beforehand, and how much time, energy or help they take.
• Describe your worst days as well as your best: If your abilities vary with pain, fatigue, stress or sensory overload, say so. A report based only on a good day understates your needs.
• Gather existing documents: Previous assessments, diagnosis letters and reports from other health professionals all help.
• List your current supports: Include paid supports and the unpaid help you get from family and friends, and what each one actually does.
• Bring someone who knows you well: A family member, carer or support person can fill in details you might forget.

What does an FCA report include?

There is no official NDIS template for an FCA report, but most contain the same key sections:

• Executive summary: A brief overview of the findings and key recommendations.
• Background information: Your medical and developmental history and your current support network.
• Assessment findings: A breakdown of your functional capacity in the six areas, with specific examples and observations.
• Recommendations: The most important section for your NDIS plan. It sets out recommended supports, therapies, assistive technology and home modifications, each tied back to your goals.
• Conclusion: A summary of the report and what it means for your plan.

If the finished report doesn't reflect your situation accurately, raise it with the assessor first. Most are happy to correct a misunderstanding or add an addendum.

How the 2026 reforms affect functional capacity assessments

Parliament passed the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 in August, and the changes roll out in stages between now and 2028. Some of them touch the way FCAs are used, so here is what matters and when.

Key dates

Dates and details can change, so check the NDIA's new way of planning page before making decisions.

What is a support needs assessment?

Under new framework planning, the NDIA will use a support needs assessment to help set your budget. A trained assessor meets with you for a semi-structured interview about the supports you need, then writes a report explaining how your budget was decided.

The assessment is built on a tool called the I-CAN (Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs), version 6, which covers 12 areas of life. It will apply first to participants aged 16 and over.

The NDIA says the aim is to spare participants the time and expense of sourcing reports themselves, so more of your funding goes towards supports.

Will the support needs assessment replace FCAs?

Not entirely, and not yet. The NDIA has said that targeted assessments will be used alongside the I-CAN for people with more complex support needs, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing describes those as including allied health assessments, for things like assistive technology and home modifications. An allied health report may still have a role for some participants once new framework planning begins.

Right now, the practical picture looks like this:

• If you're on a current plan: Nothing changes until the NDIA tells you that you're moving to a new framework plan. FCAs remain useful evidence for plan reassessments and reviews.
• If you're applying to the NDIS now: The current access process applies until 1 January 2028, and an FCA can still support your application.
• If you're thinking about a reassessment: Talk it through with your support coordinator or planner first. When the NDIA agrees to a reassessment, the October budget reductions can apply once your new plan starts.

How the October budget changes link to FCAs

Because FCAs are usually paid for from Improved Daily Living funding, the 10% reduction to that category is worth knowing about. It applies as plans are created, reassessed or renewed, so it won't hit every plan at once. If you're budgeting for an assessment, check how much Improved Daily Living funding your plan has and ask your assessor for an itemised quote.

After you get your NDIS funding

Whether you've undergone a Functional Capacity Assessment or not, securing NDIS funding is a significant step towards independence and achieving your community access goals.

Once you've been granted NDIS funding, you're not alone in this journey. At Like Family, we’re here to offer our support. We're dedicated to helping you work towards your goals via social and community support.

Connect with us today to learn more about our disability support services.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)