Turning 65 on the NDIS: what changes, and the decision you can't undo

Nothing happens on the birthday. The NDIS is clear: “You can stay on the NDIS once you turn 65, as long as you became a participant before your 65th birthday.” There is no cut-off, no transfer, and no form to fill in.

What ends the plan is a decision, not an age. And it is one of the few decisions in either system that cannot be undone.

What actually triggers leaving

Two things, both after 65: moving permanently into residential aged care, or starting to receive aged care services at home. The NDIS states the reason plainly — “you can’t get NDIS and aged care supports at the same time”.

So the trigger is accepting aged care. Turning 65 on its own changes nothing, and an elderly participant can stay on the scheme indefinitely.

The part most families don’t know

Leaving the NDIS normally comes with a safety net. There is a minimum 90-day cooling-off period, so someone who changes their mind can have the request cancelled.

It does not apply here:

The cooling off period doesn’t apply if you’re leaving the NDIS because you’re receiving aged care supports for the first time after turning 65.

And on residential care specifically, the guidance is blunter still: “This is a legal requirement. There’s no possibility of an internal review.” The plan ends the same day the move happens.

One decision, no review, no cooling-off. That is worth taking slowly.

Which system is better for her?

It depends on what she needs, and the honest answer is that neither is uniformly better.

• The NDIS funds disability-related support and pays the participant to purchase it. Plans tend to carry more therapy, and the person chooses their provider.
• Aged care funds age-related support and pays providers directly. Under Support at Home, physiotherapy is clinical care and carries no participant contribution.

The NDIS frames the crossover as a question of proportion — whether “ageing needs outweigh disability needs”. For someone with a lifelong disability who is now also getting older, that is a genuine judgement call rather than an obvious one.

If she is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

The timing is different, and almost nobody mentions it. First Nations people can access My Aged Care from 50, not 65. That widens the window in which both systems are on the table, and it means the decision arrives earlier than families expect.

What to do before deciding

• Do not accept an aged care offer to “keep options open”. Accepting is the trigger, and there is no way back to the plan afterwards.
• Compare the two on what she actually uses. If most of her plan is therapy and support work, price that against a Support at Home budget before anyone signs anything.
• Ask what happens to her physiotherapist. If the same person can keep visiting under either system, the transition costs her nothing clinically. If not, she starts again with someone who has no idea what she was like last year.
• Get it in writing before the move, not after. Once she is in residential care, the review door is closed.

We deliver physiotherapy under both systems, which means the answer to “can she keep the same physiotherapist?” is usually yes. Our NDIS page and aged care page cover how visits work under each.