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A young man with down syndrome stands with his support worker in a plant nursery. They are considering the Participant Service Guarantee and how nothing is completed on time.

Navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can be overwhelming, especially when timely responses and support are critical to your quality of life. That’s why the Participant Service Guarantee (PSG) was introduced — to set clear expectations around how long key NDIS processes should take, helping to improve transparency, trust and accountability within the system.

The PSG outlines timeframes that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) aims to meet when making decisions about access, planning, implementation, plan changes and reviews. These benchmarks are designed to ensure participants are not left waiting unnecessarily and can access supports without delay.

Two young girls with disabilities look at the camera in a nursery. Participant Service Guarantees for children are being kept up in 99% of cases.

How Are We Tracking?

According to the NDIS Quarterly Performance Dashboard (March 2025), some small areas are showing improvement, while others have dropped significantly, highlighting the need for continued focus. The time periods and percentages of successfully meeting the participant service guarantee below are between 31st December 2024 and the 31st of March.

Here’s a snapshot of performance:

  • Plan approvals for the early childhood approach have dropped the least, with a 1% drop between December 2024 – March 2025. The drop was from 100 to 99% of approvals being completed within the guaranteed 56 days.
  • Plan approvals after an access decision was made have risen slightly in the period between December 2024 – March 2025, from 81 to 86% being completed within the 56 day participant service guarantee.
  • Implementation meetings are continuing to happen promptly, with 84% held within 7 days of plan approval, a rise of 1% from December 2024.
  • Plan reassessments are seeing gains, with 64% of scheduled reassessments commenced on time, up from 51% last quarter. The participant service guarantee for this metric is 56 days.
  • Internal reviews, which should be completed within 60 days, met the target 49% of the time, a huge drop from 66% in December. This has led to even more participants going without support they desperately need during the transitional period.

A woman is speaking to another using sign language on the couch.

That said, several areas remain significantly behind the service guarantee targets:

  • Only 9% of access decisions were made within the 21-day guarantee, dropping from 15% the previous quarter. Making an access decision after a participant has submitted further documentation also fell from 26 to 13% in the last quarter.
  • Decisions about whether to go ahead with participant-requested reassessments were on time just 22% of the time, a 1% drop from the last quarter.
  • Plan amendments triggered by new information met the 28-day timeframe in only 39% of cases. Plan amendments can include a planner making a mistake like forgetting a zero when providing funding for essential items like a wheelchair.

Delays in NDIS decisions mean delays in vital supports. Whether you’re seeking access, making changes to your plan, or requesting a review, timely decisions make a real difference in participants independence, wellbeing and peace of mind.

The PSG exists to hold the NDIA accountable and improve service delivery for participants and their families. While small progress has been made in planning and implementation, the data shows ongoing challenges and regression in areas like access decisions and plan amendments. Even more concerningly, there are several data points that are not measured by the NDIA, like the 28 day participant service guarantee of holding a plan implementation meeting after a participant has accepted the plan.

What You Can Do
  • Know your rights: Understanding the PSG helps you advocate for yourself or others more confidently.
  • Keep records: Note when you submit requests or paperwork so you can track how long responses take.
  • Seek support: If you’re experiencing delays, a support coordinator or advocacy service can help you escalate the issue. You can also regularly call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 to ensure your documentation has been received & for escalation.

Want to do a deep dive? You can find out more data on the NDIS Quarterly report here.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the current state of the NDIS, we do a weekly blog on our website.