Can NDIS Pay for Cleaning and Gardening?

This is one of those questions we hear all the time — and honestly, the NDIS website doesn't make it super clear. You're at home, the floors need mopping, the garden's turning into a jungle, and you're thinking: can my plan actually cover this?

The short answer is yes — with a few important caveats. The NDIS can pay for cleaning and gardening under what's called household tasks, which sits inside your Core Supports budget. But it's not a blank cheque for a full-time housekeeper. There are rules about what counts, how much you can claim, and when it's considered reasonable and necessary.

Let's break it down properly, without the jargon.

Where cleaning and gardening fit in your NDIS plan

Household tasks fall under Assistance with Daily Life, which is part of your Core Supports budget. The NDIS calls this Category 1.01 — Assistance with Daily Personal Activities, but it also covers help around the house when your disability means you can't do those tasks yourself (or they take you significantly longer than they would someone without a disability).

If you want to understand the full picture of what Core Supports covers, we've got a detailed breakdown of NDIS Core Supports that walks through every category.

Here's what typically falls under household tasks:

• General cleaning — vacuuming, mopping, dusting, cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, washing floors
• Laundry — washing, drying, folding, and ironing clothes and linen
• Meal preparation — cooking meals and cleaning up afterwards
• Basic gardening — lawn mowing, weeding, pruning, keeping paths clear
• Changing bed linen and other heavier household chores

The "reasonable and necessary" test

Everything the NDIS funds has to pass the reasonable and necessary test. For household tasks, that usually comes down to:

• Is this task something you'd normally do yourself? If you share a house with others who don't have a disability, the NDIS expects them to chip in for their share of household chores. The NDIS only covers your portion.
• Is it directly related to your disability? If you can't do the task because of your disability — not because you're busy or don't feel like it — that's what the NDIS cares about.
• Is it value for money? A standard cleaning service is fine. A luxury deep-clean every week probably isn't.

Honestly, this is the bit that trips people up the most. The NDIS isn't judging whether your house is messy — it's looking at whether your disability prevents you from keeping it in a basic, liveable state. If you can vacuum but it leaves you exhausted and in pain for two days, that absolutely counts.

How much can you actually claim?

There's no hard dollar cap — it depends on what's in your plan. The NDIS looks at your individual circumstances and allocates a reasonable number of hours per week or fortnight.

A typical allocation might be anywhere from 2 to 6 hours a week, depending on your support needs and living situation. If you live alone and your disability significantly affects your mobility, you might get more. If you share with family members who can handle some tasks, you'll generally get less.

The current NDIS rate for household tasks is set in the NDIS Support Catalogue — as of mid-2026, it sits around $55–$60 per hour on a weekday, with slightly higher rates for evenings and weekends.

What about gardening — where's the line?

This is where it gets a bit fuzzy. Basic garden maintenance — mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, trimming hedges you can reach — generally falls under household tasks. But the NDIS probably won't cover:

• Major landscaping or garden renovations
• Tree removal (unless it's a safety issue)
• Installing new garden beds or paving
• Ongoing gardening that's purely aesthetic

The rule of thumb: if the garden's become a hazard or it's stopping you from safely using your outdoor space, you've got a strong case. If it's just that the roses need deadheading, you're probably on your own.

Self-managed vs plan-managed — does it matter?

It does, actually. If you're self-managed, you can hire anyone — including a local cleaner or gardener who isn't an NDIS-registered provider. You just pay them and claim it back through the portal.

If you're plan-managed (like with us — we're biased, but we think it's the best of both worlds), your plan manager handles the invoices and you can still use unregistered providers. No paperwork, no portal, no chasing receipts. You find a cleaner you trust, they send us the bill, we pay it within 48 hours.

If you're NDIA-managed, you're more limited — you generally need to use NDIS-registered providers, and finding registered cleaners and gardeners can be trickier than finding registered therapists.

If you're not sure how your plan is managed, check out our guide to the differences between self-managed, plan-managed, and NDIA-managed.

A few practical tips

• Get it in your plan from the start. If household tasks aren't mentioned in your planning meeting, they won't be funded. Bring it up — explain what you can't do and why.
• Keep it reasonable. The NDIS is more likely to fund 3 hours of cleaning a week than 10. Start with what you genuinely need.
• Document everything. If your plan manager or the NDIA asks for justification, having a note from your OT or GP about why you need household help makes a real difference.
• You don't need a registered provider. With plan management, your local cleaner is fine. They just need an ABN and an invoice.

At the end of the day, cleaning and gardening supports are one of the most practical things the NDIS funds — and one of the most underused, because people don't realise they're covered. If keeping your home safe and liveable is a struggle because of your disability, it's worth asking for.