NDIS Funding Guides · Nadim Assaf, Pharmacist & Co-Founder · August 2026 · 9 min read

Here is the question we get asked at the Picton counter almost every week: "Will the NDIS pay for a lift chair?" And here is the honest answer most suppliers will not give you upfront: sometimes yes, sometimes no, and the difference usually comes down to how the need is explained. This guide walks you through exactly how the funding works, what evidence you need, and the three situations where the honest answer is that NDIS is not the right pathway at all.

We are pharmacists, not salespeople on commission. If a lift chair is not fundable in your situation, we would rather tell you on page one than after you have spent weeks on paperwork.

First, the rule that decides everything

The NDIS does not fund furniture. It funds disability-related supports that are reasonable and necessary. That distinction is the whole game.

A recliner that is simply comfortable for an ageing person is furniture. A lift recline chair that a participant needs because their disability means they cannot stand from seated without mechanical assistance, or cannot reposition themselves to manage pressure risk, is assistive technology. Same object, different framing, completely different funding outcome.

Which funding tier a lift chair falls into

The NDIS sorts assistive technology into three cost tiers, and lift chairs almost always land in the middle one.

Low cost AT is anything under $1,500 per item. You can buy it from your core budget without quotes or formal approval. A handful of entry lift chairs sneak under this line, like the Imperial at $1,499.95, which is one reason it is popular with self-managed participants.

Mid cost AT covers $1,500 to $15,000 per item, which is where nearly every quality lift chair sits, from the Pride C101 at $1,999 to the pressure-care and tilt models around $4,000 to $6,000. For this tier the NDIS wants written advice from an allied health professional or AT advisor confirming the item meets your needs and is value for money. Not a full assessment report. Written advice. That is a much lower bar than most people think.

High cost AT is over $15,000 and needs a full assessor report plus quotes. Standard lift chairs do not reach this tier, so you can stop worrying about it.

The five steps, in order

1. Check your plan has the budget. Lift chairs are usually claimed from capital supports (assistive technology) or, for low cost items, core consumables. If you are not sure what your plan includes, call us on 1300 216 888 with the plan in front of you and we will read it with you. That call costs nothing.

2. Get the written advice. Your occupational therapist or physiotherapist writes a short letter: what the disability-related need is, why a lift recline chair addresses it, and roughly what it costs. If you do not have an OT, we work with therapists across Macarthur and the Wollondilly weekly and can point you to ones who actually return calls.

3. Trial before anything is committed. This is where most chair mistakes are prevented. Seat depth, seat height, back height and lift speed all feel different in person, and the wrong size chair works against your body every single day. Sit in several at our Picton showroom, or we bring shortlisted chairs to your home. Trial notes also strengthen the therapist's letter. Book a free trial here.

4. Get the quote. Ours go out the same day, with the correct NDIS support item number and wording plan managers expect, because a quote that bounces wastes everyone's month.

5. Order according to how your plan is managed. Self-managed: you can purchase and claim. Plan-managed: we invoice your plan manager directly and there is no chasing. Agency-managed: the approval goes through the NDIA first, and we will tell you honestly that this route is slower.

The three honest exceptions

If the need is ageing, not disability. Weak knees at 78 without an NDIS plan is not an NDIS matter. The pathway is aged care funding through a Home Care Package, or simply buying well once. A quality single motor chair starts under $2,000 and lasts a decade.

If a cheaper support solves the same problem. The planner will ask this, so ask it first. Sometimes a $250 chair raiser set genuinely fixes standing difficulty. When that is true, we say so, because funding a $4,000 chair when $250 would do is exactly how participants end up with less budget for what matters.

If the chair is wanted for comfort alone. We love a comfortable recliner as much as anyone. Buy it happily. Just not with NDIS funds, because a rejected claim delays every future request in your plan review.

Which chair? The 60-second orientation

We stock more than 40 lift recline chairs, which is useless information until it is narrowed. The short version: single motor chairs (backrest and footrest move together) suit most people and start at $1,499.95. Dual motor chairs (backrest and legs move independently) suit anyone who sleeps in the chair, manages swelling, or spends long hours seated, from $1,999. Petite frames need the Pride C1 petite, larger bodies are properly served by the LC-358XL rated to 227kg, and pressure injury risk points you to the X8 pressure care chair. We wrote a full comparison in our dual vs single motor guide, and the whole range lives in the lift chair collection.

Questions we answer every week

How long does NDIS approval take for a lift chair?

Self and plan-managed participants with written advice in hand can usually order within days. Agency-managed requests run weeks to months depending on the NDIA queue. The slowest step is almost always waiting for the therapist letter, which is why we help you organise it early.

Do I need an OT assessment or just a letter?

For mid cost AT the NDIS asks for written advice from an allied health professional or AT advisor, not a formal assessment report. A one-page letter covering need, suitability and cost is generally sufficient. High cost AT over $15,000 needs the full report, but lift chairs do not reach that tier.

Can I trial a chair before the funding is approved?

Yes, and you should. Trials at our Picton showroom or in your home are free and carry no obligation. Trial notes also make the funding case stronger, because the therapist can write that a specific chair was tested and fits.

What if I am over 65?

The NDIS is generally for people who joined before turning 65. Over 65, the equivalent support comes through aged care funding such as a Home Care Package, and lift chairs are commonly approved there too. Call us and we will point you down the right corridor instead of the wrong queue.

This guide describes NDIS assistive technology rules as published by the NDIA at the time of writing (August 2026): low cost under $1,500, mid cost $1,500 to $15,000, high cost above $15,000. Funding decisions always rest with the NDIA and depend on your individual plan. Written by Nadim Assaf, registered pharmacist and co-founder of Connect Mobility, Picton NSW.