NDIS evidence checklist: before you apply or reassess
This NDIS evidence checklist is a calm way to look through the reports and letters you already hold, before you apply or go into a reassessment. It walks you through what the NDIA asks your evidence to show, so you can spot what is clearly there, what is thin, and where a short written confirmation from someone who already knows you might help. It is a self-check, not a decision. Only the NDIA decides who is eligible.
Most participants and families we speak to already hold more useful evidence than they realise. It is often sitting in old assessments, GP letters, therapy reports, and participant and carer impact statements. The hard part is knowing what the NDIA is actually looking for, and how your documents line up against it. Work through the points below with your own paperwork in front of you.
What the NDIA looks for in your evidence
The NDIA’s guidance on providing evidence of your disability describes the features of good evidence. Good evidence is recent. It comes from a treating professional who is relevant to the disability and has known the person for a reasonable period of time, for example at least six months. It confirms the disability. It describes the impact across everyday areas of life. And it describes past and likely future treatments or supports, and their outcomes.
You can use that as a standard to hold your own documents against. Here is that standard, broken into things you can actually check.
1. Does your evidence name the disability and who identified it?
Look for a clear statement of the disability, and the name and role of the professional who set it out. A diagnosis on its own is not the whole picture for the NDIS, but it is usually part of it. Check that it is written down somewhere, not just something you have been told in a conversation.
2. Does it describe impact across the six everyday areas?
The NDIA asks your evidence to describe how the impairment affects daily life across six everyday areas: mobility and motor skills, communication, social interaction, learning, self-care, and self-management. Read your documents and mark which of these areas they actually mention. Many reports cover two or three well and barely touch the rest. Our guide to functional impact across everyday areas explains each one in plain language. Your disability may not impact you across all life areas – it’s ok to not have evidence in all life areas, but if something looks like it’s missing you can put it in.
3. Does it say whether the impact is expected to continue?
The NDIA looks at whether the impairment is likely to be permanent, meaning it is expected to continue. A diagnosis for a disability, even one that is clinically considered to be lifelong, is not considered enough by the NDIA to show it is permanent. Check whether your evidence says something about how long the impairment is expected to last, and whether available treatments or supports are about managing impact and building capacity rather than resolving the impairment. If your documents don’t state this, it is a common gap.
4. Is it recent?
Recent evidence carries more weight. There is no single magic date, and older reports can still be useful, especially for a lifelong impairment. But if everything you hold is several years old, note that. A newer letter that confirms the current picture can sit alongside the older reports.
5. Is it from a treating professional who actually knows you?
The NDIA values evidence from a treating professional who is relevant to the disability and has known the person over a reasonable period, for example six months or more. Check who wrote each document and how well they know the person. A one-off assessment from someone who met the person once is not necessarily considered by the NDIA as the same as a letter from a professional who has worked with them for a year.
6. Are there concrete everyday examples?
General statements like “has difficulty with daily tasks” are weaker than concrete examples. Look for real, specific detail: what a typical morning looks like, what help is needed and how often, what happens on a hard day. Everyday examples make the impact clear to someone who has never met the person.
An honest word about the checklist
Ticking every point does not mean you will be approved. A blank does not mean you will be knocked back. That is not how this works, and we will not pretend otherwise. Only the NDIA decides. What this checklist does is show you where your evidence looks solid and where it is quiet, so you can decide whether it is worth asking a treating professional to describe or confirm in writing something they already know. That is often a short letter, not a whole new process.
If you are going into a reassessment rather than a first application, some of the emphasis shifts. Our guide to preparing evidence for a plan reassessment walks through what changes and what stays the same. And if you want more detail on what "good" looks like, see what counts as good evidence of disability.
Download the checklist
If it helps to have this in your hand while you go through your paperwork, you can download a printable, fillable version.
Where MagMindLab fits
MagMindLab was founded by a social worker who is also a parent of an NDIS participant, so this comes from lived experience of how tiring and repetitive the process can be. Our Evidence Alignment report reads the disability reports and letters you already have against the current NDIS rules, and shows where your evidence appears strong, where the gaps are, and what you might do next. It does not decide your eligibility and it never gives clinical advice. It is a way to see clearly where you stand before you spend more time or money. You can also browse all our NDIS evidence guides.
Frequently asked questions
Does ticking everything on the checklist mean I will be approved?
No. The checklist is a self-check, not a decision. Ticking every point does not mean you will be approved, and a blank does not mean you will be knocked back. Only the NDIA decides who is eligible. The checklist just helps you see where your evidence looks strong and where it is thin.
What are the six everyday areas the NDIS looks at?
The NDIA asks your evidence to describe impact across mobility and motor skills, communication, social interaction, learning, self-care, and self-management. Many reports cover some of these well and barely mention the rest, so it is worth checking each one against your documents.
My reports are a few years old. Are they still useful?
They can be. Recent evidence carries more weight, but older reports can still be useful, especially for a lifelong impairment. If everything you hold is several years old, a newer letter that confirms the current picture can sit alongside the older documents.
Can I ask my doctor to write something to fill a gap?
You can ask a treating professional to describe or confirm in writing something they already know, for example a short letter confirming the disability and how it affects daily life. MagMindLab does not give clinical advice and does not tell you to get any specific new assessment, test or diagnosis.