Funding
Yes, you may be able to get government funding towards a home lift, but it will rarely cover the whole cost.
If you're approved for the Support at Home program, the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme can contribute up to $15,390 towards changes that make your home safer to get around. An occupational therapist (OT) has to prescribe the work, you'll usually pay a share based on your pension status, and the money has to be spent within a set time.
How AT-HM worksNDIS home modification funding can cover a lift for eligible participants where it's assessed as reasonable and necessary. If a home lift is approved, funding is included under Capital Supports, specifically the Home Modifications budget within your plan.
How NDIS lift funding worksLift Ease works alongside your occupational therapist (OT) and can provide the quotes and product information needed for NDIS and Support at Home funding applications.
Lift Ease is completing NDIS provider registration.
Support at Home
Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. It funds ongoing help at home through a quarterly budget, and it also includes AT-HM, a separate pot of money for equipment and home modifications. Because AT-HM sits outside your quarterly budget, you don't have to save up for months to afford a bigger change to your home.
AT-HM is split into assistive technology (equipment) and home modifications (changes to the building itself). Each has three funding tiers:
| Home modifications tier | Budget |
|---|---|
| Low | $513 |
| Medium | $2,052 |
| High | $15,390 |
These are the rates in effect from 1 July 2026. The scheme launched with a $15,000 high tier, which is why you'll still see that figure on older pages.
The high tier is meant for larger, more complex work, and it isn't limited to the lift or rail itself. Under the government's AT-HM guidelines, home modifications funding can pay for:
It's a lifetime cap. The $15,390 high tier is once-off. It has a deadline. Funding must be spent, not just committed, within 12 months. For complex jobs your provider can apply to extend this to 24 months by showing progress, such as council approvals, plans or a signed building contract. Some things are excluded. AT-HM won't pay for general renovations, normal maintenance, cosmetic work, layout changes unrelated to your care needs, or any modification an OT hasn't prescribed.
Stair lifts are named in the government's examples of home modifications. A fully enclosed home lift isn't, so whether yours can be funded comes down to two things: whether the lift matches an item on the AT-HM list, and whether your OT prescribes it as the right answer to your assessed needs.
A home lift tends to come into the conversation when a stair lift isn't safe or practical, for example when:
Even when a home lift is prescribed, a fully installed lift costs well over $15,390. In practice the AT-HM funding goes towards the lift and you cover the balance. Ask your provider how the remaining amount will be handled before anything is ordered.
To use AT-HM you need to be approved for Support at Home. That generally means you're 65 or older (50 or older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and an aged care assessment finds you need help to keep living at home. You can start by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, applying online, or asking your GP or hospital to refer you.
Home modifications count as "independence" services under Support at Home, so most people pay a contribution:
| Your situation | Contribution on home modifications |
|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 5% |
| Part pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder | 5% to 50%, based on income and assets |
| Self-funded retiree | 50% |
The OT's prescription and follow-up are clinical supports, so the government pays for them in full.
NDIS
The NDIS can fund a wide range of home modifications that help a participant move around safely and live more independently because of their disability. Installing an elevator or lift sits firmly in the complex modifications category, alongside extensive electrical, plumbing, or structural changes to a home.
If a home lift is approved, funding is included under Capital Supports, specifically the Home Modifications budget within your plan. Funds allocated here can only be used for the modification described in your plan, so the scope of works needs to be accurate and agreed upfront before installation begins.
Home modifications can only be funded for a home you own, or a home where the owner has agreed the modifications can go ahead. If you are renting or living with family, this consent needs to be sorted out early, because it is one of the first things the NDIS will ask about.
Generally you will need an occupational therapist report confirming the lift is necessary for your daily living and safety, and that it cannot reasonably be achieved through a simpler or lower cost option, such as relocating living areas to one level of the home. You will also need a formal quote from a qualified installer, and in most cases a structural review confirming the home can support the modification.
To be considered for home lift funding, you generally need to be a qualifying NDIS participant. This means being under 65 years of age, an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Special Category Visa holder, and meeting the scheme's disability requirements.
Because a lift is a high cost capital item, it requires NDIA review and approval before any installation can proceed. This process takes time, often several months, so it is worth starting well before you need the lift in place.
Building approval is not optional for a permanently installed lift, and this permit documentation forms part of the compliance record the NDIS expects to see.
Read the full NDIS home lift funding guide
How residential lifts empower independence: an NDIS guide
FAQs
Possibly. AT-HM can put up to $15,390 towards prescribed home modifications. Stair lifts are a named example; a home lift depends on the AT-HM list and your OT's prescription. The funding usually covers part of the cost, not all of it.
No. The high tier for home modifications is a lifetime amount.
Yes. Every home modification under AT-HM needs an OT prescription, and you don't pay a contribution towards it.
Your provider sources the work, but you can ask them to get a quote from a particular supplier. If you self-manage, you can choose suppliers with your provider's agreement.
Yes. They're used before your AT-HM funding, and no contribution applies to them.
Yes, in the right circumstances. The NDIS treats a home lift as a complex home modification, funded through the Capital Supports, Home Modifications budget, provided it meets the scheme's funding criteria and is supported by the right evidence.
Generally an occupational therapist report confirming the lift is necessary, a formal quote from a qualified installer, and a structural review. More complex projects may also involve a building construction practitioner or independent project manager.
You generally need to be under 65, an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Special Category Visa holder, and meet the NDIS disability requirements, including having a permanent impairment that significantly affects your daily participation and independence.
Because a lift is a high cost capital item requiring NDIA review, approval can take several months. It is worth starting the process well ahead of when you actually need the lift installed.
Home modifications can only be funded for a home you own, or one where the owner has agreed in writing that modifications can be made.
This page is general information only. It isn't financial, legal, clinical or aged care advice, and it doesn't take your personal circumstances into account. Whether you're eligible for funding, how much you receive and what you contribute will depend on your assessment, your OT's prescription, your provider and your income and assets. Funding amounts, eligibility rules and legislation change from time to time. Before making any decisions, confirm the current rules with My Aged Care (1800 200 422), the NDIS, your provider or a qualified professional.
Whether you've already got a prescription or you're just starting the assessment process, we can tell you what a lift would involve in your home.
