If you're buying an AAC app like Proloquo, Proloquo2Go, LAMP Words for Life, Grid for iPad, Avaz AAC, or SimPODD with NDIS funding, the process changed in November 2024. Apps and tablets now sit under the NDIS Replacement Supports framework, which means an application has to be approved before you can use NDIS funds to buy them.
This article walks through what that means in practice, and how to actually get the app once you have approval, regardless of how your plan is managed.
The first step: Replacement Support approval
Before NDIS funds can be used to purchase an AAC app, the participant, their nominee, or their plan manager must have a Replacement Support approval in place. This applies to all plan management types, including self-managed participants who plan to buy and claim back.
There are now two ways to get this approval. If you're in a plan review, reassessment, or variation conversation right now, the fastest route is to ask your planner to approve the Replacement Support directly at plan stage. The NDIA's published guidance now confirms planners can do this without a separate application. If your plan is already in place, you'll need to lodge a Replacement Support application via one of three pathways:
- By email to enquiries@ndis.gov.au
- Through your Local Area Coordinator
- Via the myNDIS portal
The application is typically supported by a recommendation letter from a Speech Pathologist. Strictly speaking, the NDIA does not require this letter (a participant can apply with only their own description of how the support will help), but a well-structured letter substantially improves the chances of approval and reduces decision time. The application also includes a quote or service agreement showing the bundle cost.
Assessment for mid-plan applications typically takes 6 to 8 weeks. If you'd like the detail on how applications are assessed and what the recommendation letter needs to contain, our companion article NDIS Replacement Support Applications: How Delegates Assess Them covers the full process and includes a downloadable Decision Guide for Speech Pathologists.
To make the supporting paperwork easier, our self-service tool at easyas.assistivetech.com.au lets you generate a draft service agreement ready to submit with your application, with all costs (including shipping) already included.
Once you have approval: buying the app
The way you actually purchase and pay for the app depends on how your NDIS plan is managed. The three pathways below cover the most common scenarios.
Self-managed participants
Once your Replacement Support is approved, you have two options:
Option 1: buy direct from the App Store. Sign into your Apple App Store account and buy the app using your normal payment method. Apple will email you a tax invoice that you can upload in the NDIS portal to claim against your approved funding.
Option 2: order through Assistive Tech. If you don't have the up-front capacity to pay and wait for reimbursement, head to our AAC apps collection, add the app you need to your cart, and at checkout select "Self Managed". We'll email you a tax invoice that you can upload to the NDIS portal. Once you receive the funds, pay our invoice by bank transfer and we'll issue you a redemption card to use against your Apple ID, which you can then use to download the app.
Plan-managed participants
Once your Replacement Support is approved, you have two options:
Option 1: buy direct from the App Store. Download and pay for the app via your Apple App Store account. Apple will email you a receipt that you submit to your plan manager for reimbursement using their standard process.
Option 2: order through Assistive Tech. Visit our AAC apps collection, add the app to your cart, and at checkout select "Plan Managed". We'll email you a service agreement to sign, then send the tax invoice directly to your plan manager. Once we receive remittance from your plan manager, we'll issue you a redemption card to use against your Apple ID.
Agency-managed (NDIA-managed) participants
Once your Replacement Support is approved, visit our AAC apps collection, add the app to your cart, and at checkout select "Agency Managed". We'll email you a service agreement to sign, process the service booking with the NDIS, and issue you a redemption card to use against your Apple ID, usually within 24 hours of the service booking being processed.
Multi-year subscription apps
Several AAC apps from AssistiveWare, including Proloquo, Proloquo2Go, Proloquo4Text, and SimPODD, are sold as annual subscriptions. We can supply 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5-year licenses for these apps, with the multi-year option often working out significantly cheaper per year than annual renewals.
For multi-year purchases, we need the email address you used to set up your AssistiveWare account so we can associate the multi-year license with it. If you don't have an AssistiveWare account yet, we can guide you through setting one up before the purchase.
Apps we supply
We stock the most widely-used AAC apps used by Australian Speech Pathologists and AT advisors, including:
- Proloquo (AssistiveWare's symbol-based AAC app for emergent and developing communicators)
- Proloquo2Go (AssistiveWare's established robust AAC system)
- Proloquo4Text (text-based AAC for literate users)
- LAMP Words for Life (motor planning-based AAC on the TouchChat platform)
- Grid for iPad (Smartbox's flexible AAC and accessibility app)
- Avaz AAC (Australian-developed AAC app)
- Unity AAC
If your Speech Pathologist has recommended an app we don't stock, contact us. We can usually source it.
Buying an iPad too?
If your Replacement Support approval covers both an iPad and an AAC app (which it usually does for first-time AAC users), it's typically more cost-effective and clinically cleaner to buy them as a bundle. Our iPad AAC Communication Bundles include the iPad, the case, the app license, and professional setup services in one package, with prices starting around $1,500 for most app combinations.
If you've been approved for "$5,000 for a Communication Device" or similar, our companion article NDIS Communication Device Funding: What It Actually Covers explains how that approval applies to iPad-based AAC bundles versus dedicated communication devices.
What if I just buy the app personally?
Nothing stops you buying any App Store app with your own money. You don't need NDIS approval to buy an app personally. You only need Replacement Support approval if you want to claim the cost back from your NDIS funding.
If you buy an AAC app personally without approval and later try to claim it from your NDIS plan, the claim will be rejected. So if NDIS funding is your intended source, get the Replacement Support approval first.
Need help?
If you're unsure where to start, or want to talk through the application process before lodging anything, our team can help:
- Phone: 1300 088 222
- Email: support@assistivetech.com.au
- Browse: AAC Apps | iPad AAC Bundles | NDIS iPads
We can walk you through bundle composition, pricing, and what your Speech Pathologist's recommendation letter needs to address. We don't write recommendation letters, that's the clinician's professional responsibility, but we can help with everything that sits on the supplier side.
This article reflects NDIS guidance current at time of publication, including the framework set out in FOI 25/26-1041, released by the NDIA on 28 November 2025. For the most up-to-date information on what the NDIS funds, refer to the NDIS Operational Guidelines: Would we fund it?
