NDIS updates
Internal Review vs ART: The First Step Most People Miss
You usually can't go straight to the Tribunal — and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Here's how the two review steps fit together.
Key points
- You usually can't go straight to the Tribunal — and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
- Here's how the two review steps fit together.
Internal review comes first
For most NDIS decisions, the pathway is: request an internal review (a 'review of a reviewable decision') within three months of the decision, and only then — if the outcome is still wrong — apply to the ART, generally within 28 days of the internal review decision.
People regularly miss this and apply to the Tribunal too early, only to have the application paused or redirected. The ART exists to review the internal review decision, not the original one.
Don't treat internal review as a formality
It's tempting to see internal review as a hoop to jump through on the way to the Tribunal. That undersells it. A decent proportion of decisions are changed at internal review when they're met with proper evidence — particularly where the original decision was made on thin information.
The evidence strategy is identical at both stages: specific, independent clinical findings that answer the decision's reasoning. A strong report submitted with the internal review request can end the matter without the Tribunal ever being involved.
Evidence carries forward
Nothing you gather for the internal review is wasted at the ART — it's the same file, built on. Reports, statements and records all carry into the Tribunal matter, and the internal review decision itself gives you a fresh set of reasons to target.
If you're at either stage and unsure what evidence would actually move the decision, our NDIS ART review assessments page explains how we assess what a matter needs — and you can tell us what was rejected through the enquiry form there.
References and further reading
Information checked against the official sources above on 2 September 2026.
This article provides general information only. NDIS rules and individual circumstances can change; check current official guidance or seek advice about your situation.
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