Quick answer: In Australia, who pays for a mobility scooter depends mainly on your age and situation. NDIS participants can have assistive technology funded when it is related to their disability. Older Australians use the Support at Home program, whose Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme offers up to $15,000 at the high tier. People outside both can turn to state schemes such as EnableNSW or Victoria’s programme run by SWEP, and veterans can use DVA’s Rehabilitation Appliances Program. Checked on official pages in September 2026; state rules differ, so confirm locally.
Every Australian funding route at a glance
| Scheme | Who it is for | What it can cover | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| NDIS assistive technology | NDIS participants | Assistive technology directly related to your disability, if reasonable and necessary | Through your NDIS plan; advice from an assistive technology advisor for items over $1,500 |
| Support at Home: AT-HM scheme | Older people approved through an aged care assessment | Assistive technology and home modifications: tiers of up to $500, $2,000 or $15,000 | Aged care assessment through My Aged Care (1800 200 422) |
| EnableNSW | NSW residents enrolled with Medicare who are not eligible under NDIS, DVA or aged care for the same need | Loaned mobility equipment including scooters, with an annual co-payment | Prescription by an eligible occupational therapist or physiotherapist |
| Victorian Aids and Equipment Program (SWEP) | Permanent Victorian residents with a long-term health or ageing need, not funded elsewhere | Subsidised equipment including scooters; there may be a gap to pay | Application by a SWEP-registered practitioner |
| Queensland MASS | Queensland residents with a permanent or stable condition who hold an eligible concession card | Daily living and mobility aids, subject to clinical criteria | Application by a MASS-approved prescriber |
| DVA Rehabilitation Appliances Program | Veteran Gold Card holders with a clinically assessed need; White Card holders for accepted conditions | Electric scooters and wheelchairs, plus repairs outside warranty | Your GP or specialist starts the request on DVA forms |
| GST-free medical aids | Anyone buying a qualifying aid | No GST on listed aids specially designed for people with an illness or disability | Applied by the supplier at sale |
NDIS: if you are a participant
The NDIS says it funds assistive technology that is directly related to your disability, helps you work towards your goals, is something its rules allow it to fund, and is supported by evidence. It will not fund items that are not related to your disability or that are more appropriately funded by another government service.
Cost level matters. You may be comfortable buying a low-risk item under $1,500 yourself. For assistive technology over $1,500 you need advice from an assistive technology advisor, and high-cost items also need a quote. The NDIS generally funds the standard level of equipment you need and will fund the most cost-effective option if a cheaper item achieves the same outcome. A recommendation from a health professional does not guarantee funding, so evidence from a trial of the scooter helps.
Support at Home: the aged care route
The Australian Government’s Support at Home program is the home care programme for older people, and My Aged Care explains how it works from 1 November 2025. Within it, the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme pays for equipment to help you move around, such as wheelchairs and walking frames, and for home changes such as ramps and handrails.
Funding tiers
My Aged Care sets out three tiers, each normally available for 12 months:
- Low: up to $500
- Medium: up to $2,000
- High: up to $15,000, with higher amounts for assistive technology possible with evidence
People with specific progressive conditions may be able to access assistive technology funding over 24 months, extendable to a total of 48 months if needed. AT-HM funding is upfront and separate from your other Support at Home services, so you do not have to wait for other funding before using it.
Are scooters on the list?
What you can buy is set by the AT-HM List (last updated 17 July 2026). It does not use the words “mobility scooter”. It lists powered wheelchairs, including electrically powered wheelchairs with manual direct steering, in the “Prescribed (recommended)” category, and it excludes unpowered scooters. Ask your Support at Home provider to confirm whether the model you want fits the list before anything is ordered. My Aged Care says you can buy, rent or loan assistive technology, and your provider can arrange an assessment by an occupational therapist for prescribed items.
How to get it
You need an aged care assessment. If the assessor approves you for AT-HM, it is recorded in your Notice of Decision letter and support plan. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or apply online.
NSW: EnableNSW
EnableNSW lends assistive technology to NSW residents who are enrolled with Medicare, need the equipment to support a health need, and are not receiving or eligible for it through third party insurance, the NDIS, DVA, Australian Government aged care services or compensation.
Its seated mobility funding criteria list scooters. You must meet all of the criteria, which include needing the scooter to complete community-based daily activities, being able to walk but not the expected distances in a reasonable time, being able to transfer on and off independently, having secure, undercover storage and charging at home, and understanding that a scooter is not a substitute for a car or public transport for trips over 5km return.
Co-payments depend on your income band. People on a full pension, and people with a taxable income up to $42,000 (single) or $70,000 (couple) plus $2,100 per dependant, pay $100 in each financial year they receive services. People above those limits pay 20% of equipment costing $800 and above and cannot get equipment under $800.
Victoria: the Victorian Aids and Equipment Program
Victoria’s programme is run by the State-wide Equipment Program (SWEP), part of Grampians Health. You must be a permanent Victorian resident (or hold certain visas) and need assistive technology long term for a health or ageing need. You are not eligible if you get equipment through the NDIS, WorkCover, the TAC or DVA, can claim it through private health insurance, or live in government-funded residential aged care.
The Victorian health department says people on Home Care level 3 or 4 packages, or Support at Home classifications 4 to 8, can still apply to the programme for power wheelchairs, scooters and home modifications. SWEP is subsidy based, so there may be a gap between the subsidy and the price, and it will not reimburse a purchase made before an order is placed. Call SWEP on 1300 747 937.
Queensland: MASS
Queensland’s Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme covers daily living and mobility aids for permanent Queensland residents with a permanent or stable condition who hold a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card, a Health Care Card, a DVA Pensioner Concession Card (conditions apply) or a Queensland Seniors Card, and who meet the clinical criteria for the aid. A MASS-approved prescriber assesses you and applies. Queensland Health is currently reviewing MASS, so check the latest guidelines.
Other states and territories
South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory run their own equipment schemes with their own eligibility rules. Ask an occupational therapist or your local health service which applies to you.
Veterans: DVA Rehabilitation Appliances Program
DVA supplies electric scooters, which it defines as four-wheeled electrically powered devices for people with impaired outdoor mobility. You are eligible if you hold a Veteran Gold Card and have a clinically assessed need because of a condition affecting your mobility, or hold a Veteran White Card and the need arises from an accepted war-caused or service-related condition. War widows, widowers and dependants are not eligible for a scooter.
Your GP or specialist starts the request on form D9300. If DVA agrees, you are referred to an occupational therapist, who assesses you on form D1325, may arrange a trial and makes a final recommendation on form D9379. DVA does not supply pull-apart or folding scooters, and it pays for repairs and parts not covered by warranty.
GST
The Australian Taxation Office says a medical aid or appliance is GST-free if it is listed in schedule 3 to the GST Act or the GST regulations, is specifically designed for people with an illness or disability, and is not widely used by people without one. Ask your supplier whether your model qualifies.
Time-sensitive points
- Support at Home has applied since 1 November 2025, and the health department has flagged changes to personal care contribution arrangements from 1 October 2026.
- The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) has been extended to 30 June 2029.
- Queensland’s MASS is under review.
Sources
- Guide to assistive technology (ndis.gov.au)
- Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme (myagedcare.gov.au)
- Assistive Technology and Home Modifications list, last updated 17 July 2026 (health.gov.au)
- Support at Home program (health.gov.au)
- Eligibility and financial criteria (enable.health.nsw.gov.au)
- EnableNSW Seated Mobility Funding Criteria (enable.health.nsw.gov.au)
- Victorian Aids and Equipment Program (health.vic.gov.au)
- SWEP Consumers (swep.bhs.org.au)
- Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme, and Can I apply? (health.qld.gov.au)
- Electric scooters and wheelchairs, Rehabilitation Appliances Program (dva.gov.au)
- Medical aids and appliances, GST (ato.gov.au)