How much do I pay for supports?

Just like you have the flexibility to use any provider that can best help you pursue your goals, as a self-manager you can negotiate the price of your support with your provider. It is good to compare prices of similar supports across different providers to make sure you are getting the best value. Consider the following when deciding on how much to pay for a support:

  • Value-for-money: Is the cost of the support reasonable when you think about the benefit you will get?
  • Quality: Is the quality of the support high and will it help you pursue your goals?
  • Quantity: How much support will you need for the length of your plan?
  • Budget: How much funding do you have available in your NDIS plan and can you afford the amount of support you need within your budget?

NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits

NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits may be helpful when you are working out what you are willing to pay for a support. This sets the maximum price that providers registered with the NDIS can charge for specific supports. The Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits are updated each year on 1 July.

View the NDIS Pricing arrangements

How do I pay for my supports?

There are two options to pay for your supports with your NDIS funding:

  1. Make a Payment Request and then pay your provider:
    Once you receive an account, invoice or timesheet from your provider, make a Payment Request. This can be done online using the myplace portal.
    Money from your NDIS plan budget will be paid into your nominated bank account within 2 business days. You can then pay your provider.
  2. Pay your provider and then make a Payment Request:
    Once you receive your support, pay your provider using your own money and get a receipt. Make a Payment Request to have the money from your NDIS plan budget paid into your nominated bank account. You will be reimbursed within 2 business days.

If you can afford it within your self-managed support budgets, you can choose to use some of your NDIS funding to get professional advice and assistance to set up and manage your NDIS plan budget and pay your providers. For times that you can not use the myplace portal there is a payment request form.

Setting up a bank account

If you are self-managing your NDIS funding, you should set up a separate bank account. It will make it easier for you to see what money is coming in and what payments are going out. NDIS funding will only be paid into an account that is managed by the person responsible for self-managing the supports. This will be you as a participant, a NDIS plan nominee or a child representative for a participant under 18 years of age.

How do I make a Payment Request?

Using the online myplace portal is the easiest and quickest way to make a Payment Request. To make a Payment Request log in to your myplace portal and select the Payment Request option.

You can then enter the:

  • start and end date for the support
  • payment amount
  • support category (the self-managed support budget in your NDIS plan that you want to draw funds from).

The Payment Request needs to match the invoice or receipt from your provider, or if you are directly employing staff, your payroll records. It should be made against the support category that matches the type of support you are making a request for. Once you have submitted a Payment Request it will take within 2 business days to be paid into your bank account.

How to use the myplace portal.

What records do I need to keep?

Any invoices, receipts, pay slips and bank statements need to be kept for five years as evidence that you have responsibly self-managed your support budgets and payment requests.

The NDIA undertake random audits to make sure self-managed funds are being spent and managed properly. You may be asked at any time to provide evidence of a payment that matches a payment request you have made.

It is important to keep your records organised so you can show the NDIA how you have spent your funds.

Records of payments will need to have:

  • the provider’s name
  • their ABN
  • the date of the support
  • a short description of the support provided and how this relates to the support categories and goals in your plan
  • the amount of support provided
  • the price of the support.

Paying providers when there is a gap between plans

From August 2019, the NDIA made changes to the NDIS myplace portal to improve the process when there is a gap between new and old participant plans.

All plans due to end will be automatically extended by 12 months on the day the plan is set to end.

The NDIA is making further improvements including:

  • Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports will have service bookings increased automatically where an extension has been applied to a plan.
  • Unclaimed funds within a participant’s previous plan and service bookings will now be available for 90 days after a new plan has been approved. This gives participants and providers more time to make payment requests for services delivered during the previous plan period. 

These changes will apply to plans approved after Monday 10 February 2020.

This means participants can receive services regardless of a delay in the scheduled plan reassessment process. It also means providers can continue to claim for services while the participant prepares for a plan reassessment.

Read more on the page Reviewing your plan and goals.

This page current as of
5 March 2024
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