Navigating NDIS Invoice Requirements: What Every Caregiver Should Know

Get your NDIS invoicing right, and you’ll ensure prompt payment for your disability support services — allowing you to keep your focus on care, not cash flow.

Why NDIS Invoicing is Crucial for Predictable Cash Flow

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has strict requirements for its invoices. All disability support providers, whether NDIS registered or not, must adhere to them. 

Support workers, plan managers and provider businesses who issue non-compliant invoices will find their payments are denied. They’ll have to redo their invoices, leading to an increased admin headache and potential payment delays. 

Fortunately, NDIS invoices don’t have to be a challenge. With the right tools and templates, you can automate your invoicing and tick another item off your to-do list.

Keep reading as we tackle the topic of navigating NDIS invoice requirements: what every caregiver should know to avoid errors, reduce admin work and get paid quicker.

What Should You Include in Your NDIS Invoice?

Our free NDIS invoice template will make sure your invoices contain all the required information, while our detailed checklist will give you extra peace of mind. But as a quick recap, your invoices must contain:

1. Invoice Details

You must include the invoice date, invoice number and the title. It sounds simple, but there are a few things to remember: the invoice title should be “Invoice” or, if you’re charging tax, “Tax Invoice”. The invoice number has to be unique, and the invoice date must fall after the date of service provision.

2. Your Details

Write “From:”, and then add your business name, ABN and contact details, such as your business address. Remember that your business name must be an exact match for the name you registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. 

3. Participant Details

Head this section with “To:”, and list the participant or plan manager name, contact details and NDIS participant reference number.

4. NDIS Service Details

It’s best to format this section in a table. Include the following in separate columns: the support item reference number and description, support date, support type (e.g. “hours” or “kms”), support item quantity, support item unit price, per-item GST (if relevant), and support item total price. Most services won’t require GST.

5. Payment Details

Beneath the table, state the total amount due. If you’ve included tax, make sure to also specify the pre-tax subtotal and the total amount being taxed.

Common NDIS Invoice Errors to Avoid

Our tools and template will help you create NDIS-compliant invoices. But you should also watch out for these frequent invoicing blunders.

No Service Booking

When working with NDIA-managed participants, you have to first create a service booking. If you provide supports without this service booking in place, you won’t be able to submit payment requests.

Wrong NDIS Support Categories 

Your NDIS invoice will be rejected if you select the wrong support categories or NDIS number for any supports.

The NDIA recently created a new support type and five additional support categories. Several supports were recategorised as part of this. In particular, in addition to core supports, capacity building supports and capital supports, recurring supports have been introduced. 

So, it’s important to double-check that the service codes and categories on your invoice are still correct. 

If you’re auto-generating invoices with your NDIS software, you should be able to globally update your support types. If you’re submitting manual invoices, however, you may need to update them one by one.

Incorrect Details

A typo in the NDIS participant reference number, the wrong date for a service provision: these easy-to-make errors can prevent your invoices from being paid. Finding and correcting them can also be painfully time-consuming. If possible, auto-generate invoices from your service record to avoid this issue.

Overcharging

There are two ways you can overcharge the NDIS. You could accidentally exceed the funds available in a participant’s NDIS plan. Or, your prices could be set too high. 

The Pricing Guidelines specify how much you can bill for specific supports, such as social and community participation. However, these guidelines can be complex, with some rates varying based on the time of day that services are provided. Other funds may also be temporary. 

Check that your NDIS software features an up-to-date version of the Pricing Guidelines to avoid unpleasant surprises.

How to Submit Your NDIS Invoices

Once you’ve created your invoices, it’s time to submit them. This should be done via the myplace Provider Portal.

The National Disability Insurance Agency is rolling out a new computer system, PACE, for providers. However, the NDIA advises that all providers should continue to claim via myplace for now, even if they are currently using PACE for some functions.

Correctly submitted claims are typically paid out within two to three days. However, if you have an error with your claim, you’ll need to rectify that first.

Bulk Claiming: What is It and How Can You Do It?

You can speed up your NDIS payments by combining all your invoices in one single file for upload to myplace. This is called bulk claiming. 

When PACE has been fully rolled out, all claims will be made in bulk. But for now, follow our detailed guide to bulk claim and reduce your administrative workload.

Automate Your NDIS Invoices and Save Hours

You want to spend your time ensuring quality disability support service delivery, not battling piles of paperwork. NDIS invoicing should be simple — and it can be, with the right tools.

ShiftCare’s invoicing software auto-generates your NDIS-compliant invoices based on your verified shift records and the latest NDIS pricing arrangements. With a couple of clicks of your mouse, you’ll have a bulk invoice file ready to upload via the myplace provider portal.

Plus, ShiftCare comes with a wealth of other time-saving, NDIS-compliant features, from visit verification to client documentation management and rostering tools.

Take the stress out of managing your disability support business. Try ShiftCare for free.