Providing safe, beneficial, and caring services to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) clients is going to be a top priority for any business in the disability sector, but equally important is getting paid. Because, let's face it, as amazing as your services are, you can’t keep delivering them without money coming in (ideally, on time!).
Like with any service, there can be friction points along the way that slow down payment or even stop it altogether. The good news is there's a lot you can do as an NDIS provider to dodge the potential pain points and keep your billing running smoothly.
At My Plan Manager, we check every invoice that comes in against a whole range of National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) rules and regulations, as well as Australian Taxation Office requirements, and our clients’ individual plans. This helps make sure everything’s in order before we submit claims to the NDIA for payment.
But it's not just about having the right information on your invoices, there are a few other things to keep in mind when supporting NDIS participants, things that can make the payment process even smoother.
And, as an added bonus, all these things don't just help your cashflow – they also strengthen your relationships with clients, reduce the risk of NDIA payment integrity audits (more on those here), and help build your reputation as a provider who’s ethical, reliable, and easy to work with.
Read on for our guide to friction-free NDIS claiming that will help keep you, your clients, and your bookkeeper happy.
Ok, we know we just said that invoices aren't everything, but they're still important enough to deserve the top spot, because even small mistakes on an invoice can delay a claim. If something’s not quite right, we’ll ask you to fix it, so it meets NDIA requirements. To make things easier, we’ve put together a simple guide to compliant invoicing that explains exactly what to include on your invoices to keep everything shipshape and moving smoothly.
Our sophisticated anti-fraud technology is the best in the sector and runs more than 30 automated checks on every claim to be sure the NDIA’s rules are met. Where a claim doesn’t look quite right, our team will flag where you need to correct it before we submit it to the Agency.
But not every NDIS participant has a plan manager or the benefit of this technology, and a small mistake can cause a claim to get held up with the NDIA’s prepayments team and even undo a funding request (when funding’s used faster due to error).
Check your client has the correct funding available in their NDIS plan to cover the cost of the supports you intend to provide and ask what funding periods are included, as these add rules to when a budget can be spent. This is particularly important where a client needs more frequent or longer supports up front – you need to make sure their funding period can accommodate that.
Getting granular and being clear about what item or service you intend to provide, as well as the frequency and cost – and checking that’s consistent with your client’s budget and funding periods –can make claiming more predictable. It's up to your client whether or not they're happy to share their plan with you, but a polite request for only the necessary section can go a long way.
If you end up providing a service that's different from what you originally planned (based on your client's changing needs), make sure they understand what’s changing and how it might affect them.
For example, if you’re claiming from Assistance with Social and Community Participation under Core Supports, but the majority of those funds are being used to cover the cost of supports at home, make sure your client knows this can affect supports they can claim to participate in social and community activities (like joining clubs, volunteering, attending events or taking classes). This can prevent a surprise for them, or a disagreement down the track
Transport charges can quickly add up, so if you’re planning an activity where you’re claiming transport and it’s a longer commute than usual, be sure your client understands this will reduce their total support hours, and that they’re involved in that decision. Explain the time and cost of transport to them.
The NDIA has clear rules about claiming for travel, and your client needs to agree in advance before you can charge for it. Our roadmap to NDIS travel and transport tells you everything you need to know about claiming travel in the NDIS.
Providers are expected to publish their prices and provide an explanation for how their fees are billed, which is usually included in a service agreement that both you and your client sign. Good providers will take the extra time to properly explain their fees and gain their client’s consent before extras like transport are charged.
At My Plan Manager, we check claims against the Australian Taxation Office’s minimum invoicing requirements, the NDIA’s rules around compliance, and the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. We also review them against our clients’ individual NDIS plans, which have their own set of rules about what can be claimed.
As an NDIS provider, it’s important you have a good understanding of compliance yourself before booking a client in. Make sure the items or services you provide are something the NDIS actually covers (check that they’re they’re approved NDIS supports), because if they’re not, you might run into issues later and that can delay your payment or stop it altogether.
Claiming in the NDIS can be tricky but you’re not alone. If you have a question about a claim, we’re here to assist. You can email us at enquiries@myplanmanager.com.au or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-5.30pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
