Mastering the NDIS Invoice: A Simple Guide to Getting Paid

Creating your first invoice can feel a bit like learning a new language. When you add the specific rules of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) into the mix, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

Whether you are a sole trader providing gardening services or a therapist starting your own practice, getting your invoice right is the difference between being paid in days or waiting weeks while you fix paperwork errors.

Here is a simple breakdown of what needs to be on your NDIS invoice and, more importantly, why.

1. The Basics: Standard Tax Invoice Requirements

Even before we look at the NDIS, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has rules for what makes a document a “Tax Invoice.” If you are registered for GST, these are non-negotiable:

• The words “Tax Invoice”: This must be clearly visible at the top.
• Your Business Name and ABN: This identifies who is providing the service.
• The Date of Issue: When you created the invoice.
• A Unique Invoice Number: This is vital for your own records and the NDIS. It helps you track payments and ensures you don’t accidentally bill for the same thing twice.
• A Brief Description: What did you provide? (e.g., “Mowing and edge trimming”).
• The GST Amount: Most NDIS services are GST-free, but if you do charge GST, it must be shown as zero, ideally in each line item and in the total block.”

 Highly Recommended – Best Practice

• • Supplier address:  While the ATO focuses heavily on the ABN, the supplier provider’s address is crucial for the customer to verify the supplier.
  • Contact Details (postal address, email, phone): These are highly recommended by business.gov.au for practical purposes.
  • Your Customer’s Information: You should include your customer’s name and address on all invoices as best practice, as it helps ensure the invoice is processed quickly and correctly.  For invoices under $1000 (including GST), this information is not mandatory but is still recommended. For invoices of $1000 or more (including GST), you must include the buyer’s name and/or ABN.
  • Payment Details: Clearly stating how you want customers to pay, such as account name, BSB and account numbers.

2. The NDIS Must-Haves

The NDIS has its own set of “identity” requirements to ensure the funding comes from the right person’s budget.

• The Participant’s Full Name and NDIS Number: This is how the NDIS (or a Plan Manager) matches the invoice to the correct person.
• Date of Service: You must list the specific date the support was delivered. Note that you cannot invoice for services in advance!  Avoid using a date range (from – to) as this does not accurately reflect the  specific date of service or the hours of support provided on each individual day.
• NDIS Support Item Number: This is a specific code from the NDIS Support Catalogue. Using the correct code tells the NDIS exactly which part of the participant’s budget the money should come from.
• Quantity and Hourly Rate: You need to show how many hours you worked and your rate per hour.
• Appropriate Qualifications:  Therapy services may only be claimed under the NDIS when the therapist meets the specified criteria for services rendered.  Providers should include the allied health registration number and professional association membership, where applicable.

3. Why Accuracy Matters

If a single digit is wrong in an NDIS number or a Support Item code, the system will often “bounce” the claim automatically. Furthermore, the NDIS sets Price Caps. If you accidentally charge above the cap, the invoice will be rejected.

If you’ve never created an invoice before, you don’t have to do it manually. Tools like Billability are designed specifically for people in your position. Instead of searching through manuals for item numbers, Billability:

• Includes the full NDIS Catalogue: Search for a service, and it pulls the correct item number and current price cap for you.
• Automates the boring stuff: It handles your invoice number increments and helps you register when a payment has landed.
• Ensures Compliance: It guides you through the required fields so you don’t miss a participant’s NDIS number or your own ABN.

Summary Checklist

1. Is it titled “Tax Invoice”?
2. Does it have your ABN and the participant’s NDIS number?
3. Is there a unique invoice number?
4. Does the price per hour stay within the NDIS Price Cap?
5. Are your bank details (BSB and Account Number) clear?

A Few Recommendations

Always Add The Line Item

Some providers leave the item code out because they are unsure which category the funds should be drawn from and they want the plan manager to decide for them. This is technically not legal. No-one is allowed to modify your invoice once you have sent it. For this reason, many plan managers will reject it. So use our item code finder and just type in a few words of what you do and pick the item that closely aligns to your service or product provided.

One Line Per Session

Some providers opt to send one invoice each month. Some of them add a single line to the invoice with a date range and total up all the hours they served in that month. This is not recommended. There are many problems that can arise with this method. One is that you are exposing yourself to the risk that the plan will run out of funds and you have provided the whole month for free, instead of just one session. Another problem is that it is hard for your participant to understand or to confirm or charges. Yet another problem is that, if the participant had an exclusive service from any other provider in that period such as ‘respite care’, your invoice may be rejected completely. So it is always best to make a new line for each time you provided services to that participant and avoid using date ranges.