What must be included on an NDIS invoice?

A compliant NDIS invoice needs the provider's business name and ABN, the participant's full name and NDIS number, a unique invoice number, the invoice date, the date or date range the support was delivered, a description of the support with its NDIS support item number, the number of hours or units, the unit price, the GST treatment, the total amount payable, and payment details such as BSB and account number. Missing information is a common reason an invoice is queried or returned.

Is there an official NDIS invoice template?

No. The NDIA does not publish an official invoice template or mandate a particular layout. What it does set are the information requirements — the participant and provider details, support item numbers, dates of service, and pricing that must appear so a claim can be processed. Any format is acceptable provided it carries that information and meets Australian Taxation Office tax invoice rules where GST applies. That is why plan managers each circulate their own template.

Do NDIS invoices have GST on them?

Most NDIS supports are GST-free. Under section 38-38 of the GST Act, a support is GST-free when the participant has an NDIS plan in effect, the support is a reasonable and necessary support listed in that plan, there is a written agreement between the provider and the participant, and the support is of a kind covered by the Disability Services Minister's determination. Where all of those conditions are met, no GST is charged. Some supplies fall outside them and are taxable. This is general information only — check the ATO guidance or your accountant for your situation.

Who do I send my NDIS invoice to?

It depends on how the participant's plan is managed. For a self-managed participant, send the invoice directly to the participant or their nominee, who pays you and then claims reimbursement from the NDIA. For a plan-managed participant, send it to the registered plan manager named in their service agreement, not the participant. For an agency-managed participant, you do not send an invoice at all — the provider must be NDIS-registered and claims payment directly through the myplace provider portal.

What is an NDIS support item number and do I need it on the invoice?

A support item number is the unique reference code the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits assigns to each fundable support. It follows a pattern of a support category prefix, a registration group, an item reference, and two trailing digits. Plan managers rely on it to allocate the payment to the correct budget line, so yes — include it. Using the wrong item number or leaving it blank is one of the fastest ways to have an invoice sent back for correction.

Why do plan managers reject NDIS invoices?

The usual causes are a missing or incorrect NDIS participant number, no ABN on the invoice, a support item number that does not match the service described, a unit price above the price limit in the current Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, dates of support that fall outside the participant's plan dates, insufficient funds remaining in the relevant budget category, duplicate invoice numbers, or GST applied to a support that should be GST-free. Most are administrative and are resolved by reissuing a corrected invoice.

Can a self-managed participant pay an invoice from an unregistered provider?

Yes. Self-managed participants can choose providers that are not registered with the NDIS Commission, and plan-managed participants generally can too. The invoice still needs to meet the same information standard, and the support still has to be a reasonable and necessary support in the participant's plan. Agency-managed funding is the exception — those claims can only be made by NDIS-registered providers through the provider portal.

How long should I keep NDIS invoices and receipts?

Keep them. Providers running a business are required by the Australian Taxation Office to retain records that explain their transactions for five years. Self-managed participants are also expected to keep invoices and receipts, because the NDIA can ask to see evidence that funding was spent on supports in the plan. Storing a digital copy of every invoice you issue or pay, filed by date and participant, makes a plan review or an audit far less stressful.

NDIS Invoice Template — Free Generator and Field-by-Field Guide

The NDIA does not publish an official invoice template, but it does expect certain information on every invoice. Fill in the form below to build a compliant NDIS invoice you can copy or print, and read what each field means before you send it.

Written for support providers, sole traders, and self-managed participants. General information only — it is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Always confirm support item numbers and price limits against the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.

Build Your NDIS Invoice

Step 1 — How is the plan managed?

Step 2 — Your details (the provider)

Business or trading name

ABN

Phone

Step 3 — Participant details

Participant full name

NDIS number

Plan manager business name

Plan manager invoicing email

Step 4 — Invoice details

Invoice number

Invoice date

Payment terms

Step 5 — Supports delivered

Line item 1

Support description

NDIS support item number

Date of support

Hours or units

Unit price (AUD)

Line amount: $0.00

Step 6 — GST treatment

Step 7 — Payment details

Account name

BSB

Account number

Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored, or sent anywhere.

Total Payable

$0.00

GST-free NDIS support

Important: this tool formats the information a compliant NDIS invoice normally carries. It does not check your rates against price limits, confirm a support item number, or determine your GST obligations. Verify item numbers and price limits against the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, and speak to a registered tax agent about GST and your own tax position.

Your Invoice Preview

INVOICE FROM [Your business or trading name] ABN: [11 digit ABN] [Email address] INVOICE TO [Plan manager business name] Plan manager for [Participant name] PARTICIPANT DETAILS Participant name: [Participant name] NDIS number: [9 digit NDIS number] INVOICE DETAILS Invoice number: [INV-0001] Invoice date: [Date] Payment terms: 7 days from invoice date SUPPORTS DELIVERED Date of support: [Date of support] Support: [Support description] Item number: [NDIS support item number] Units / hours: [0] Unit price: [$0.00] Amount: $0.00 TOTALS Subtotal: $0.00 GST: $0.00 (GST-free NDIS support) Total payable: $0.00 PAYMENT DETAILS Account name: [Account name] BSB: [000-000] Account number: [00000000] Reference: [Invoice number]

Paste the copied text into an email, a word processor, or your accounting software. Use Print and choose “Save as PDF” to produce a file you can attach.

What a Compliant NDIS Invoice Must Contain

There is no legislated NDIS invoice format, but there is a settled set of information that plan managers, participants, and the NDIA all need in order to process a payment. An invoice missing any one of these usually comes back for correction, which delays payment. The list below covers each field and why it is there.

Provider name and ABN

Identifies who is being paid. The Australian Taxation Office requires the seller's identity and ABN on a tax invoice, and plan managers use the ABN to verify the payee and meet their own record-keeping obligations. Sole traders should use the name the ABN is registered against.

Provider contact details

An email address and phone number so the plan manager or participant can query the invoice without having to reject it outright. A postal address is optional but useful for businesses.

Participant name and NDIS number

The nine-digit NDIS number is how a plan manager matches the invoice to the right participant and the right plan. An invoice with a missing or mistyped NDIS number cannot be processed, and is a frequent cause of invoices being returned.

Unique invoice number

Every invoice you issue needs its own reference. Duplicated numbers trigger duplicate-payment checks and get held. A simple sequential scheme, or a participant initial plus a sequence, is enough.

Invoice date

The date you issued the invoice. This is distinct from the date of support and starts the clock on your payment terms.

Date or date range of the support

The day the support was actually delivered, or the period covered for recurring supports. This must fall inside the participant's current plan dates — supports delivered outside the plan period cannot be claimed against it.

Support description and NDIS support item number

A plain description of what was delivered, paired with the support item number from the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. The item number tells the plan manager which budget category to draw from. A description alone is usually not enough.

Hours or units

The quantity delivered, expressed the way the support item is priced — hours for hourly supports, each for items priced per unit, kilometres for travel. Use decimals for part hours, such as 1.5 rather than 1 hour 30 minutes.

Unit price

The rate charged per hour or unit. It must sit at or under the price limit for that support item in the current Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Anything above the limit will be queried or reduced.

GST treatment

State clearly whether GST applies. Most NDIS supports delivered under a plan are GST-free, in which case the invoice should say so. Where GST does apply, the document must be headed Tax Invoice and show the GST amount or state that the total includes GST.

Total amount payable

The sum of all line items, clearly labelled. If GST applies, show the GST component separately or state that the total includes GST.

Payment details and terms

BSB, account number, and account name so the payer can transfer the funds, plus your payment terms. Without bank details the invoice cannot be paid even when everything else is correct.

Invoicing tip: if you are not sure of a support item number or the price limit that applies to it, check before you invoice rather than after. Our NDIS price guide calculator can help you sanity-check a rate against the published limits.

GST on NDIS Invoices

Most supports delivered to an NDIS participant are GST-free, which is why the majority of NDIS invoices show no GST at all. The rule comes from section 38-38 of the GST Act rather than from the NDIS itself, and it applies where four conditions are met at the same time.

1. The participant has a plan in effect

The supply must be made to a person whose NDIS plan is current at the time the support is delivered.

2. The support is in the plan

It must be a reasonable and necessary support that is specified in the participant's plan — not an incidental extra.

3. There is a written agreement

A written agreement between you and the participant, or someone acting on their behalf, must state that the supply is covered by the participant's plan.

4. It is a determined support

The supply must be of a kind covered by the relevant Disability Services Minister's determination for GST-free NDIS supports.

Where all four are satisfied, the supply is GST-free and you should not add GST. Saying so explicitly on the invoice — a line reading “GST-free NDIS support” — saves the payer from having to ask. Where the conditions are not met, the supply may be taxable, the document must be headed “Tax Invoice”, and it must either show the GST amount or state that the total price includes GST. Note that NDIS price limits are inclusive of GST where GST applies, so check whether the rate you are charging already contains the GST component before you add anything on top.

Not tax advice: GST treatment depends on the specific support, the wording of your service agreement, and your own registration status. This page explains the general framework so you know what to ask about. Confirm your position with the ATO or a registered tax agent before you rely on it.

Where the Invoice Goes Depends on How the Plan Is Managed

The same invoice can take three different routes depending on the participant's plan management type. Getting this wrong is a common and entirely avoidable cause of delay, so confirm the arrangement in the service agreement before the first invoice goes out.

Self-managed

›Send the invoice directly to the participant or their nominee
›The participant pays you, then claims reimbursement from the NDIA through the myplace participant portal
›The participant can use registered or unregistered providers
›The participant may negotiate rates, though price limits still guide what is reasonable
›Both of you should keep a copy of the invoice as evidence of the spend

Plan-managed

›Send the invoice to the registered plan manager, not the participant
›The plan manager checks the invoice, claims from the NDIA, and pays you
›Use the invoicing email address given in the service agreement
›The participant can use registered or unregistered providers
›Plan management itself is a registration-gated support and is funded separately in the plan

Agency-managed (NDIA-managed)

›No invoice is sent for payment — the provider claims through the myplace provider portal
›Only NDIS-registered providers can deliver and claim for agency-managed supports
›Claims are made after the support has been delivered
›Rates cannot exceed the price limits in the current Pricing Arrangements
›Still issue an invoice or statement for your own records and for the participant

Further reading: our guides on self-managing an NDIS plan and NDIS plan management explain each arrangement in more detail, including who carries the administrative load.

Plain-Text NDIS Invoice Template

If you would rather start from a blank template than use the generator above, copy the text below into your own document and replace the bracketed placeholders. It carries the same fields and works in any word processor, email client, or accounting package.

TAX INVOICE / INVOICE FROM [Your business or trading name] ABN: [11 digit ABN] [Email address] | [Phone number] [Street address, suburb, state, postcode] INVOICE TO [Participant name OR plan manager business name] [Plan manager email, if plan-managed] PARTICIPANT DETAILS Participant name: [Full name as it appears on the plan] NDIS number: [9 digit number] INVOICE DETAILS Invoice number: [INV-0001] Invoice date: [DD Month YYYY] Payment terms: [e.g. 7 days from invoice date] SUPPORTS DELIVERED Date of support | Support description | Support item number | Units/hours | Unit price | Amount [DD/MM/YYYY] | [e.g. Assistance with self-care, weekday daytime] | [XX_XXX_XXXX_X_X] | [2] | [$00.00] | [$00.00] [DD/MM/YYYY] | [Support description] | [XX_XXX_XXXX_X_X] | [1.5] | [$00.00] | [$00.00] TOTAL Subtotal (excl. GST): [$000.00] GST: [$0.00 — GST-free NDIS support, OR the GST component of the total] Total payable: [$000.00] PAYMENT DETAILS Account name: [Account name] BSB: [000-000] Account number: [00000000] Reference: [Invoice number]

Invoicing is one of the last things you sort out. Before it, a registered provider needs the documentation an auditor will ask for — policies, procedures, forms, and registers mapped to the NDIS Practice Standards. Two resources cover that ground if you would rather not write it from scratch or pay a consultant:

→ProviderPass NDIS audit pack — 60+ editable Word and Excel templates covering Verification, Certification, and mid-term audits, sold as a one-off rather than a subscription.
→Provider Audit Ready — NDIS policies and procedures templates split into Verification and Certification packs, plus a free NDIS audit checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions About NDIS Invoices

Looking for a support provider in Perth's northern suburbs?

Help Alliance delivers NDIS supports across the City of Joondalup, City of Stirling, and City of Wanneroo for plan-managed and self-managed participants. If you are weighing up providers, or you just want a straight answer about how invoicing and service agreements will work, we are happy to talk it through.