Payment request

What is an NDIS payment request?

An NDIS payment request is a claim for payment lodged with the NDIA for a support delivered to a participant. Registered providers lodge payment requests for NDIA-managed supports, and plan managers lodge them for plan-managed supports, through the NDIA's myplace provider portal. The NDIA checks each request against the participant's plan, budget and the price limits, then pays valid requests, usually within 2 to 3 business days.

"Payment request" is the NDIA's term; most people just say "NDIS claim". It is not the same as an invoice. A provider sends an invoice to a plan manager or a self-managed participant; the plan manager or participant then claims from the NDIA. For NDIA-managed funding, there is no invoice to the NDIA at all: the provider's payment request is the claim. Self-managed participants claim through the participant portal or app instead of the provider portal.

How a payment request works

Providers can make a single payment request on screen or upload many at once in a bulk payment request file. For plans in the NDIA's newer computer system (PACE), providers must use the bulk payment request template, even for one claim (NDIA: claims and payments in our new computer system). A bulk file is a CSV with one claim per line, up to 5,000 lines, and the NDIA validates each line separately (NDIA bulk payment request guide).

Before a claim can be paid, the provider must be set up to claim: bank details in the portal, the right registration, and a link to the participant. For PACE plans that link is being recorded as one of the participant's my providers; for plans in the older system it was a service booking (NDIA: how to make a payment request).

Payment requests by plan managers and self-managers

A plan manager lodges payment requests in the same provider portal, but for invoices it has received from the participant's providers, registered or not. The NDIA requires each plan manager payment request to be backed by a valid tax invoice and the provider's ABN, unless the provider is exempt from quoting one, and the plan manager must apply the price limits and claiming rules before claiming. That is why plan managers query invoices that lump supports together or charge above the limit.

Self-managed participants make their own claims through the my NDIS participant portal or app, usually after receiving an invoice. The NDIA can ask them for the invoice or receipt as evidence. The same claim time limits apply to everyone, so a provider who invoices late can push a plan manager or participant past the deadline.

What goes into a payment request

The NDIA's bulk payment request template has a fixed set of columns. The ones that matter most are:

Each line is checked against the participant's plan dates, the funds available, the support item and claim type, and the price limit for the participant's location. The NDIS pricing arrangements set the limits, and since 24 September 2026 the maximum prices are set by a ministerial determination (Pricing Arrangements Determination 2026). You can check an item and its limit in the free NDIS price guide.

2026–27: claim types with their own item numbers

From the 2026–27 pricing schedule, many items, especially therapy and other professional supports, have separate item numbers for cancellations, non-face-to-face work, provider travel, NDIA-requested reports and telehealth, identified by a suffix on the item number. Copy item numbers from the current schedule rather than an old claim, and make sure the claim type and the item match.

Time limits and how long payment takes

Payment requests have a deadline. Since 3 October 2024 the NDIS Act has required claims to be made within 2 years of the support (NDIA: claim time limit). Under the 2026 amendments, from 1 December 2026 claims must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered, unless exceptional circumstances prevent it (NDIA: securing the NDIS for future generations).

The NDIA's guide to getting paid says valid claims from a participant's my providers are usually paid within 2 to 3 business days. Claims from providers who aren't recorded, or claims that are checked, take longer. Claims lodged more than 6 months after the support may be held for review for up to 28 days, and the NDIA has been expanding these integrity checks on older claims (NDIA: integrity checks on older claims).

Payment request vs invoice vs claim

The words overlap, but each sits at a different point in the money flow:

Why payment requests get rejected

A rejected line isn't paid, and rejected claims can't be edited in the portal. The NDIA's claims troubleshooting guide and portal reject codes point to a short list of causes:

• Dates outside the plan, or a line that spans two plans. Split it at the plan boundary.
• Not enough funds in the budget. Confirm the budget with the participant before claiming again.
• Not recorded as a my provider for a PACE plan. Ask the participant to record you, or send a relationship request.
• The support is plan-managed or self-managed. Invoice the plan manager or participant instead.
• Price above the limit for the item, date or region.
• Duplicate of an earlier claim.
• Claim type not allowed for the support item.

Fix only the rejected lines and upload them in a new file. Re-uploading a whole file risks duplicate rejections or double payments. If a paid claim was wrong, cancel it in the portal and lodge a corrected one.

Keep the records behind every claim

Every payment request should be traceable to evidence that the support happened: the shift or session record, the progress note, the service agreement and the invoice. The 2026 NDIS amendments added a requirement, from 27 August 2026, for providers to keep records relating to NDIS claims and payments for 7 years, according to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's summary of the changes. If the NDIA reviews a claim and asks for information, you'll have at least 14 business days to provide it.

Common payment request mistakes

• Claiming before the support is delivered. Supports are claimed after delivery, never in advance.
• Merging different items on one line. Weekday and weekend supports have different item numbers and limits.
• Bundling travel or cancellations into the support line. They are separate lines with their own claim type or item.
• Charging cancellations without a service agreement clause. The pricing arrangements tie these charges to what was agreed.
• Leaving the claim reference blank. Without it, reconciling payments to invoices and shifts is slow.
• Batching claims for months. From 1 December 2026, anything older than 90 days may not be payable.