Non-face-to-face supports
Non-face-to-face supports are work a provider does for a specific NDIS participant while they are not present, such as writing progress reports or preparing a home program. It is claimable only when the item allows it, the work is part of that participant's support and they agreed in advance.
Also called: Non-face-to-face support provision, NF2F, non face to face NDIS, NDIS report writing time
Key takeaways
- Non-face-to-face time can only be claimed when the item allows it, the work is for that participant's support, and the participant agreed in advance.
- Administration such as rostering, service agreements, service bookings and making claims is overhead and can't be claimed.
- You can only claim for completed work; a flat fee not linked to completed activities is not allowed.
- In the 2026-27 pricing schedule, therapy and early childhood items have separate _NF item numbers at the same limit as direct service.
- The price limit for non-face-to-face work is set by where the worker is when they do it.
What are non-face-to-face supports?
Non-face-to-face supports are work a provider does for a specific NDIS participant when the participant isn't present, such as writing a progress report for their support team or preparing a therapy program for them. Providers can claim this time from the participant's plan only when the support item allows it, the work is part of delivering that participant's support, and the participant agreed in advance in their service agreement. General administration is never claimable this way.
The term comes from the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, which call it "Non-Face-to-Face Support Provision". It is one of several claim types for work that isn't direct, face-to-face service, alongside provider travel, short-notice cancellations, NDIA-requested reports and telehealth.
When you can claim non-face-to-face time
The 2025-26 Pricing Arrangements, which are still the latest published claiming rules alongside the 2026-27 NDIS pricing schedule, say a provider can claim only if all of these conditions are met:
- The pricing arrangements say non-face-to-face claims are allowed for that support item.
- The charges comply with the pricing arrangements and the participant's service agreement.
- The activities are part of delivering a specific support to that participant, or for group supports, are needed to deliver the group support. General activities such as enrolment, administration or staff rostering don't count.
- The provider explains the activities to the participant, including why they are the best use of the participant's funds.
- The participant agrees in advance, meaning the service agreement says non-face-to-face supports can be claimed.
Two more rules apply. You can only claim for completed work: a service agreement can pre-authorise the activities, but a fee that isn't linked to completed activities is not allowed. And the fee must reflect the participant's needs in the context of the support, and be agreed with them.
- Q1Does the support item allow non-face-to-face claims?Yes → Keep goingNo → Not claimable as non-face-to-face
- Q2Is the work part of delivering that participant's support, not general admin?Yes → Keep goingNo → Not claimable: admin is covered by the price limit
- Q3Did the participant agree in advance in the service agreement, after you explained the value?Yes → Keep goingNo → Not claimable until it's agreed
- Q4Is the work completed and recorded?Yes → Claimable, at no more than the agreed rate and the price limitNo → Wait until it's done; flat fees aren't allowed
What counts and what doesn't
The Pricing Arrangements give one direct example. Assistance with Self-Care items cover helping participants "develop skills … to live as autonomously as possible", so time spent writing reports for co-workers and other providers about the participant's progress with skill development could be claimed against that item. Research by a capacity-building provider, linked to the participant's needs and goals, may also be claimable with prior agreement.
| Activity | Claimable as non-face-to-face? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Writing a report on the participant's skill development for their other providers | Yes, if the item allows it and it was agreed | The Pricing Arrangements' own example |
| Participant-specific research by a capacity-building provider | Yes, with prior agreement | Specifically allowed when linked to the participant's goals |
| Preparing a home program or resources for one participant | Often, if the item allows it and it was agreed | Part of delivering that participant's support |
| Staff training, upskilling or supervision | No | Built into the base price limits |
| Pre-engagement visits, developing and agreeing service agreements | No | Listed as overhead |
| Entering participant details, changing service times, monitoring travel | No | Listed as overhead |
| Ongoing plan monitoring, quoting tools, service bookings, payment claims | No | Listed as overhead |
The reason is simple: NDIS price limits already include an allowance for overheads, including administration. Billing admin as a support would charge the participant twice.
How non-face-to-face supports are claimed
Under the 2025-26 rules, non-face-to-face time is claimed against the same support item as the main support, using the "Non-Face-to-Face" option in the NDIA's provider portal (see the NDIA's guide to getting paid). Part units are claimed by time: 40 minutes is 0.67 of an hour at the agreed hourly rate.
The 2026-27 NDIS pricing schedule, part of the Minister's pricing determination effective 24 September 2026, changes how this looks for therapy and early childhood supports. Claim types that used to be rules on a parent item now have their own support item numbers, made from the parent number plus a suffix. Non-face-to-face items end in _NF, and in the schedule their limit is the same as the direct-service item's. For other items, check the NDIS support catalogue to see whether non-face-to-face claims are allowed. The free NDIS price guide lists the _NF items next to their parent items.
| Claim type | What it covers | Price location |
|---|---|---|
| Non-face-to-face | Work for a participant while they aren't present, such as reports and programs | Where the worker is |
| NDIA-requested report | A report the NDIA asks for, such as for a plan reassessment | Where the worker is |
| Telehealth | Direct support delivered by video or phone | Generally where the worker is; remote participants can agree to their own area's limit |
| Provider travel | Worker travel time to deliver face-to-face support | Where the participant is supported |
| Short-notice cancellation | A booked support cancelled at short notice | As for the booked support |
Which price limit applies
For non-face-to-face work, the location that sets the price is where the worker is when they do the work, not where the participant lives. A report written in a city office uses the national limit, even for a participant in a very remote community (see Modified Monash Model).
What providers should put in place
- A clear service agreement clause naming which supports may include non-face-to-face time, what activities it covers, the rate, any expected cap and how it will appear on invoices. The free service agreement generator can help you draft one.
- A time record for each block of work: date, start and finish, worker, activity, the goal it supports and the output produced.
- The output itself, such as the report or meeting notes, saved in the participant's record.
- Separate invoice lines for non-face-to-face time with a description, so plan managers and participants can check it.
Common mistakes
- Claiming for an item that doesn't allow it. The portal rejects these, and plan managers should query them.
- A flat monthly "reporting fee" charged whether or not any work was done.
- Billing rostering, emails about scheduling or claim preparation as support.
- No agreement in advance, or relying on an old agreement that doesn't mention non-face-to-face time.
- No evidence of the work, such as a missing report or notes.
- Charging a remote price for office-based work.
- Confusing telehealth with non-face-to-face. A video session is direct support delivered remotely, with its own claim type.
Example
Illustrative example (fictional). Alex sees an occupational therapist fortnightly to build cooking skills. Alex's service agreement says the therapist may charge up to one hour a month of non-face-to-face time, at the same hourly rate, for writing progress updates for Alex's support workers and preparing a home program, and that each charge will appear as a separate invoice line.
In March the therapist spends 40 minutes writing a meal preparation program for Alex's support workers. She records the date, times, activity and the goal it supports, saves the program in Alex's file, and invoices 0.67 hours against the occupational therapy _NF item. She works from a city clinic, so the national limit applies.
The same month she spends 20 minutes updating Alex's contact details and rescheduling a session. She doesn't charge for that time, because it is administration covered by the price limit.
Frequently asked questions
What is non-face-to-face in the NDIS?
It is work a provider does for a specific participant when the participant isn't present, such as writing a progress report for their support team or preparing a home program. It can be claimed from the plan only in certain conditions, including the participant's prior agreement.
Can I charge NDIS participants for report writing?
Yes, if the support item allows non-face-to-face claims, the report is part of delivering that participant's support, you explained the cost and the participant agreed in advance. Reports the NDIA requests, such as for a plan reassessment, use the separate NDIA report claim type.
What non-face-to-face activities can't be claimed?
Administration and overheads, including pre-engagement visits, developing service agreements, entering participant details, changing service times, monitoring travel, plan monitoring, quoting tools, service bookings, making payment claims, and staff training or supervision.
Is telehealth the same as non-face-to-face?
No. Telehealth is direct support delivered by video or phone with the participant taking part, and it has its own claim type. Non-face-to-face work happens without the participant present.
How do I claim non-face-to-face time?
Under the 2025-26 rules, claim it against the same support item using the Non-Face-to-Face claim type. For therapy and early childhood items in the 2026-27 schedule, use the matching _NF item number. Claim only completed work, by time.
Which price limit applies to non-face-to-face work?
The limit that applies where the worker is when they do the work. A report written in a metropolitan office uses the national limit, even if the participant lives in a remote or very remote area.
Related terms
- NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL)The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL) is the NDIA's price guide: the maximum prices for NDIS supports plus the rules for claiming them. From 24 September 2026 the maximums come from the Minister's NDIS pricing schedule 2026–27, while the 2025–26 PAPL remains the latest published claiming rules.
- NDIS invoiceAn NDIS invoice is a bill for disability supports delivered to one NDIS participant, listing their name and NDIS number, dates, support item numbers, claim types, quantities, prices, GST and the provider's ABN. It goes to a plan manager or self-managed participant; NDIA-managed supports use a payment request.
- Progress notesProgress notes are the written record of an NDIS support: what was delivered, when and by whom, what the participant did and said, how they are progressing towards their goals and what happens next. Workers write them each shift, and providers rely on them as evidence of delivery.
- Provider travelNDIS provider travel is the travel time and running costs a provider can claim from a participant's plan for a worker getting to a face-to-face support. Time is capped at 30 minutes (MMM 1–3) or 60 minutes (MMM 4–5), therapy travel is half the hourly limit, and it must be agreed in advance.
- Service agreementAn NDIS service agreement is an agreement between a participant and a provider that sets out the supports to be delivered, how and when, what they cost and each party's responsibilities. Written agreements are mandatory for SDA, expected of registered providers and needed for GST-free supplies.
- Short notice cancellationA short notice cancellation is when an NDIS participant cancels a support with less than the required notice, or doesn't show, and the provider claims up to 100% of the agreed fee. Notice is 7 days for support worker supports and 2 clear business days for most others, and three conditions must be met.
- Support item numberA support item number, often called an NDIS line item, is the unique code for a specific NDIS support, such as 01_011_0107_1_1. Its parts show the support category, item sequence, registration group, outcome domain and support purpose, and every NDIS claim and invoice line must use one.
Go deeper
Sources
- ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-and-payments/pricing/pricing-arrangements
- ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-and-payments/pricing/what-support-catalogue
- legislation.gov.au/F2026L01268
- ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-and-payments/payments/guide-getting-paid
General information, not legal, clinical or financial advice. NDIS rules change — check the official source before you act.
Suppora editorial team
NDIS operations and compliance writers
The Suppora editorial team writes practical guides for NDIS providers, checked against the NDIS Commission, NDIA and Fair Work sources cited on each page.
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