Progress notes

What are progress notes?

NDIS progress notes are the written record of a support: what was delivered, when and by whom, what the participant did and said, how they are progressing towards their goals, and what needs to happen next. Support workers usually write one at the end of each shift or visit, and they become part of the participant's file. They are the provider's main day-to-day evidence that a claimed support was actually delivered.

The emphasis is in the name: progress. A good progress note links what happened on the shift to the participant's NDIS goals and support plan goals, so that over weeks and months it shows what is changing for the person. Many organisations use "progress notes", "case notes" and shift notes interchangeably; where they are separated, the progress note is the goal-focused record and the shift note is the shift's log of tasks and times (see the comparison below).

Progress notes are written by an NDIS support worker, team leader, support coordinator or therapist, and read by many people:

• The next worker, who needs to know what happened before they arrive.
• Coordinators and team leaders, who review progress, risks and the roster.
• The participant and their family or nominee, who can generally ask to see their information.
• Auditors, the NDIA and the NDIS Commission, during an audit, a payment review, a complaint or an incident investigation.

What NDIS rules say about progress notes

There is no single NDIS form for progress notes and no rule fixing their format. The obligations come from several places, and together they set a clear standard.

The NDIS Practice Standards

Registered providers are audited against the NDIS Practice Standards. The Information management outcome in the Core module (provider governance and operational management) expects each participant's information to be identifiable, accurately recorded, current and confidential, and recorded "in an accurate and timely manner" through an information management system proportionate to the size of the organisation. Participants must be told how their information is stored and used, and how to access or correct it.

The Support planning outcome in the Core module (provision of supports) expects progress towards the participant's goals to be assessed at a frequency proportionate to risk, their functionality and their wishes. Progress notes are where that assessment is recorded day to day.

NDIA record-keeping requirements

The NDIA's record-keeping guidance says providers need complete and accurate records of supports delivered, including support logs, rosters, case notes and service agreements. It describes case notes as outlining the activities a participant engaged in and how they relate to the support item and the participant's goals, and lists the minimum identifying details: the participant's name, NDIS number, date of the support, the amount or hours delivered and the support type.

How long to keep them

Plan on at least 7 years. The 2026 amendments to the NDIS Act set a 7-year retention period for providers' records relating to payments and NDIS funds, and progress notes are often the key evidence behind a claim; check the Department's summary of the changes for commencement details. Incident records must be kept for 7 years under the NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018. State and territory health records laws can require longer, especially for records about children.

Unregistered providers are not audited against the Practice Standards, but they still need to evidence every support they claim, and all workers must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct, which includes respecting a person's privacy and their right to make their own decisions.

What to include in an NDIS progress note

A note should let someone who wasn't there understand what support was delivered, what changed and what to do next. This structure covers what auditors and coordinators look for:

The free NDIS progress note writer builds a note in this structure and flags subjective wording as you type.

How to write a progress note, step by step

Write the note during or at the end of the shift, before you leave. Notes written days later lose detail and look reconstructed. Follow your organisation's timeframe and system.

Use objective, person-centred language

Objective writing records what happened, not your interpretation of it. It is fairer to the participant, more useful to the next reader and more reliable in an incident review. Person-centred writing makes the participant the subject of the note and respects their choices, in line with person-centred practice.

Not every flagged word is wrong. "Happy" is fine inside a quote, and "refused" may be the participant's own word. The test is that every statement is either something you observed or something the participant said. Two quick checks before you submit: would you be comfortable if the participant read this note, and could a stranger picture what happened from it alone?

Narrative, SOAP or DAP?

Use the format your organisation's policy specifies; the content matters more than the headings.

• Narrative: plain paragraphs in time order, then goal progress, incidents and handover. Common for support workers.
• SOAP: Subjective (what the participant said), Objective (what you observed and did), Assessment (progress towards goals), Plan (next steps). Common in allied health.
• DAP: Data, Assessment, Plan. A shorter version of SOAP.

Progress notes vs shift notes, handovers and incident reports

These records overlap, which is why people mix them up. They do different jobs, and one never replaces another:

The most important line is between notes and incidents. A progress note can mention an incident, but it never replaces your incident management system. Registered providers must notify reportable incidents to the NDIS Commission within set timeframes, most within 24 hours of key personnel becoming aware (NDIS Commission: reportable incidents). Record the facts briefly in the note, reference the incident report, and flag it in the shift handover. Use the reportable incident checker if you're unsure whether an event must be notified.

Linking progress notes to goals

Goal-linked notes are the difference between a diary and evidence of outcomes. Take the goals from the participant's NDIS plan and your support plan, and for each one the shift genuinely worked on, record:

1. The goal, in the participant's words or by its number in the support plan.
2. The observable step: "found the correct bus stop", "cut vegetables with supervision".
3. The level of support: independent, verbal prompt, gesture prompt, physical assistance, or done by the worker.
4. Anything that helped or got in the way.

Over a few months, notes written this way give the participant and their support coordinator real evidence for a plan reassessment, and show an auditor that support planning is being tracked. Don't link every note to every goal; that makes the evidence meaningless.

Common progress note mistakes

• Writing notes later from memory. Details and times are lost.
• Copy-paste notes. Identical notes shift after shift suggest no-one is looking and can hide change.
• Times that don't match the claim. Start and finish times should match the roster, the timesheet and the support claimed.
• Judgements and labels such as "aggressive", "non-compliant" or "attention-seeking".
• No goals. A note without goals is evidence of attendance, not progress.
• Incidents only in the note, with no incident report or Commission notification.
• Naming other participants. Use initials or a role such as "a co-resident".
• Deleting instead of correcting. Add a dated correction or addendum so the record shows what changed and who changed it.
• Notes on personal phones or in group chats instead of the organisation's system with access controls.