Short notice cancellation

What is a short notice cancellation in the NDIS?

A short notice cancellation is when a participant cancels a scheduled NDIS support without enough notice, or doesn't show up, and the provider claims up to 100% of the agreed fee from their plan. Under the NDIA's 2025–26 rules, short notice means less than 7 days for disability support worker supports and less than 2 clear business days for most other supports, such as therapy. The provider can only claim if the cancellation terms are in the service agreement, the worker couldn't be given other billable work, and the worker still had to be paid.

When people search "NDIS cancellation policy" or "NDIS cancellation fee", this is the rule they're looking for. It sets the maximum a provider can charge NDIA-managed or plan-managed funding for a late cancellation. A provider's own policy can be more generous, such as 48 hours' notice or a free first cancellation, but it can't be stricter.

The rule is about cancellations by the participant. If the provider cancels a shift or can't find a worker, there's nothing to claim from the participant's plan.

Which cancellation rules apply in 2026–27

The NDIS pricing schedule 2026–27, in force from 24 September 2026, sets maximum prices and item numbers but not the claiming rules. The short notice cancellation rules were last published in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025–26, and the NDIA has said updated pricing and claiming guidance will follow. Until it does, the 2025–26 rules are the latest official guidance.

What has changed is how therapy cancellations are numbered. Instead of choosing a "Cancellation" claim type on the direct-service item, the 2026–27 schedule gives each therapy and professional support its own cancellation item, mostly ending in _CA, priced at the same limit as the direct service. Support worker items have no separate cancellation items, so those cancellations are still claimed against the same support item with the Cancellation claim type.

How short notice cancellations work

The two notice periods

The 2025–26 PAPL describes two rules, and the support catalogue shows which one applies to each item:

Counting clear days

"Clear" means whole days between the day of cancellation and the day of the support. Neither the cancellation day nor the support day counts, and the time of day doesn't matter. This is the part most people get wrong: cancelling at 10am on a Tuesday for a 10am support the following Tuesday leaves only six clear days, so it's short notice under the 7-day rule. To avoid a fee, the participant would have needed to cancel by the Monday of the week before.

For the business-day rule, a therapy session at 10am on Friday needs Wednesday and Thursday clear, so the participant must cancel by the end of Tuesday. If a public holiday falls in between, such as Melbourne Cup Day in most of Victoria, it doesn't count, so the participant needs to cancel a day earlier than a participant in a state where that day is an ordinary business day.

The three conditions

Short notice alone isn't enough. Under the 2025–26 PAPL, all of these must also be true:

1. The service agreement sets out the cancellation terms, and the participant agreed to them before the support.
2. The provider couldn't find other billable work for the worker in that time.
3. The provider is still required to pay the worker for the cancelled time, or is a sole trader or partnership.

A no-show is treated the same way: the participant doesn't turn up within a reasonable time, or isn't at the agreed place within a reasonable time when the worker travels to them.

How much can be charged

The provider can claim up to 100% of the agreed fee: the price in the service agreement, which can't exceed the price limit for that item, time and location. They can also charge less or waive the fee entirely; the PAPL expressly allows this. There's no hard cap on the number of cancellations a provider can claim, but the PAPL reminds providers of their duty of care, and the NDIA monitors cancellation claims. To check a real case, the free NDIS cancellation calculator counts clear days (including public holidays) and checks the conditions; it shows amounts from the 2026–27 price limits rather than this page.

How to claim a short notice cancellation

On the invoice, show the cancellation as its own line with the cancellation item number, the original support date and a description such as "Short notice cancellation". NDIA-managed claims go through the NDIA's provider portal (see the NDIA's payment request guide); plan-managed cancellations are invoiced to the plan manager; self-managed participants are invoiced directly.

Group supports

For group-based supports, if one participant cancels with short notice and their place can't be filled, the PAPL lets the provider bill that participant at the rate they would have paid if they'd attended. Everyone else in the group is billed as if the whole group attended, so their share doesn't go up. The three conditions still apply to the cancelling participant's claim.

Short notice cancellation vs related terms

The rule only covers the participant's side of a booking. These are the situations it's most often confused with:

Situations the rules don't spell out

The NDIS rules are short, and real rosters throw up cases they don't mention. Where they're silent, apply their logic: a fee recovers a genuine, unavoidable cost that the participant agreed to in advance. Some common cases:

• Hospital admission or sudden illness. Short notice may technically apply, but many providers waive the fee, which the PAPL allows.
• Recurring supports cancelled for several weeks. Count notice separately for each booking. The first may be short notice; later ones usually aren't.
• A support ended early by the participant. The rules don't address this directly. Claim the time delivered, and only treat the rest as a cancellation if your agreement clearly says so and the conditions are met.
• Emergencies such as floods or bushfires. There's no specific rule. Waiving is the sensible default; check whether the support could be delivered another way, such as telehealth.
• Plan ended or funds exhausted. A cancellation is claimed from the plan like any other support, so it needs an active plan and enough funds in the right budget.

Writing a cancellation policy participants can trust

Your cancellation clause is what makes a cancellation claimable, so write it in plain language. It should cover:

• The notice period for each type of support you provide (7 days for support work, 2 clear business days for therapy, or something more generous).
• What counts as a no-show, for example not being home within 15 minutes of the start time.
• How to cancel, and who to contact out of hours.
• The percentage you'll charge, and any free first cancellation or exceptions such as hospital admission.
• That you won't charge if you can fill the time with other billable work.

The free service agreement generator includes a cancellation clause based on these rules that you can adjust. Whatever policy you choose, apply it consistently: charging one participant and waiving for another in the same situation is hard to defend if a complaint reaches the NDIS Commission.

A run of cancellations can also be a warning sign: a change in health, a carer under pressure, a support that isn't working or a safety issue. Follow up, record the conversation in your progress notes, and consider whether the support needs to change.

Common mistakes with NDIS cancellations

• Counting the cancellation day or support day. Only whole days in between count.
• Charging when the worker was redeployed. If the time was filled with other billable work, there's no cost to recover.
• Charging without terms in the agreement. Add terms for future bookings; don't claim the past one.
• Using a stricter policy than the NDIS. A 14-day policy can't be enforced against NDIA-managed or plan-managed funding for 7–13 days' notice.
• Claiming a therapy cancellation on the direct-service item. In 2026–27 use the item's cancellation number.
• Charging the participant when your worker cancels. Provider cancellations aren't claimable.