Support item number

What is an NDIS support item number?

An NDIS support item number is the unique code that identifies a specific support, such as 01_011_0107_1_1 for weekday daytime help with self-care, and every NDIS claim is made against one. People also call it an "NDIS line item" or "item number". The code links the support to its price limit, its budget category, its registration group and the rules for claiming it.

Item numbers are listed in the NDIS pricing schedule and the NDIS Support Catalogue. Providers put them on every invoice and payment request, plan managers check them before paying, and participants see them on statements. If the number is wrong, the claim can be rejected or paid from the wrong budget.

"Line item" is the everyday term because each support is one line in the catalogue spreadsheet and one line on an invoice. The NDIA's documents use "support item" and "support item number".

How to read an NDIS item number

A standard support item number has five parts separated by underscores. Claim-type items in the 2026–27 schedule add a sixth part, a suffix. Take 01_011_0107_1_1:

The first two digits match the NDIS support categories: 01 to 04 sit in Core supports, 05 and 06 in Capital supports, and 07 to 15 in Capacity building supports. The four-digit middle part is the registration group, which ties the item to provider registration: for example, 0128 is Therapeutic supports and 0138 is Supported independent living.

The eight outcome domains come from the NDIS outcomes framework: Daily living, Home, Health and wellbeing, Lifelong learning, Work, Social and community participation, Relationships, and Choice and control.

Why the same support has several item numbers

The day, time and intensity are built into the item. Standard self-care has one item for weekday daytime (01_011_0107_1_1), another for Saturday (01_013_0107_1_1), Sunday (01_014_0107_1_1) and public holidays (01_012_0107_1_1), plus evening, night and high intensity versions. That's why a participant's Saturday shift and weekday shift use different numbers, and why the time-of-day definitions in Part 4 of the schedule matter. For example, a weekday daytime support starts at or after 6am and ends at or before 8pm on a single weekday.

What item numbers are used for (and what they aren't)

Every item carries a set of attributes alongside its number. When you look one up in the free NDIS price guide search or the support catalogue, check:

• Unit of measure: hour, each, day, week, month or year. Claim in that unit.
• Price limits: national, remote and very remote maximums from the 2026–27 schedule. An item with no remote amount has no remote loading.
• Quote required: quotable items can only be claimed when specifically included in the participant's plan.
• Claim types allowed: whether cancellation, provider travel, non-face-to-face, telehealth, NDIA-requested report or irregular SIL claims can be made against it.
• Registration group: for NDIA-managed claims, the provider's registration has to cover it.

Some items have no price limit and only a notional unit price of 1, so you claim the dollar amount as the quantity. Provider travel non-labour costs (for example 01_799_0107_1_1) and low cost assistive technology work this way. These appear in the support catalogue rather than the pricing schedule, which only lists items with a maximum price.

An item number is not usually a separate pot of money. In most plans, funding is set at the budget or category level, so a participant can use different items within that budget. The exception is a stated support, which must be used for the specific support the plan describes.

Support item vs support category, registration group and claim type

These four terms describe different layers of the same system, from the broadest to the most specific.

How to find and claim the right item number

Choosing the item is the step most rejected claims go wrong on. Work through it in this order:

Claim-type items in 2026–27

In the 2025–26 Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, cancellations, travel and non-face-to-face work were "claim types" chosen when claiming the direct-service item. From 24 September 2026, the NDIS pricing schedule 2026–27 gives therapy and other professional supports separate items for these, made from the parent number plus a suffix. Speech pathology direct service is 15_622_0128_1_3, and its provider travel item is 15_622_0128_1_3_PT. Support worker items have no separate suffixed items, so short notice cancellations and provider travel for support workers are still claimed against the support item with the relevant claim type.

A few claim-type numbers don't follow the usual pattern, for example a trailing digit after the suffix. Copy numbers from the schedule or catalogue rather than building them by hand.

Old, new and replaced items

Items are added, renumbered and deactivated when the schedule changes. In 2026, supported independent living moved to new items under registration group 0138 from 1 July. Use the item that was current on the date the support was delivered, and update service agreements that refer to replaced items. The NDIA's guide to getting paid covers how claims are checked.

Standard, high intensity and SIL items

Intensity changes the item as well as the price. Standard personal care sits under registration group 0107, while high intensity supports for complex needs, such as complex bowel care or enteral feeding, use items under 0104 High intensity daily personal activities, which carry a higher limit and require registration for that group. Supported independent living has had its own items under group 0138 since 1 July 2026, and regular SIL is claimed either weekly or hourly, not both. If a participant's support needs change, the items on their roster and service agreement may need to change too.

Item numbers on invoices, claims and statements

How the item number is used depends on how the participant's funding is managed:

• NDIA-managed: a registered provider submits a payment request through the NDIA's provider portal, one claim at a time or as a bulk upload file, with the item number, dates, quantity and unit price on each line. The NDIA's how to make a payment request page explains the fields.
• Plan-managed: the provider sends an invoice to the plan manager, who claims from the NDIA using the item numbers on that invoice. Plan managers check each line against the price limit and the participant's budget.
• Self-managed: the participant pays the invoice and claims from their plan. Item numbers aren't strictly required on the invoice, but including them makes it much easier for the participant to match the support to their budget and keep records.

A good NDIS invoice shows one line per support item per date, with the support name next to the number so a participant can read it without a lookup table. Travel time, non-labour travel costs and cancellations go on their own lines, never folded into the support line.

What participants should look for

When you get an invoice or a plan manager statement, you can use the item number to check three things. The first two digits should match the budget you expected the support to come from. The item's name should match the support you actually received, including the day and time. And the price per unit should be no more than both your agreed price and the price limit for that item. If something doesn't line up, ask the provider or your plan manager before the claim is paid, because correcting a claim afterwards takes longer.

Where item numbers come from

Item numbers are set by the NDIA and, from 2026–27, published in the Minister's pricing schedule. They can change at each annual pricing review, and mid-year when the schedule is updated. The Department has already said the 2026–27 schedule will be updated to reflect SCHADS Award changes from 1 December 2026, so expect at least one more version this year.

Common mistakes with NDIS line items

• Using the weekday item for a weekend or evening shift. The time band is part of the item; check Part 4 definitions.
• Typing item numbers by hand. One wrong digit can point to a different category or registration group.
• Claiming therapy travel on the direct-service item. In 2026–27 use the item's _PT number.
• Putting kilometres on the support line. Non-labour travel costs go on the provider travel non-labour item.
• Using an item outside your registration. NDIA-managed claims need registration covering the item's group.
• Mixing hours and quantity. Claim time as hours (45 minutes is 0.75 of an hour) at the agreed rate, not a whole unit at a reduced price.
• Assuming each line item has its own budget. Most funding is flexible within a budget unless it's a stated support.