NDIS service agreement template: what to include and how to write one

What is an NDIS service agreement?

A service agreement is the written arrangement between an NDIS participant (or their nominee) and a provider. The NDIS describes it as a contract that applies when a participant uses their NDIS funding to pay for supports, and it sits under Australian Consumer Law. It is separate from the participant's NDIS plan: the plan says what is funded, while the agreement says what you will deliver, how and for how much.

Each participant needs their own agreement with each provider they use. For the official explanation, see the NDIS guidance for participants and providers on ndis.gov.au.

Do you have to use one?

The NDIS recommends a written service agreement rather than prescribing a single mandatory form. For registered providers, the NDIS Practice Standards also expect supports to be agreed with the participant and communicated in a way they understand, and to continue without interruption for the period of the agreement. Unregistered providers are not audited against the Practice Standards, but a clear written agreement protects both sides just as much.

NDIS service agreement template: clause-by-clause outline

Here is a structure you can adapt. It is general information, not legal advice.

1. Parties. The participant, any nominee or representative with authority to sign, and your legal entity name and ABN.
2. Start date, term and review. When supports begin, when the agreement ends or is reviewed, and what happens if the participant's plan is reassessed.
3. Supports to be delivered. A plain description of each support, how often, where, and who will deliver it. Link each to the funding category it is claimed from.
4. Prices and a schedule of supports. Rates for each support, including weekday, evening, weekend and public holiday rates if they differ, and never above the price limits that apply to the support.
5. Travel and other charges. How worker travel and any other claimable costs are charged. Our NDIS Travel Calculator helps you work out what travel to a participant may cost.
6. Invoicing and payment. How you invoice (plan-managed, self-managed or NDIA-managed participants differ), and how often.
7. Participant responsibilities. For example, giving notice of changes, telling you about safety issues at home, and being available for scheduled supports.
8. Provider responsibilities. Delivering supports safely and respectfully, worker screening, privacy and record keeping.
9. Cancellations and no-shows. What notice is needed and what you may claim if it isn't given (see below).
10. Changing or ending the agreement. How either party gives notice, and how supports are transitioned so the participant is not left without them.
11. Feedback, complaints and disputes. How to raise a concern with you, and that the participant can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
12. Privacy and consent. What information you collect and who it may be shared with.
13. Signatures and dates. Both parties sign, and the participant receives a copy.

Cancellation terms: get these right

Cancellations are where service agreements most often cause disputes. The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits set when a provider can claim for a support the participant cancelled at short notice, and the amount is capped. The participant should have agreed to those terms in advance, which is why your agreement should state them explicitly rather than rely on a verbal understanding. Read the current Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits for the notice windows that apply to each support type before you finalise your wording, because they differ by support and are updated from time to time.

Write it in plain language

The Practice Standards expect information to be given in the language, mode and terms the participant is most likely to understand. A twelve-page legal document that a participant signs without reading helps no one. Aim for short sentences, headings that match the list above, an easy-read version where it would help, and a conversation to walk through the key terms before anyone signs.

Common mistakes

• Vague scope. "Support as needed" makes billing disputes likely. State the hours, frequency and activities.
• Prices that don't match the price limits. Check every rate against the current price guide when it changes.
• No process for price changes. Say how and when you will notify the participant of changes.
• Lock-in clauses. Participants should be able to end the agreement; unfair terms can be unenforceable under Australian Consumer Law.
• Agreements that don't get refreshed. When a plan is reviewed, update the agreement, or the dates and funding categories drift out of line with what you actually bill.
• No copy for the participant. Always give them the signed version.

How RaddeCare+ fits in

RaddeCare+ doesn't write your contract for you. Once agreements are in place, it helps with the work that follows from them: rostering the shifts you agreed to, applying SCHADS, Aged Care or Nurses award rules to pay for those shifts, and producing NDIS invoices from approved timesheets, with Xero and MYOB integration. Its form builder can also be used to build compliance documents, such as a checklist your team completes when onboarding a new participant. Margin per shift is visible once a shift is on the roster, so you can see whether the rates in your agreements cover your costs.

Frequently asked questions