Can you charge for a cancelled NDIS shift?

What counts as short notice?

Short notice is less than 7 days for most support work, and less than 2 clear business days for a few supports such as household tasks. A no-show counts too, as does the participant not being at the agreed place within a reasonable time when you've travelled there to deliver the support. These rules come from the NDIA's pricing arrangements for 2025-26, which stay current until the NDIA publishes its 2026-27 guidance.

Weekends and public holidays aren't business days, so a Friday afternoon cancellation of a Monday clean is short notice. The 7 days are calendar days, and a public holiday in between doesn't change them.

Your service agreement can give the participant a shorter window, but not a longer one: you can only claim when the notice was shorter than the NDIS window for that support. In practice I run some clients at 7 days and others at 2, depending on what we agreed when they started with me.

How much can you claim?

You can claim up to 100% of the agreed fee for the support, up to the price limit, on the same support item code you would have used if the shift had gone ahead. The condition is that you couldn't fill that time with other paid work. As a sole trader, the rule about paying the worker for the missed time is written for providers with employees, not you: you're the one who goes unpaid if you don't charge.

Whether you charge is still your call, because the NDIA lets you waive the fee. I've waived one where a participant was technically inside the 7-day window but I judged the notice was reasonable. When I've picked up other paid work in the slot, I haven't charged, because the rules don't allow it then. A good relationship with the people you support is worth more than one cancellation charge.

There's no limit on how many cancellations you can claim for one participant. If someone cancels a lot, the NDIA expects you to find out why, and it monitors cancellation claims and may contact you about an unusual number.

Which codes allow a cancellation claim?

205 of the 976 current NDIS codes allow a short notice cancellation claim, and every line item page shows whether yours does with a "Short notice cancellation" chip. Check it before you agree to charge one.

Therapy works differently. Each therapy support has its own cancellation code ending in _CA, with the same price limit as the direct service, and the notice window is 2 clear business days. The allied health guide covers the therapy codes.

How do you write the cancellation line?

Put it on the same support item code you would have used for the shift, and mark the line clearly as a cancellation. The NDIA's claiming system has a separate "Cancellation" option, so whoever lodges the claim, usually your plan manager, needs to see it's one. A simple way is to start the description with "Cancellation - ", then charge the hours and rate you would have charged.

Say you had a 2-hour weekday daytime self-care shift at the price limit of $73.58 an hour (01-011-0107-1-1). The participant cancels 3 days before, you can't fill the slot, and your agreement covers cancellations. Your line reads "Cancellation - short notice", 2 hours at $73.58, total $147.16.

Put your cancellation terms in the service agreement

Agree your cancellation terms with the participant before you start, not after the first cancellation. The NDIA's guidance says providers should write them into the service agreement, and its worked examples make the claim depend on the agreement including them. I always put mine in up front; the alternative is an awkward "oh, by the way" conversation the first time it happens. See what to put in a service agreement for the clause to write.