NDIS service agreements: what to check before you sign

A service agreement is just the written record of the deal: what supports you get, when, at what price, and what both sides do if things change. It protects you as much as the provider, but only the version you actually read. NDIS agreements are usually short. There is no excuse, theirs or yours, for surprises.

What a service agreement is (and is not)

• It is not legally required for most supports, but it is standard, and a provider with no written agreement at all is the bigger worry.
• It is not the NDIS's document. It is a private agreement between you and the provider, which is why quality varies so much.
• It cannot override NDIS rules. For NDIS-funded supports, prices and cancellation charges still have to fit within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, whatever the agreement says.
• You are entitled to take it away, read it, ask questions and request changes before signing. Pressure to sign on the spot is itself a red flag.

The six clauses that matter

1. The supports and the schedule

What exactly is being delivered, how often, and at what times? Vague descriptions ("supports as agreed") make disputes unwinnable. You want enough detail that a stranger could read it and know what should be happening each week.

2. The prices

Rates should be listed against the supports, and for plan-managed and NDIA-managed participants they must sit within the current NDIS price limits. Check whether evening, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday rates are spelled out, because that is where surprise costs usually live. (Our invoicing guide shows how these rates appear on invoices.)

3. Cancellation terms, both directions

The NDIS pricing rules define when a provider may charge for a short-notice cancellation. The agreement should mirror those rules, not exceed them, and should also say what happens when the provider cancels: do you get notice, a replacement worker, an apology, or silence? Both directions belong on paper.

4. The notice period for ending the agreement

Two to four weeks is common and reasonable. Anything longer mainly serves to trap you. Check this number before you sign, because it is the one you will need if the relationship sours (see changing providers).

5. What happens when your plan changes

Plans get reassessed, funding changes, categories move. A good agreement says supports will adjust to the new plan without penalty. An agreement that locks in volumes regardless of your funding is writing cheques your plan might not cash.

6. Privacy, notes and complaints

Who sees your information, how shift notes are kept, and how to complain, both to the provider and beyond them to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The Commission route applies whether or not the provider is registered, and a confident provider states it openly.

Red flags: do not sign

• Charges for the agreement itself - establishment or "setup" fees outside what the NDIS pricing rules allow.
• Cancellation terms harsher than the NDIS rules - for example, charging full price for cancellations made well in advance.
• Lock-in periods or exit fees - support is a service you can leave, not a gym contract.
• Blank schedules or "as required" everything - if the deliverables are vague, so is your protection.
• Sign-now pressure - any provider who cannot wait two days for you to read four pages is telling you something.
• No mention of how to complain - confident providers put it in writing.

Yes, you can negotiate

It is an agreement between two parties, not terms-of-service. Commonly adjusted without fuss: notice periods, preferred workers, communication preferences (text vs email vs calls), schedule details, and a review date after the first month to check it is all working. Ask plainly: "I would like the notice period at two weeks instead of four, can we change that?" The answer tells you about the next year of the relationship.

Quick answers