How to Invoice as an NDIS Support Worker (Sole Trader Guide)
When you work through an agency, invoicing is someone else’s job. Go independent and it becomes yours, and the rules around ABNs, GST, price limits and who to bill can feel like a lot at the start.
It is simpler than it looks once you set it up once. This guide walks an independent NDIS support worker or sole trader through the whole thing, from getting an ABN to sending an invoice that clears first time.
Contents
Get an ABN before you invoice
An ABN is the first step. It is free to apply for through the Australian Business Register, and for plan managed participants it has been required on invoices since July 2021. Working as a sole trader, your ABN is tied to you personally, and you use it on every invoice you send.
You do not need to register a company to work independently. A sole trader ABN is enough to invoice, get paid and lodge your income at tax time.
Work out whether GST applies to you
Two things sit under GST, and it helps to keep them separate. First, most NDIS supports are GST free when they are reasonable and necessary supports in a participant’s plan with an agreement in place, so the support you deliver is generally not taxed.
Second, you only have to register for GST once your turnover reaches $75,000 a year. Below that, most independent support workers are not registered and simply mark their invoices GST free. Check your own numbers with an accountant, then set your invoices to match and keep them consistent.
Set your rate to the price guide
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits set the most you can charge for each support. You can charge under a price limit, but not over it, and an invoice that goes over gets knocked back. Find the support item that matches the work you do and use its limit as your ceiling.
Show your rate as an hourly rate on the invoice, not a lump sum. “3 hours at $X per hour” is easy for a plan manager to check against the participant’s budget. A flat “$Y for the week” is not, and it invites questions.
What goes on a support worker invoice
Your invoice needs your name and ABN, a unique invoice number and date, the participant’s name and NDIS number, the dates you worked, a clear description of the support with its item number, the hours and your hourly rate, the GST status, and your bank details. If you travelled between or for participants, put travel on its own line rather than folding it into a session.
Send it to the right place: the participant if they are self managed, or their plan manager if they are plan managed. A quick, professional PDF gets taken more seriously than a photo of a handwritten note, and it gets paid faster.
Getting paid, and keeping records
Add short payment terms such as “Payment due within 14 days” and keep a copy of every invoice you send. Plan managers usually pay within a few business days when the invoice is complete, so if something is slow it is worth a polite follow up with the invoice attached.
Keeping your own copies also makes tax time far easier, since your invoices are the record of what you earned across the year.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an ABN to work as an independent support worker?
Yes. You invoice under your own ABN as a sole trader, and for plan managed participants an ABN on the invoice has been required since July 2021. It is free to apply for through the Australian Business Register.
Do NDIS support workers charge GST?
Usually not. Most NDIS supports are GST free, and you only have to register for GST once your turnover reaches $75,000 a year. Below that most support workers mark invoices GST free. Confirm your position with an accountant.
How much can I charge as an NDIS support worker?
Up to the price limit for that support in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. You can charge less, but an invoice above the limit will be rejected.
How do I send an NDIS invoice?
As a clear PDF to the participant if they are self managed, or to their plan manager if they are plan managed, with your ABN, their NDIS number, the support details and your bank details on it.
How this guide was written
Carearoo researches and drafts its guides with AI assistance, working from the primary sources linked in the text, and a person checks every fact against those sources before it is published. Last checked 30 August 2026.
Invoice in a minute, not a spreadsheet
Carearoo’s free invoice generator keeps your ABN, bank details and support items ready, shows travel and hours with the right units, and exports a clean NDIS invoice PDF you can send straight to the plan manager.