Starting with a new disability support provider can feel like the important decision. It’s a good idea to understand what an NDIS service agreement in St Albans includes before you commit.
But there is another step participants should not overlook:
reading the service agreement.
An NDIS service agreement describes what you and a provider have agreed about your supports, including what will be provided, how it will be delivered, what it costs, how the provider will be paid and how the arrangement can be changed.
For participants and families in St Albans, Sunshine, Deer Park, Albanvale, Kings Park, Keilor Downs, Cairnlea and surrounding western Melbourne communities, understanding the agreement before signing can prevent misunderstandings later.
Here are nine areas worth checking.
1. Exactly What Support Are You Agreeing To?
A service agreement should clearly identify the NDIS supports the provider will deliver.
Current NDIA guidance says a good agreement should explain:
- what supports are being provided;
- how they will be provided; and
- when and where they will be provided.
Avoid relying only on broad descriptions such as:
“community support”
or
“disability services.”
If you expect a particular type of assistance, frequency or location, make sure you and the provider have the same understanding.
For example, a participant might think they have arranged three hours of individual assistance every Tuesday afternoon, while the provider understands the arrangement differently.
A clear agreement reduces that risk.
2. How Much Will the Support Cost?
Do not wait for the first invoice to discover the price.
Your agreement should explain the price you will pay and any other relevant charges.
Current NDIA guidance says service agreements can address the support price, materials or product costs, provider travel, other fees and charges, GST where applicable, and how the provider will be paid.
The current NDIS pricing schedule applies from 1 July 2026 and contains recommended maximum prices for relevant NDIS support items. The NDIA also says proposed price changes to an existing service agreement must be discussed with the participant and agreed before they are made.
So ask:
What is the hourly rate?
Could the rate differ by day or time?
What other charges might appear on an invoice?
What happens if the NDIS pricing schedule changes?
Knowing the headline hourly rate is not always enough.
3. Are There Travel or Other Additional Charges?
This is particularly important across Melbourne’s west, where participants and providers may travel between suburbs.
Current NDIA service-agreement guidance specifically identifies provider travel costs as something a good agreement should address.
Do not simply ask:
“Do you charge travel?”
Ask what that means in practice.
You might want to know whether a particular support arrangement can involve provider travel, how it is calculated, what NDIS funding it would be claimed against and how it will appear on the invoice.
The same principle applies to other possible charges.
If a fee can legitimately be charged under your arrangement, it is better to understand it before services start.
4. What Is the Cancellation Policy?
Imagine you have a support booked for Wednesday morning but need to cancel.
When do you need to tell the provider?
Could your plan still be charged?
Your service agreement should explain the provider’s cancellation policy.
Cancellation charges are also subject to conditions in the applicable NDIS pricing arrangements.
Participants should therefore understand both:
the provider’s cancellation terms, and
the applicable NDIS claiming rules.
A cancellation policy should not be something you discover only after seeing a charge on your statement.
5. How Will Invoices and Payments Work?
How your provider is paid depends partly on how the relevant funding is managed.
The agreement should explain whether payment will be handled:
by you;
through direct claims for applicable NDIA-managed supports; or
through your plan manager.
If your funding is plan-managed, you may also want to understand how invoices reach your plan manager and what approval process you have established.
If you are self-managed, make sure you understand your responsibilities for paying providers, claiming eligible supports and retaining appropriate records.
Clarity about payments helps avoid situations where a participant, provider and plan manager each assumes somebody else is handling an issue.
6. What Are Your Responsibilities—and the Provider’s?
A service agreement is not only about what the provider promises to do.
It can also set out responsibilities on both sides.
Current NDIA guidance says a good agreement can explain:
- rules the provider must follow;
- rules the participant needs to follow; and
- what either party can do if the other is not meeting their responsibilities.
Read this section carefully.
Ask yourself whether the expectations are reasonable and whether you understand them.
You should also understand how to raise concerns if the support delivered does not match what was agreed.
7. How Do You Make a Complaint or Raise a Problem?
Nobody begins a provider relationship expecting something to go wrong.
But a good agreement should still explain what happens if it does.
Current NDIA guidance recommends including:
how concerns can be raised;
what to do if you are unhappy with a service; and
who to contact if an issue cannot be resolved.
You can use your agreement as a reference if a provider delivers or charges for something different from what was agreed.
Depending on the issue, participants may also have the option of making a complaint to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
A complaints process should support participants to speak up—not discourage them from doing so.
8. How Long Does the Agreement Last?
Look for the start date, duration and review arrangements.
The NDIA recommends that participants understand:
how long the service agreement operates;
when it will be reviewed;
how changes will be managed; and
how the agreement can be ended.
This becomes particularly relevant when you receive a new NDIS plan.
Current guidance recommends reviewing or creating new service agreements when a new plan begins because the participant may have more, less or different supports, different goals or may want to change providers.
Do not assume an old agreement automatically remains the best arrangement simply because you have worked with the provider for a long time.
9. How Do You Leave the Provider?
This may be the most overlooked part of the document.
Before beginning a provider relationship, understand how to end it.
Current NDIA guidance says participants can change providers and recommends checking the service agreement to determine how much notice needs to be given. This may be described as a notice period or cancellation period.
Depending on the circumstances and agreement, failing to provide agreed notice may have financial implications where applicable NDIS claiming rules allow a charge.
Ask:
How much notice must I give?
How do I give notice?
Does it need to be in writing?
What happens to booked supports?
What happens to outstanding invoices?
A provider relationship should not feel impossible to leave.
Participant choice includes being able to change providers.
Do You Have to Sign an NDIS Service Agreement?
Not always.
This is an important distinction.
Current NDIA guidance says written service agreements are not mandatory in most cases, although the NDIA recommends creating one whenever you start working with a new provider.
Written service agreements are mandatory for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) supports.
There are also specific regulatory requirements that can apply to certain registered providers and support arrangements, so participants should not assume the general rule covers every situation. For example, NDIS Commission registration conditions impose written service-agreement requirements in specified circumstances for certain personal-support providers.
For most everyday participant-provider relationships, however, a written agreement is valuable even where it is not compulsory.
It gives both parties something clear to refer back to.
You Don’t Have to Accept a Provider’s Template Unchanged
A provider may give you its standard agreement.
That does not mean you cannot ask questions or suggest changes.
Current NDIA guidance specifically says participants should read agreements carefully before signing and can make suggestions to change the agreement to suit their needs.
You can also ask for the agreement to be presented in a language, communication method and terms you understand. A family member, friend, Support Coordinator or Recovery Coach may help you understand it.
Signing should represent informed agreement—not simply completing an intake form.
Service Agreement vs NDIS Plan: They’re Not the Same
Your NDIS plan is your arrangement with the NDIA about funded supports.
A service agreement is an agreement between you and a provider about how particular supports will be delivered.
Your provider cannot use a service agreement to rewrite the funding in your NDIS plan.
Likewise, having something written into a provider’s service agreement does not automatically make it an eligible NDIS support.
The service being delivered and claimed must still comply with the participant’s plan and applicable NDIS rules.
A Simple Pre-Signing Checklist
Before signing, you should be able to answer these questions:
What support am I receiving?
When and where will I receive it?
What will it cost?
What extra charges could apply?
What happens if I cancel?
How will invoices be paid?
How do I raise a problem?
How can the agreement change?
How do I leave?
If you cannot answer several of them after reading the document, ask the provider to explain those sections.
A good provider should want you to understand what you are agreeing to.
For Support Coordinators, Plan Managers and Referral Partners
Service agreements are worth discussing during referrals rather than treating them as routine paperwork.
A Support Coordinator may help a participant understand an agreement.
A plan manager may need clarity about agreed prices and invoices.
Allied health professionals and other referral partners can encourage participants to ask questions where a proposed arrangement is unclear.
Most importantly, the participant should understand the agreement in a communication format that works for them.
The aim is not merely to obtain a signature.
The aim is to establish clear expectations between the participant and provider.
Talk to BHA Disability Services
If you are an NDIS participant, family member, carer, Support Coordinator, plan manager, allied health professional or referral partner seeking relevant disability support in St Albans or Melbourne’s western suburbs, BHA Disability Services welcomes enquiries.
Tell BHA Disability Services about the participant’s goals, disability-related support needs and the relevant supports in their NDIS plan.
BHA Disability Services can discuss the services it actually provides and whether they may be appropriate for the participant’s circumstances.
Before beginning any ongoing provider arrangement, make sure you understand what has been agreed—including supports, prices, additional charges, cancellations and how the arrangement can end.
Clear expectations are an important part of genuine participant choice and control.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an NDIS service agreement include?
Current NDIA guidance recommends covering the supports being provided, how and where they will be delivered, prices and additional charges, payment arrangements, responsibilities, cancellations, complaints, duration, changes and how the agreement can end.
Is an NDIS service agreement legally required?
A written service agreement is not mandatory for most NDIS supports, although the NDIA recommends having one. Written service agreements are mandatory for SDA, and additional regulatory requirements can apply in particular provider or support circumstances.
Can I ask an NDIS provider to change its service agreement?
Yes. The NDIA says participants can suggest changes to a service agreement to suit their needs.
Should travel charges be included in my service agreement?
The NDIA specifically identifies provider travel costs as one of the costs a good service agreement should address.
Can an NDIS provider increase its price without telling me?
The NDIA’s current pricing guidance says proposed changes to existing service agreements must be discussed with participants and participants must agree before those changes are made.
Can I leave an NDIS provider after signing a service agreement?
Yes. Participants can change providers. Check the agreement for notice and cancellation requirements and follow the agreed process for ending the relationship.
For current official guidance, see the NDIS explanation of service agreements, NDIS guide to making a service agreement and NDIS guide to changing providers.
