NDIS claims have a 90 day clock now. What to sort out before December

Plenty of self-managers have a folder somewhere with a few months of invoices in it, waiting for a quiet Sunday. Under the old rules that was fine, because you had two years from the day of a support to claim it. That window is about to shrink to 90 days, and the NDIA has started treating late claims differently even before the new limit kicks in.

We touched on this in our guide to the NDIS changes for 2026 and 2027. On 5 October the NDIA added a second date, so it's worth a closer look.

Two dates to put in the diary

15 October 2026. The NDIA starts extra checks on any claim submitted more than 90 days after the support was delivered. Those claims can be held for up to 28 days while it checks them, and it may ask you for more information or evidence before paying. If a claim is rejected, the NDIA says it will tell you why. Claims made within 90 days go through the usual process.

The NDIA's reasoning is that older claims are harder to verify. Paperwork goes missing, details change, and it's harder to match a claim to what happened.

1 December 2026. The Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act, which passed in August, cuts the time to claim for supports from two years to 90 days after the support is delivered. The Department of Health describes it as applying to participants or their plan managers, and to providers claiming for supports under a participant's plan.

The 90 days count from when the support happened. They don't start from when the invoice turned up or when you got around to opening it.

What it means for you

If you self-manage, you're the one making the claim, so the clock is yours. Pay and claim as invoices arrive, through the my NDIS app or a participant portal. A claim needs the provider's name and ABN, the dates of the support, the support category, the amount and a description, plus a receipt or invoice to upload. Have those ready and each claim takes a few minutes. Save them up and it's an evening.

If you use a plan manager, they claim for you, but they can only claim what they've been sent. Providers send invoices to your plan manager, so a provider who bills late eats into the 90 days before your plan manager even sees the invoice. It's fair to ask your providers how quickly they invoice, and to check your plan manager's statements so nothing sits unclaimed.

If your plan is NDIA-managed, providers claim straight from your plan through the provider portal. You don't need to do anything differently, though a quick look at your budget in the my NDIS app each month will show whether claims are coming through.

If you're a support worker or provider billing the NDIS, invoice weekly or fortnightly instead of in a big batch. The NDIA says valid claims from providers recorded as "my providers" are usually paid in two to three business days. A late one can wait up to 28 days for checks, and after 1 December it might not be payable at all.

Clear the backlog before December

From 15 October, any invoice more than 90 days old gets the extra checks however soon you lodge it. Lodging it sooner still makes sense, because from 1 December the 90 day limit is the law.

When we checked in October 2026, the NDIA hadn't published detail on how supports delivered before 1 December will be treated after that date, or whether there's any way to lodge a claim outside the window. Until it does, the safe move is to treat everything as on the new clock and get older invoices in during October and November.

Keep your records

Claiming faster doesn't mean throwing the paperwork away. The new law sets record keeping periods of three years for participants, five years for nominees and seven years for providers, with the detail still to come. The NDIA's self-management guide currently says five years. Keeping everything for five years covers you either way.

A folder in your email for invoices, and a photo of any paper receipt the day you get it, is enough for most people. The NDIA can ask you to show how funding was spent, and you may have to pay funding back if you can't.

Fewer invoices help

When you book a ride and a Support Partner together through Zoomly, they come through as one booking on one invoice, which is one less bit of paper to chase before the 90 days are up. We wrote more about how claims and the my NDIS app are changing in how technology is shaping better NDIS services.

If you're not sure which way your plan is managed, it's listed in your plan and in the my NDIS app, and your support coordinator or plan manager can walk you through it.

Where this comes from

• NDIA: Increasing integrity checks on older claims (5 October 2026)
• NDIA: Securing the NDIS for future generations
• Department of Health: About the changes to the NDIS
• Department of Health: Information for NDIS providers on the changes
• NDIA: How to make a claim
• NDIA: How to self-manage your funding
• NDIA: Guide to getting paid