The NDIS has a new service agreement template. What to check before you sign

On 13 October the NDIA released a free service agreement template, a checklist and Easy Read guides. If you're starting with a new provider, renewing an old agreement or helping someone else with theirs, it's a good time to read the fine print.

The Zoomly team · · 4 min read

A new provider sends over a service agreement. It's eleven pages long, it arrives the night before your first shift, and there's a box at the bottom that says "sign here". Plenty of people sign it on the spot, because they want the support to start and the document looks official.

The NDIA would like you to slow down a little. On 13 October it released new service agreement resources: a template, a checklist, written guidance and Easy Read versions. It built them with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to show you what to look for before you agree to anything.

What a service agreement is

A service agreement is a written agreement between you and a provider. In the NDIA's words, it "describes what you and your provider have agreed to about your NDIS supports." It's separate from your NDIS plan.

You must have one with a specialist disability accommodation (SDA) provider. They're encouraged for supported independent living (SIL). For everything else, including support workers, cleaning, transport and therapy, an agreement is optional, though the NDIA recommends one whenever you start with a new provider or your needs change.

Neither the NDIA nor the NDIS Commission keeps a copy or enforces it. It sits between you and your provider.

What a good one covers

The NDIA's guidance lists what an agreement should include. The short version:

  • who it's for, your contact details, any representative such as a guardian, and your goals
  • each support, with its item name or number, the hours, the unit price, the total cost and any GST
  • how, where and how often each support happens, and extra charges such as travel
  • start, end and review dates
  • what the provider will do, what you'll do, and how your cultural needs will be respected
  • cancellation fees, and what happens if the provider cancels, pauses or replaces a support
  • how the agreement can change or end, and how much notice you have to give
  • who to contact with questions, and a clear complaints process

If anything on that list is missing, ask for it to be added. You can also ask for plain language, a different format, or an interpreter.

Three sections to read twice

Cancellations. Check how much notice you need to give, what you'll be charged if you give less, and what happens when the provider is the one who cancels.

The end date. The NDIA suggests your agreement shouldn't run past your plan reassessment date. A new plan can change your funding.

Changes and leaving. Small changes can be added as a variation, a short extra document attached to the original. A big change, a new plan or a new provider usually means a new agreement. Check how much notice you need to give to leave, because changing providers is your call to make. We wrote about that side of things in our tips for choosing a support worker.

A price change is coming on 1 December

There's a timely reason to look at your agreement now. From 1 December 2026, the maximum NDIS prices for four support items go up, following a Fair Work Commission decision to lift wages for home care workers under the SCHADS award:

  • House or Yard Maintenance: $59.01 to $63.42 an hour
  • House Cleaning and Other Household Activities: $60.10 to $64.59 an hour
  • Assistance with Personal Domestic Activities: $61.16 to $65.73 an hour
  • Specialised Home-Based Assistance for a Child: $61.16 to $65.73 an hour

That's a rise of about 7.5% each. The item numbers and the claiming process stay the same, and the new prices apply only to supports delivered on or after 1 December.

If a provider wants to charge the new prices under an existing agreement, the NDIA says they need to talk it through with you first, and you have to agree before the change is made. More per hour from the same budget means fewer hours, so it's worth checking with your plan manager or support coordinator how that affects the rest of your plan. December is also when the new 90 day claiming limit starts, which we covered in our guide to the 90 day rule.

You can say no

The NDIS website is clear that you don't have to agree to buy anything or sign a contract. A provider can't use an agreement to get out of its obligations under the NDIS Code of Conduct or the Australian Consumer Law either.

Take the agreement home and read it against the NDIA checklist, with someone you trust if that helps. If something is wrong once support starts, raise it with the provider or your plan manager first. If that doesn't fix it, ring the NDIS on 1800 800 110, or make a complaint to the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544. You don't need a provider's permission to do either.

Zoomly has an NDIS Services Agreement too. Ask us and we'll send it through.

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