The NDIS reform is now law: what providers need to know 

The legislation behind the next phase of NDIS reform has passed Parliament and received Royal Assent. 

For providers, the most immediate changes relate to claims, record-keeping and compliance. Other changes including registration, planning and access will be introduced progressively over the coming years. 

Here are the key dates, what they mean for providers and what remains subject to further guidance.

What is the new NDIS Act? 

“The Bill is an important step to strengthen the NDIS and ensure it can continue to support people with permanent and significant disability into the future.” 

Mark Butler, Minister for Disability and the NDIS – Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 

The Act amends the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. It is intended to: 

• clarify who the NDIS is for and which supports it funds 

• change how participant plans and budgets are managed 

• expand provider registration, enrolment and record-keeping requirements 

• strengthen the NDIA’s powers to address fraud and non-compliance 

• change how parts of the NDIS market, including plan management and support coordination, are organised 

The Government’s aim is to refocus the scheme on people with permanent and significant disability and make the NDIS more sustainable for the future. 

The Act sets the direction. The detail will continue to be shaped through rules, assessments, pricing arrangements and implementation guidance. 

What happens when? 

• 20 November 2026: providers cannot offer gifts or other incentives to influence a participant’s choice of provider 

• 1 December 2026: the 90-day claims timeframe begins 

• 1 February 2027: plan renewals under the new reasonable-and-necessary criteria begin 

• 1 July 2027: mandatory registration and provider enrolment rollout begins 

• 1 October 2027: plan-management panel arrangements begin 

• 1 January 2028: changes to NDIS access are expected to begin 

• 1 July 2028: commissioned support coordination and connection services begin 

• December 2030: providers in scope must be registered. 

Rules and transition arrangements will continue to develop around these dates. 

What changes for participants? 

Access arrangements remain unchanged until 1 January 2028. From then, new applicants will move towards a standardised assessment of functional capacity, while existing participants will be progressively reassessed over three years. The focus will be on how disability affects everyday life, rather than diagnosis alone. 

The Government says people with permanent and significant disability will continue to access the NDIS, with critical supports protected including supports at home, disability-related health supports, personal mobility equipment and continuous 24-hour care. Plans and budgets will also become more structured, with current guidance announcing progressive reductions of 50 per cent for social, civic and community participation budgets and 10 per cent for capacity-building daily activity budgets. 

What does this mean for providers? 

Claims and evidence will need to connect 

From 1 December 2026, claims must be made within 90 days of service delivery, except in exceptional circumstances. Providers must also retain records relating to NDIS payments and receipts for seven years. Claims above a future threshold may require supporting documentation. 

The NDIA says more than 400,000 NDIS claims are processed and paid each day. At that volume, the path from service delivery to claim cannot rely on scattered records or manual correction. Providers will need a clear link between the participant, service, date, notes, price and evidence behind each claim. A missed note or incorrect line item can delay payment or make a claim harder to substantiate. NDIA: Reinforcing a sustainable, honest and trustworthy NDIS 

Registration and enrolment will expand 

Expanded registration requirements will begin rolling out from 1 July 2027, particularly for providers delivering higher-risk supports such as personal care, daily living supports and supports in closed settings. Providers in scope are expected to be registered by December 2030. 

Most providers will also need to enrol with the NDIA from 1 July 2027. Registration and enrolment are separate: registration relates to the supports being delivered, while enrolment gives the NDIA basic provider information and a validated bank account for payments. 

The categories, processes and transition arrangements will be released progressively through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and the NDIA. 

Pricing and market settings will keep moving 

Under the new Act, responsibility for setting NDIS prices moves from the NDIA to the Minister for the NDIS. It also enables further work on differentiated pricing for some unregistered providers. 

Commissioned models are coming for some supports, including plan management and support coordination. This could affect how participants access services and how providers shape their service mix. The impact will depend on the funding settings and market arrangements that follow. 

Compliance and operational visibility will carry more weight 

The NDIA will have stronger powers to gather information, monitor payments and respond to suspected fraud and non-compliance. The legislation also supports greater use of automated administrative actions, with human oversight requirements. 

The Act prohibits providers from offering gifts or other incentives to influence a participant’s choice of provider. These provisions are expected to begin from 20 November 2026. 

That scrutiny is already visible. In 2024–25, the NDIA reviewed more than 100,000 claims and rejected $86 million worth. It also reported that around 20,000 high-risk claims were being reviewed each month. These figures show how closely NDIS claims are being reviewed. They do not suggest that providers generally are doing the wrong thing; they show why complete, accurate records matter when claims are submitted. NDIA: Payment integrity update. 

Compliance will be visible in the record of what happened: how a service was delivered, documented, priced and claimed. That information also needs to connect funding, service delivery, documentation, claims and cost to deliver. 

What providers should monitor 

Three areas will matter: 

• Claims and evidence: the link between service delivery, notes, billing and submission. 

• Registration exposure: whether current supports may fall within future higher-risk requirements. 

• Funding and service mix: how utilisation, pricing, market access and delivery costs change. 

The practical takeaway 

The Act will make the link between care delivered, supporting evidence, funding and cost more consequential. Providers that can see and explain that link will be better placed to respond as the new rules take effect. 

This article is a plain-language overview and is not legal or compliance advice. Providers should refer to the Australian Government’s official NDIS legislation guidance and the NDIS “About the changes” guidance as implementation details are released.