Two years to claim becomes 90 days
From 1 December 2026, a claim for a support under a participant's plan must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered. Until now the limit has been two years. The change comes from the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026, and the government's provider FAQs set the date. A later claim is paid only if exceptional circumstances apply.
For most providers this is not a compliance problem. It is a cash problem. A support that is still unclaimed after 90 days is, from 1 December, revenue you may never collect.
The dates that matter
- 15 October 2026 (already in force). The NDIA applies extra integrity checks to claims submitted more than 90 days after the support was delivered. Those claims can be held for up to 28 days while the NDIA checks them, and it may ask you for evidence before paying.
- 1 December 2026. The 90-day limit applies to claims made from that date.
- Ongoing. Providers must keep records relating to payment and receipt of NDIS funds for 7 years.
Two practical points follow. First, the 90 days run from the date the support was delivered, not from the invoice date. Second, the NDIS Guide to getting paid still described a two-year window when we last checked. Plan to the Act, not to the older guide.
The 30 November backlog
The limit applies to claims made from 1 December, so the risk sits in what is already old. A support delivered in August and still unclaimed on 1 December is more than 90 days old the day the rule starts. The safe course is to clear every unclaimed support before 30 November, starting with the oldest.
Look in the usual places backlogs hide:
- Rejected claims never resubmitted — a wrong item number or an expired service booking, parked "to fix later".
- Shifts without complete notes, held back until someone signs them off.
- Plan-managed invoices that went to the wrong plan manager, or to one the participant has since changed.
- Price changes where you held claims waiting for a corrected rate.
- New participants whose service booking or plan was not loaded when support started.
What to change in how you claim
Claim on a fixed cycle
Monthly claiming leaves little room for anything to go wrong. Weekly or fortnightly claiming means a rejected claim can be fixed and resubmitted well inside 90 days. Set the cycle, name who runs it, and record when it ran.
Treat rejected claims as a register, not an inbox
Every rejection should have an owner, a reason and a date to resolve it by, with the 90-day limit visible. A rejection 70 days after delivery leaves 20 days to fix it.
Make notes a condition of the claim
A claim needs evidence the support was delivered. If shift or progress notes are routinely late, the claim will be late too. That is also a Practice Standards issue: records should be made at the time, not rebuilt weeks later.
Send plan-managed invoices promptly
For plan-managed participants it is the plan manager who claims from the NDIA. If your invoice reaches them on day 80, you have used up most of their window. Invoice soon after delivery and agree a turnaround with each plan manager you work with.
Update service agreements
If your service agreements or invoicing terms still refer to claiming "within two years", or give no timeframe, update them. Participants and plan managers should know when you will invoice and what you need from them.
Other provider changes on the same timeline
The same Act brings in other provider obligations over the next two years. The full timeline, including NDIA provider enrolment from 1 July 2027 and the expansion of mandatory registration, is in our guide to what is confirmed about NDIS mandatory registration in 2027. If you are not registered, our piece on what unregistered NDIS providers can still do covers how these changes apply to you.
Where we help
The 90-day limit is a test of whether your records keep pace with your service delivery. Our documentation management work sets up the record-keeping that makes claiming on time routine, and the SIL audit checklist covers the participant and worker records an audit samples.
Not sure what is sitting in your backlog? Book a discovery call.
Common questions
When does the NDIS 90-day claim rule start?
From 1 December 2026. Claims for supports under a participant's plan must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered, down from two years. A later claim is paid only if exceptional circumstances apply.
Do the 90 days start from the invoice date?
No. The 90 days run from the date the support was delivered, not from the date an invoice was created or received.
What changed on 15 October 2026?
The NDIA began extra integrity checks on claims submitted more than 90 days after the support was delivered. Those claims can be held for up to 28 days, and the NDIA may ask for evidence before paying.
What should providers do before 1 December 2026?
Clear every unclaimed support before 30 November, oldest first, including rejected claims never resubmitted, shifts held back for incomplete notes and plan-managed invoices sent to the wrong plan manager. Then move to a weekly or fortnightly claiming cycle.
How long must providers keep NDIS payment records?
Providers must keep records relating to payment and receipt of NDIS funds for 7 years under the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act 2026.
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