A participant cancels two hours before a scheduled shift. You’ve already blocked out the time, maybe turned down other work, and your support worker still needs to be paid. Can you invoice for it?
Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, the answer is often yes — but only if you follow the rules on notice periods, claiming conditions, and how the invoice is documented. Get any of that wrong and you risk a dispute with the plan manager, a rejected claim, or an audit flag.
This guide covers what counts as a short-notice cancellation under current NDIS guidance, when you’re actually entitled to claim, and exactly how to invoice it so it holds up if it’s ever queried.
What Counts as a Short-Notice Cancellation
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits set two separate notice periods, and which one applies depends on the type of support being cancelled.
- For most disability support worker (DSW) items — the bulk of core supports like personal care and community access — a cancellation is short notice if the participant gives less than seven days’ notice.
- For most non-DSW supports, including many therapy and allied health services, the threshold is tighter: less than two clear business days’ notice.
- A no-show — the participant not turning up, or not being at the agreed location within a reasonable time — is treated the same as a short-notice cancellation.
These figures come directly from the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26 (Version 1.0, published 16 June 2025), the NDIA’s official pricing and claiming rules document, published on ndis.gov.au. The NDIA has flagged that from 2026-27 the cancellation claiming rules will move into a separate claiming rules document, apart from the pricing schedule — but until that’s published, the 2025-26 rules remain current.
Because plan managers, NDIA-managed plans, and self-managed participants can apply these rules slightly differently in day-to-day practice, it’s worth confirming current terms with the relevant plan manager before invoicing, and checking ndis.gov.au for the latest version of the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits before you rely on these figures.
When You’re Entitled to Claim a Cancellation Fee — and When You’re Not
A short-notice cancellation fee isn’t automatic just because a participant cancelled late. Under the NDIS rules, all of the following need to be true before you can claim:
- The participant gave notice inside the short-notice window for that type of support (under seven days for DSW supports, under two clear business days for non-DSW supports).
- You genuinely couldn’t fill that time with other billable work — you tried, and the slot stayed empty.
- If you employ the worker, you’re still on the hook to pay them for that time regardless of the cancellation.
- Your service agreement with the participant sets out the cancellation terms, and the participant agreed to them upfront.
Where all of that stacks up, you can claim up to 100% of the agreed fee for the support — but no more than that.
You’re not entitled to claim if the cancellation was provider-initiated (you cancelled, or turned up late), if the participant gave reasonable notice (seven days or more for DSW supports, two or more clear business days for non-DSW supports), or if you managed to redeploy the worker elsewhere. Providers can also choose to waive a short-notice cancellation fee at their own discretion — plenty do for participants dealing with a genuine emergency, even where they’d technically be entitled to claim.
How to Invoice a Short-Notice Cancellation Correctly
Once you’ve confirmed you’re entitled to claim, invoice it the same way you’d invoice for the support if it had gone ahead — using the same support item, not a generic “fee” line. On the invoice, make sure you include:
- The original scheduled date and time of the support (not just the invoice date) — this is the date the claim is actually for.
- A clear note in the line-item description that this is a short-notice cancellation, for example: “Short-notice cancellation — support scheduled [date], cancelled [date/time].”
- A reference to the relevant clause in your service agreement that sets out your cancellation policy.
- The support item number you’d have used had the support actually been delivered.
If the participant is plan-managed, the invoice goes to the plan manager rather than the participant directly — but the same level of detail still needs to be there. Plan managers regularly query cancellation charges, and a vague line item is the fastest way to get a payment held up.
If you’re asked to explain the charge, keep it simple: state the date and time the support was scheduled, when the cancellation notice came through, that it fell inside the short-notice window, and that you weren’t able to fill the gap with other billable work.
What Documentation to Keep for Audits or Disputes
A cancellation fee is one of the more commonly queried NDIS claims, so keep your paperwork tidy from the start:
- The signed service agreement showing the cancellation policy clause the participant agreed to.
- Any message, email, text, or call log showing exactly when the participant gave notice — this is what proves whether the cancellation fell inside the short-notice window.
- Your roster or diary entry showing the worker was booked for that time and wasn’t reassigned to other billable work.
- A copy of the invoice you issued for the cancellation.
If a claim is ever queried by a plan manager, the participant, or in an NDIS audit, this is the evidence that shows the charge was applied correctly and in line with your service agreement — not just at your discretion.
How Sole Helps
Sole doesn’t have a dedicated “cancellation fee” button, and it doesn’t really need one — you invoice a short-notice cancellation the same way you’d invoice any other billable line item in Sole. Create a custom invoice, add the support item, note the scheduled date and cancellation policy reference in the description, and send it — to the participant directly or straight to the plan manager.
Because every invoice sits in one place with GST tracked automatically, you’ve always got a clean record to point to if a cancellation charge gets queried later. Pair that with deposit requests for upfront bookings, recurring invoices for regular supports, and the receipt scanner for anything you’re claiming as a business expense, and your NDIS invoicing — cancellations included — stays organised without extra admin.
For more on setting up compliant NDIS invoices, see Sole’s NDIS invoice template and the full NDIS resource hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I charge a short-notice cancellation fee as a sole trader NDIS provider?
Yes. The rules apply to registered and unregistered providers alike, including sole traders. You still need a service agreement setting out your cancellation policy, and you still need to show you couldn’t fill the slot with other billable work — the requirement to keep paying an employee for that time simply doesn’t apply if you’re a sole trader or partnership working solo.
What if the participant cancelled due to a medical emergency or illness — do I still get to charge?
The short-notice cancellation rules don’t carve out exceptions for the reason behind the cancellation. If the notice fell inside the short-notice window and the other conditions are met, you’re entitled to claim regardless of why the participant cancelled. Many providers choose to waive the fee in genuine emergency situations, which the NDIS guidance explicitly allows for — but it’s a discretionary call, not a requirement.
Does the short-notice cancellation policy work differently for self-managed vs plan-managed participants?
The underlying NDIS rules are the same, but how the claim is processed can differ. Plan managers may have their own verification steps before paying a cancellation invoice, self-managed participants pay directly, and NDIA-managed claims go through the myplace portal. Always check current guidance with the relevant plan manager, since processes can vary.
How much can I charge for a short-notice cancellation?
Up to 100% of the agreed fee for that support, provided your service agreement sets out the cancellation terms and the other claiming conditions are met. You can’t charge more than the amount you’d have invoiced had the support actually gone ahead.
Keep Your NDIS Invoicing Simple
Short-notice cancellations are one of the fiddlier parts of NDIS invoicing, but they don’t have to eat your admin time. See how Sole handles NDIS accounting software for sole traders end to end.
