A service agreement should make your support easier to understand before it begins. It should clearly record what you and your provider have agreed, including the support, costs, responsibilities and options if circumstances change.
What Is an NDIS Service Agreement?
An NDIS service agreement is an agreement between a participant and provider about the supports that will be delivered and how the working relationship will operate. It helps both sides begin with the same expectations and provides something to refer to if confusion or disagreement arises.
Written service agreements are recommended whenever you start with a new provider, although they are not mandatory in most situations. The main exception is Specialist Disability Accommodation, where a written agreement is required.
A service agreement is different from your NDIS plan. Your plan records your approved funding and goals. A service agreement explains the arrangement you make with a particular provider.
Ask for an Agreement You Understand
A service agreement should not be treated as a document you must accept without discussion. You can read it carefully, ask questions and suggest changes before signing.
Your provider should help you understand the agreement. You may also ask a family member, friend, support coordinator or recovery coach to help you review it. The agreement can be provided using language, terms or a communication method that works for you.
Do not feel pressured to sign during the first conversation. Take enough time to understand what each condition means in practice.
Ask for clarification when wording is broad. For example:
- What does “support as required” include?
- Which charges may apply outside scheduled support?
- Who should I contact about a change?
- How much notice must each person provide?
- What happens when a regular worker is unavailable?
Clear wording protects both the participant and the provider.
Check What Support Will Be Delivered
Your agreement should identify the support being arranged rather than rely only on a general service category.
Check whether it explains:
- what the provider has agreed to deliver
- when support will usually occur
- where it will be provided
- how often it will be delivered
- who will coordinate the arrangement
- which details remain subject to confirmation
Official NDIS guidance states that a good agreement records what supports will be provided and how, when and where they will be delivered.
If your support depends on location, worker availability or particular professional input, ask how those factors will be confirmed. Participants in Greater Adelaide should also check whether their suburb, preferred schedule or travel requirements affect the arrangement.
Understand Every Cost
Do not look only at the hourly rate. Ask for all possible costs to be explained before agreeing.
An NDIS service agreement may cover:
- the price of each support
- travel charges
- materials or products
- other fees
- payment arrangements
- cancellation charges
- whether GST applies
The NDIS pricing arrangements provide guidance on appropriate maximum prices for supports. Participants and providers can negotiate an appropriate and reasonable price, and participants must agree before changes to pricing are made. The current pricing schedule took effect on 1 July 2026.
Ask the provider to explain charges using an ordinary example. You might say:
“If I receive this support for two hours, what could be claimed from my plan in total?”
That question can reveal whether travel, non-face-to-face work or other agreed charges may apply.
Review the Cancellation Terms
Cancellation wording is easy to overlook until plans change.
Check:
- how much notice you must provide
- how cancellation notice should be given
- when a cancellation fee may apply
- whether the provider must also give notice
- what happens when the provider cancels
- how repeated changes will be handled
The NDIS explains that a service agreement may contain a notice or cancellation period. A fee may sometimes apply when the agreed notice is not given, subject to the NDIS pricing conditions.
Make sure the agreement reflects the arrangement you have actually discussed. Do not assume every provider uses identical cancellation terms.
Clarify Responsibilities on Both Sides
A fair agreement should explain what the provider will do and what is expected from you.
Provider responsibilities may include delivering agreed support, communicating changes, protecting privacy and explaining how concerns are handled. Participant responsibilities may include providing relevant information, treating workers respectfully, giving notice of changes and paying agreed charges through the appropriate funding method.
Responsibilities should be practical and proportionate. Official guidance notes that agreements can record the rules each party must follow and what can happen when responsibilities are not met.
Know How Changes Will Be Made
Support needs, schedules and NDIS plans can change. Your agreement should explain how updates are requested, discussed, accepted and recorded.
A review may be useful when:
- your goals or routines change
- you begin a different type of support
- your preferred schedule changes
- pricing is proposed to change
- you receive a new NDIS plan
- a new provider becomes involved
The NDIS recommends keeping agreements up to date and considering a new agreement when supports, providers or plans change. Participants may suggest changes before signing or during the working relationship.
A provider should not simply introduce a price change without discussing it and gaining your agreement.
Check How to End the Agreement
You have choice over which providers you work with, and changing providers is a normal part of the NDIS. Before signing, find the section explaining how either party can end the arrangement.
Check:
- the required notice period
- the accepted method of notice
- possible outstanding charges
- how final supports will be managed
- whether a provider relationship or booking must be updated
- how information will be transferred when authorised
Where ongoing support is important, plan the transition carefully to reduce the risk of an unwanted gap. The NDIS recommends finding a new provider before finishing with the current one where possible.
Make Sure Complaints Are Covered
Your agreement should explain how to raise a concern, who will respond and what you can do if the issue is not resolved.
Participants have the right to quality and respectful NDIS support. Concerns can sometimes be addressed directly with the provider, and providers must make participants feel safe to complain and respond effectively. Issues about the quality or safety of NDIS support can also be reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
A complaints process should never make you feel threatened, ignored or unable to speak openly.
Use This NDIS Service Agreement Checklist
Before signing, confirm that you understand:
- the exact support being arranged
- where and when it will occur
- all prices, fees and travel costs
- payment and claiming arrangements
- cancellation and notice conditions
- your responsibilities
- the provider’s responsibilities
- how changes will be approved
- when the agreement will be reviewed
- how either party can end it
- how to raise feedback or complaints
- who to contact with questions
Keep a copy of the signed agreement somewhere accessible. Refer back to it whenever a proposed change, charge or responsibility is unclear.
Move Forward With Clear Expectations
A useful service agreement is not designed to make support feel complicated. It gives participants, families and providers a shared reference point and creates an opportunity to clarify important details before support begins.
Australian Inclusion Care Solution welcomes enquiries from NDIS participants, families and professional referrers across Greater Adelaide. We discuss individual needs, location and availability before an arrangement is confirmed, helping each person understand what may be suitable and what requires further discussion.
Make an enquiry to begin a clear conversation about your support needs.
Sources
- NDIS, What Is a Service Agreement.
- NDIS, How to Make a Service Agreement.
- NDIS, How to Change Providers.
- NDIS, What Are the NDIS Pricing Arrangements.
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Provision of Supports Practice Standards.
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Report an Issue or Make a Complaint.