The NDIS requires the same information as the ATO does for compliant invoices, plus some additional information. Your invoices need to contain:
- The date the invoice was issued.
- A unique invoice number.
- Your business details – the name of the business or provider and the ABN at least. You should also have your contact details – email and phone.
- Full name and/or NDIS number of the client. If you are not invoicing the participant directly, you still need to show their details. We cannot claim payment for an invoice that does not clearly show who the NDIS participant is.
- Dates the services were provided to the client. Usually listed as individual dates, not as a bulk period. In some cases, we need to return invoices for amendment if they do not list individual dates.
- The rate charged per hour, the number of hours, and the total amount of the invoice. Most NDIS services have a maximum hourly rate, and have to be claimed per hour. If a bulk amount is stated (e.g. Gardening for $100) then we can only pay it as if it were for one hour.
- GST amount (if any) payable. This can be listed separately or say, “Total price includes GST”. In that case the ATO says the GST is 1/11th of the entire amount. If there are taxable and non-taxable amounts they must be stated.
- Support item codes of the services that were provided. The NDIS does not accept invoices without codes. We can process them, but if the NDIS wants to see them, they will not pay them without a code.
- Services other than ‘face to face’ supports must be claimed separately with the NDIS. Your invoice needs to show if the support was not face-to-face. This could be for Travel, Non-Face to Face, Report Writing, Cancellation, Telehealth, or Irregular SIL supports.
- Your bank details should be on the invoice so we can make payment. If we pay to the wrong account, the bank will charge fees to try and retrieve the payment. These fees will need to be deducted from the payment (assuming it can be retrieved by the bank).
A Note on Rounding
When a dollar amount has more than two digits after the decimal point (e.g. $20.3456), it has to be rounded to the nearest cent. Amounts are rounded up if they are $.005 or higher. So if you have $.005, $.006, $.007, $.008 or $.009, they are each rounded up to $.01. If the third digit is a 4 or lower, it does not round. This means if it is $.004, $0.003, $.002 or $.001, these all stay at $.00.
If all that is making your head hurt, try watching this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2wgaUKUH4M
It has happened that the NDIS refused to pay an invoice because the rounding was incorrect. In this case your invoice will need amending, which will delay your payment.
Read the page “Our Process for Invoices” to find out what happens during invoice processing. You can also download a sample invoice template there if you need one.
Links
https://business.gov.au/Finance/Payments-and-invoicing/How-to-invoice
https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/working-provider/getting-paid/invoicing-and-record-keeping
