How to Send an NDIS Invoice to a Plan Manager (Step-by-Step, With Email Template)

What you will learn

• For plan-managed participants, you invoice the plan manager, not the NDIA and not the participant. The plan manager checks your invoice and claims the funds.
• A correct invoice has your ABN, the participant's name and reference number, a unique invoice number, dated line items with support item numbers, hours, rates and a total.
• Email a PDF attachment, and check the plan manager's own submission rules first. Some want the invoice number in the subject line, or one line item per service date.
• Most rejections come from a handful of fixable errors. Use the checklist and the copy-paste email template below to get it right the first time.

How the NDIS payment flow works

When a participant's plan is managed by a plan manager, there are four parties in the chain. Knowing who does what tells you where your invoice goes and why it gets checked the way it does.

• Participant: has an NDIS plan with plan management funding and appoints a plan manager to handle payments.
• You (support worker): deliver the support, then send your invoice to the participant’s plan manager.
• Plan manager: checks your invoice against the plan and the NDIS price limits, then lodges the claim.
• NDIA: processes the claim from the participant’s funding. The plan manager then pays you.

Who do you send the invoice to?

Sending a plan-managed participant's invoice to the wrong place is a common reason for rejection.

• Plan-managed participants: send your invoice to their plan manager. Registered and unregistered providers can both be used.
• Self-managed participants: send the invoice to the participant, who pays you and claims through their own portal. Send a receipt once paid so they can acquit it.
• NDIA-managed participants: the claim is lodged through the myplace provider portal, which generally requires a registered provider.

Step 1 — Verify every mandatory detail

Plan managers check each invoice against the participant’s plan and the NDIS price limits before they claim. Run through this list before you hit send. Need a layout to work from? See our free NDIS invoice template guide (/resources/ndis-invoice-template).

• Your business name and ABN: the ABN must be valid and match ABN Lookup. If you are exempt from quoting an ABN, you need to provide an ATO Statement by Supplier form instead.
• Participant's full name: use the name of the person who holds the plan, not a parent, carer or the plan manager, even if the participant is under 18.
• Participant reference number (NDIS number): the NDIS now refers to this as the participant reference number or NDIS number. Copy it exactly from the service agreement or plan.
• Unique invoice number and invoice date: never reuse a number, including across different participants. The invoice date should fall on or after the date of service.
• Service dates and support item numbers: list each date separately, with the correct support item number and description from the current NDIS Pricing Schedule and Support Catalogue.
• Hours, rate and line totals: split shifts that cross day, evening, night, weekend or public holiday rates into separate lines. The rate must be at or below the price limit.
• Travel, if you're charging for it: bill travel time and kilometres as their own lines, separate from the support itself.
• Total amount and your bank details: check the maths, state GST if it applies, and include your account name, BSB and account number.
• One participant per invoice: an invoice can include multiple supports, but only for one participant.

Step 2 — Write a clear subject line and email

Keep it short, specific and easy to file. A plan manager receives a lot of invoices, so a predictable email gets processed faster. Copy and adapt this template (replace everything in square brackets; if your plan manager gave you subject line instructions, follow theirs).

• Subject: Invoice [INV-0042] – [Your Business Name]
• Greeting: Hi [Plan Manager name / team], please find attached invoice [INV-0042] for supports delivered to [Participant full name] (NDIS participant reference number [4XXXXXXXX]) between [start date] and [end date].
• Total line: Invoice total: $[amount]. Payment details are on the invoice.
• Reply line: If anything needs correcting, reply to this email or call me on [phone number] and I will resend it straight away.
• Sign-off: [Your full name], [Your business name], ABN [XX XXX XXX XXX], [Phone] | [Email]

Step 3 — Attach the compliant PDF invoice

• Attach the invoice as a PDF file. Don't send a link to a cloud folder or a photo of a paper invoice.
• Attach one invoice per participant. An invoice can cover several supports, but only one participant.
• Name the file clearly, for example with the invoice number, so it's easy to find later.
• Open the PDF before you send it and check the totals, dates and participant details one last time.

After you send it

Keep a copy of the invoice and the sent email as part of your records. If the plan manager replies with a query, answer it promptly, since a quick fix usually means a quick payment. Claims must be made within 2 years of the date of support, so don’t let invoices sit.

Plan manager submission guidelines

There's no single national email address or format. Each plan manager sets its own rules for how it wants to receive invoices, and published guidance from several of them shows common differences.

The easiest way to stay compliant: ask the participant which plan manager they use, find that plan manager’s provider instructions, and note them in your records for next time.

• Some plan managers prefer you to upload invoices through their provider portal, and also accept email.
• Many ask for the invoice number in the subject line. Others ask you to state whether it is an invoice or a reimbursement.
• PDF is the standard attachment. At least one plan manager states that emailed invoices must be a PDF or JPEG and not a link.
• Some ask for a separate line item for each service date instead of a date range.
• Each plan manager has its own invoice email address or portal, so confirm it with the participant or on the plan manager's website before your first invoice.

Common reasons plan managers reject invoices, and how to fix them

Most rejections are small, fixable errors. Prices and item numbers come from the current NDIS Pricing Schedule, so always use the latest version.

• Missing or incorrect ABN — Fix: check your ABN on ABN Lookup and copy it across exactly. If you are exempt, attach the Statement by Supplier form.
• Wrong participant name or number — Fix: invoice in the name of the plan holder with the correct reference number, not a parent, carer or plan manager.
• Duplicate or reused invoice number — Fix: number every invoice uniquely and never repeat a number. If you must resend, ask the plan manager whether to reissue under a new number.
• Wrong support item number, or the support isn't in the plan — Fix: match each line to the correct item in the current Pricing Schedule, and confirm with the participant or plan manager that the support category is funded.
• Rate above the NDIS price limit — Fix: the NDIS can't pay above the maximum price. Charge at or below the limit for each support item and time period.
• No service dates, or a date range instead of dates — Fix: add a line for every date the support was delivered, with the hours for that date.
• Shifts and travel not split properly — Fix: separate lines for each rate period (evening, night, weekend, public holiday), and separate lines for travel time and kilometres.
• Not enough funds in the plan — Fix: agree the supports and budget in a service agreement, and check with the participant that funds remain before you deliver more.
• Sent to the wrong party — Fix: plan-managed goes to the plan manager. Don't invoice the NDIA directly for a plan-managed participant.
• Submitted too late — Fix: claims must be made within 2 years of the support being delivered. Invoice promptly, ideally at the end of each fortnight.

Skip the formatting and the email: let Rayvice do it

Instead of building a PDF by hand and writing the same email every fortnight, you log your shifts and send. Comparing options? See our guide to the best NDIS invoicing software for support workers (/resources/ndis-invoicing-software-for-support-workers).

• Log your shifts once. Rayvice works out the hours, rates and line items for you.
• NDIS rate caps are calculated automatically, so you don't invoice over the limit by mistake.
• Day, evening, night and weekend shifts are split automatically, so every line is on the right rate.
• A clean, compliant PDF invoice is generated instantly, with no formatting and no Word template.
• One click emails the PDF invoice directly to the plan manager. No exporting, attaching or rewriting the same email.

Common questions

Official sources

NDIS rules change. Verify current figures on these official pages before invoicing:

• NDIS: Guide to getting paid
• NDIS: Invoicing and record keeping
• NDIS: Pricing arrangements (2026–27 Pricing Schedule)
• Plan Partners: How to submit invoices
• My Plan Manager: NDIS claims for providers