NDIS Invoice Processing: How Fast Should Your Plan Manager Pay?

NDIS Invoice Processing: How Fast Should Your Plan Manager Pay?

One of the most important things a plan manager does is pay your service providers. If invoices sit unprocessed for too long, providers may stop delivering services — and that directly affects you. Here is what you should expect.

Industry Benchmarks

There is no single NDIS rule specifying exactly how fast a plan manager must process invoices. However, industry best practice is:

• Good: Within 3-5 business days
• Very good: Within 2 business days
• Excellent: Within 1-2 business days

At Ripper Plan Management, we process valid invoices within 2 business days. This is among the fastest in the industry.

Some plan managers take 7-10 business days or longer. If your plan manager regularly takes more than 5 business days, it may be worth considering a switch.

The Invoice Processing Workflow

Here is what happens when a provider sends an invoice to your plan manager:

1. Invoice received — the provider sends the invoice to your plan manager by email or portal
2. Verification — your plan manager checks the invoice against NDIS pricing arrangements, your plan budget, and the provider's details
3. Approval and payment — if everything checks out, payment is processed and sent to the provider
4. NDIA claim — your plan manager lodges a claim with the NDIA through the myplace portal to be reimbursed
5. Budget updated — your budget tracking is updated to reflect the payment

Common Causes of Delay

Incorrect invoices: If a provider submits an invoice with errors — wrong participant details, incorrect pricing, missing information — your plan manager needs to contact the provider for a corrected invoice. This is the most common cause of delay.

Pricing issues: If an invoice exceeds the NDIS price limit for that support category, it cannot be processed as-is. The plan manager must query this with the provider.

Budget shortfall: If the invoice amount exceeds your remaining budget in that category, the plan manager needs to discuss options with you before proceeding.

Provider not set up: If a provider is invoicing for the first time, there may be a short delay while their details are set up in the plan manager's system.

What You Can Do

To help keep invoice processing fast:

• Make sure your providers have your plan manager's correct invoicing details
• Ask providers to include your NDIS number and the correct support category on invoices
• If you change providers, let your plan manager know so they can set up the new provider quickly

Red Flags

Be concerned if your plan manager:

• Regularly takes more than 5 business days to process invoices
• Does not provide clear explanations for delays
• Does not communicate with you or your providers about invoice issues
• Makes it difficult for providers to submit invoices

Fast, reliable invoice processing is a core function of plan management. If your plan manager is not delivering, you have the right to switch at any time.

Need Faster Invoice Processing?

At Ripper Plan Management, we commit to processing valid invoices within 2 business days. Complete a referral or call us on 03 9022 1229 to get started.