Working with providers
Cancelling Supports
Tell your provider as early as you can when you cannot attend or no longer need a scheduled support.
Check the notice period
Your Service Agreement should explain how much notice is required.
A charge may apply
Only when the current NDIS rules and your agreement allow it.
Provider cancellations matter too
Ask how replacement or rescheduled support will be arranged.
Plain language guide
The detail, broken into useful sections.
Read the sections that matter to you. The content has not been shortened or changed, only organised so it is easier to scan.
How to cancel
Follow the process in your Service Agreement — phone, email, text, an online system, an after-hours number, or your service manager. Keep a record of when you cancelled, how, who you spoke with, any response, and whether it was rescheduled.
Cancellation charges
A charge may sometimes be claimed when the current pricing rules permit it, the arrangement was agreed with you, the provider meets the claiming conditions, and the correct support item and rate are used.
A provider should not charge every cancellation automatically
You can ask which rule allows the claim, the amount, the support item used, why the condition applies, and how it will appear on your invoice.
If you are sick or an emergency happens
Tell them as soon as possible. Ask whether the support can be rescheduled or delivered differently, whether another activity can occur, whether the charge can be waived, and whether evidence is needed. The rules do not guarantee that illness-related cancellations are free from charges.
If the provider cancels
Ask when you will be notified, whether a suitable replacement worker is available, whether it can be rescheduled, how essential needs will be managed, and whether your continuity plan applies. A provider must not claim that ordinary support was delivered when it did not happen.
Essential supports
Cancellations create serious risk where support involves personal care, medication, meals, mobility, complex health support, behaviour support or supervision. Discuss backup arrangements before a cancellation happens — alternative workers, emergency contacts, informal supports, another provider, or a temporary arrangement.
Repeated cancellations
Repeated participant cancellations may affect funding, worker availability and scheduling. Repeated provider cancellations may affect your safety, progress, confidence and continuity — and whether that provider remains suitable. Raise either early.
SCL Support Services
What SCL can help with
SCL will:
- Explain cancellation requirements and provide reasonable ways to notify us
- Record the cancellation and explain any proposed charge
- Apply only permitted and agreed charges
- Consider rescheduling where possible
- Notify you when SCL must cancel, and consider replacement arrangements
- Prioritise continuity for essential supports
- Discuss repeated cancellation concerns with you
Your Service Agreement remains the authority on the cancellation conditions that apply to you.
Official information
This page explains things in plain language. The NDIS is the authority on the rules, and they change. Check the official pages for the current position.
Last checked: August 2026
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