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• Invoicing for NDIS cleaning services. NDIS Cleaning Rates

Participants are free to negotiate the terms and rates with their service providers. Moreover, they are encouraged to do so.

Who Can Use NDIS Funding for a Cleaner?

This service is related to performing essential house cleaning activities. They are only funded by the NDIS if the participant cannot perform the tasks by themselves.

Just to give you a few examples of such tasks:

• Dusting and wiping surfaces
• Vacuuming and mopping floors
• Bathroom areas: Toilets, baths and showers
• Kitchen areas: Sinks, benches, taps and microwaves

Home cleaning comes under the ‘Assistance with Daily Life’ Support Category in ‘Core’ purpose. You will need to have funds under Core in order to be able to pay your cleaner.

NDIS provides funds for ‘reasonable and necessary’ support services (National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, s. 34).

Just to give more examples:

1. NDIS funding might not cover rooms or living spaces used by other residents if you live on the same property (National Disability Insurance Scheme "Supports for Participants" Rules 2013, s 5.1b). However, if in shared accommodation or a family home, the participant’s responsibility for ‘day rostered cleaning’ of a common area and the participant cannot perform the task, it is reasonable to ask the cleaner to help.

2. NDIS funding does not cover specialist cleaning services such as bond cleaning when you’re vacating a property or professional carpet cleaning (National Disability Insurance Scheme "Supports for Participants" Rules 2013, s 5.1d), as it relates to day-to-day living costs, that are not attributable to a participant’s disability support needs.

NDIS Cleaning Rates / Line Items

Cleaning is a price limited support, which means that NDIS limits the amount that they will pay per hour of work. Please, click on the line item number below in order to see maximum rate applicable for your aria.

NB: The price given in NDIS Pricing Arrangements is the maximum that can be charged. However, this does not mean that you have to charge at this rate. In fact, it is usually wise to charge less - a lot of providers do this in order to get more work.

Cleaning Consumables

In short, NDIS funding can pay only for a cleaner’s working hours. NDIS will not pay for cleaning consumables as an additional cost.

The only way a cleaner can receive payment for consumables, such as surface and window cleaning liquids, sponges, mops and brooms, is if they include their cost within their hourly rate. This is something which a lot of cleaners do.

NB: You cannot add to the number of your working hours to cover consumable costs. You can only charge for the work hours you have performed.

Some cleaners, in order to keep their hourly rates low, may ask to use cleaning consumables that belong to you.

Advance Payments for NDIS Cleaning

An advance payment is made ahead of time - paying for a service before you receive it.

While some home cleaners may require advance payments in certain circumstances, NDIS does not pay for cleaning services in advance.

iPlanManagers prioritise claiming payments on the day providers submit their invoices (before 3 pm) and will provide payment on the next working day. In general, when a provider is getting their payments in a timely manner after invoicing, they would not ask for a payment in advance.

NDIS Cleaning Invoice Examples

Simple Invoice

NDIS invoice requirements (cleaning invoice example):

1. NDIS participant’s Name and NDIS number
2. Business Name and valid ABN for the business
   
3. Invoice Date
4. Unique invoice number
5. NDIS line item number
6. Dates of the services provided
7. Number of hours (or other units) provided and Rate at which you are charging
8. Bank Account Details for prompt payment
9. Email address where to send remittance advice and/or additional questions

Cleaning Provider Travel

Same as pricing limit, travel charges is not god given (or the law) right to charge. Providers are not employees hired by the participants. Providers are businesses providing services. Participant need to agree to pay to travel time and/or km charges, you cannot just charge for travel out of the blue.

In the invoice above (click to download example) charges are broken down into three components:

1. Provider Labour Time - Cleaning
2. Provider Travel Time
3. Provider Travel - non-labour cost per km

Outside of The Box

For the last two years, we have observed several cleaner/participant interactions. Some cleaners are building a superb understanding of participants’ needs and moving towards providing other services as a support worker, incorporating cleaning into that service.

How to become an approved NDIS cleaner?

NDIS does not approve any companies in particular. However, you can provide cleaning services to NDIS participants as:

• An Unregistered Provider (for participants with plan managed and self-managed funding, which are the majority of all NDIS participants).
  
• A Registered Provider (for all NDIS participants, including the small category of Agency Managed).
  

Most cleaning service providers are unregistered, as it gives them access to the majority of the market, without getting through the expensive registration process.

An Unregistered provider will need to have following:

• Registered ABN (Australian Business Number)
  
• Bank Account for money to be paid to
  
• Ability to issue Tax Invoices and find your own NDIS participants with plan managed and self-managed funding
  
• Additionally, following is very desirable:
  • Business insurances appropriate for the activity
  • All people should have NDIS worker screening

In order to become an NDIS registered provider, you need to apply for a certificate of registration with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and have your application approved. The Commission is responsible for the regulation and registration of NDIS providers.

When you apply, you will need to make a choice about which registration group or groups are linked to the types of services you offer. For your application to be successful, you will need to meet strict safety, compliance and quality requirements.

There are FIVE STEPS in the provider registration process:

STEP 1. Start your application on the Application Portal

• Provide basic business information
• Select the correct registration group/s
• Complete a self-assessment against the NDIS Practice Standards

STEP 2. Select an approved quality auditor

You will receive an email from the Commission outlining whether you require a ‘verification’ or ‘certification’ audit. You then will need to engage an approved quality auditor to undertake an audit. It’s permissible to get a quote from more than one auditor before making a choice.

STEP 3. Undergo an audit

After choosing an approved quality auditor, they will begin the process after checking that the scope of the audit is accurate. Aspects of your business that the auditor will take into consideration are: organisational size, organisational scale, scope of services, complexity of services.
Part of the auditor’s responsibilities are to allow you to ask questions and to help you understand their findings.

STEP 4. Your application will be assessed by the Commission

When they assess your application, the Commission will do two things. They will

• Consider the outcomes of your audit
• Conduct a suitability assessment of your organisation
  

STEP 5. Receive your application outcome

Successful applicants: Receive a certificate of registration, including the period of registration and any registration conditions.
Unsuccessful applicants: Can request a review within three months of the decision. You may seek a further review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal if required.