Choosing NDIS software in 2026: a checklist, rule by rule

Short answer

NDIS provider software is worth what it gets right on the rules that cost money when they go wrong: claims inside the new 90 day limit from 1 December 2026, prices inside the NDIS price limits in force since 24 September 2026, SCHADS pay on every shift, reportable incidents inside 24 hours, and worker screening that is current. Ask any vendor to show each one working on your own shifts, not a slide.

1. Claims that go out inside 90 days

From 1 December 2026 a claim has to be made within 90 days of the support (NDIS Act s 45A(5), as amended by Schedule 2, item 89 of Act No. 66, 2026). Software that bills from timesheets a month later builds that delay into every claim.

Ask: is the support item set on the shift when it is rostered, or chosen later at invoicing? Can NDIA-managed lines go into a bulk payment request file the day the shift ends? Does a preflight catch duplicates and over-claims before the file is uploaded? Are remittances matched back to invoices so rejected lines surface within days?

“A claim must be made in accordance with subsection (3) before the end of the following period starting on the day the support is provided to the participant”
NDIS Act s 45A(5)

2. Prices inside the price limits

For Agency-managed and plan-managed funding, the maximum amount for a support is the one set in the NDIS pricing documents the Pricing Arrangements Determination 2026 points to, in force since 24 September 2026 (s 5). Price limits change mid-year, so a price typed into a service agreement in July can be over the limit by October.

Ask: are price limits loaded by support item and edition, and does the software warn when an agreed price or a claim line sits above the current limit?

3. SCHADS pay worked out on every shift

Disability support workers are paid under the SCHADS Award, and its sleepover, broken shift, minimum engagement, overtime and penalty rules apply shift by shift. The 2026 sleepover changes and the December 2026 increase both land in the same financial year.

Ask: does the software know each worker's classification and pay point, apply the rules to the rostered shift, and show the cost while you roster? Does a person approve each pay finding before it reaches a payslip? Where does the pay run go: Xero Payroll, an ABA file, or a separate payroll system you re-key into?

4. Reportable incidents inside 24 hours

A registered provider must notify the NDIS Commission within 24 hours of becoming aware of the most serious reportable incidents, and within 5 business days for the rest (Reportable Incidents Rules ss 20 and 21). The clock runs from when the provider became aware, including overnight.

Ask: is each incident classified against section 73Z when it is lodged, with a visible countdown? Does it write its own register entry, or does someone copy it across later?

5. Workers screened, trained and on the right shift

Rostering a worker without current screening or training is a compliance finding waiting for an audit. A roster that only warns after the fact does not help at 2am.

Ask: are credentials and expiry dates on the worker profile, does the roster warn before an expired worker is offered a shift, and does training completed in the platform update the training register by itself?

6. One record from agreement to claim

The rules above all read the same facts: the service agreement, the shift, the note, the incident and the claim. Every hand-off between separate tools is a place where a support item, a price or a date gets re-keyed wrong.

Parkways was built inside Parcare Lifestyle, a registered NDIS provider in Logan, Queensland, which runs its rosters, pay and claims on it every day. Shifts come from signed service agreements, SCHADS pay is worked out in the platform, and the invoice, the bulk claim file and the pay line read the same roster. First pilot testing for other providers is starting now, from the waitlist.

Support item and price stamped on the shift at rostering
SCHADS rules applied to every rostered shift
Incident countdown and registers built from records
Database in Sydney, sub-processors published

NDIS software: straight answers

What should NDIS software do in 2026?

At minimum: roster from service agreements, keep prices inside the current NDIS price limits, get claims out well inside the 90 day limit that starts on 1 December 2026, work out SCHADS pay on every shift, run a worker app with clock-in and progress notes, and keep incident and compliance registers current.

How do I compare NDIS software vendors?

Run the same week of your own shifts through each one: a sleepover, a broken shift, a ratio or SIL shift and a plan-managed invoice. Check what each produces for pay, for the claim file and for the participant's budget, and who has to re-key what.

Does NDIS software need to handle the 90 day claim rule?

The rule applies to the claim, so software matters to the extent it delays the claim. Billing that is decided when the shift is rostered and claimed in a bulk file soon after it ends leaves most of the 90 days unused.

Where should NDIS participant data be hosted?

Ask each vendor where the database sits, who its sub-processors are and what leaves Australia. Parkways' database is in Sydney and its sub-processors are published at /subprocessors.

How much does Parkways cost?

Pricing is set after the pilot. Pilot providers run the full platform now with the Parkway team beside them, and places are offered from the waitlist.

Sources

Read from these editions on 4 November 2026. This guide explains the rules; it is not advice on one person's pay or one incident.

NDIS rostering software SCHADS payroll software NDIS billing software NDIS 90 day claim rule NDIS compliance pack and policy templates SCHADS pay rates and calculator SCHADS sleepover rules SCHADS broken shifts NDIS reportable incidents SCHADS increase tracker Self-managed NDIS claiming NDIS audit guide NDIS audit checklist Buying NDIS policies Service agreement template

Choosing NDIS software in 2026: what it has to get right, and the rule behind it