Self-managed
The participant pays your invoice directly, then claims reimbursement from the NDIA themselves. You invoice exactly like a private client — no different billing process for you at all.
NDIS and counselling
NDIS billing for counsellors: self-managed vs plan-managed vs NDIA-managed
How you get paid for NDIS counselling depends entirely on the participant's plan management type — not on anything you do as the counsellor. Here's what each one actually means for billing.
Written by Steve Daniel, founder of Zenvia — GAICD · MBA · Master of IT · Author, Cybersecurity for Australian Not-for-Profits · Last reviewed 1 October 2026
The three plan types
It's the participant's plan that decides how you bill
Plan-managed
A registered plan manager pays you on the participant's behalf and handles the NDIA claim. You invoice the plan manager instead of the participant — otherwise the same as any invoice.
NDIA-managed (agency-managed)
You, the provider, must submit the payment request to the NDIA directly. This needs full NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission provider registration and a PRODA account to access the myplace provider portal, where claims are submitted per service booking. For NDIA-managed service bookings specifically, claims must go in within 90 days of the booking's end — tighter than the general 2-year claim window that otherwise applies. That 90-day window is also about to become universal: from 15 October 2026 late claims face extra integrity checks, and from 1 December 2026 it replaces the 2-year window as a legislated hard deadline for all claims, with anything outside it going unpaid except in exceptional circumstances. See the NDIA's own Guide to getting paid for the current rules.
What it pays
The counselling line item
NDIS's Support Catalogue has a specific "Counselling" line item (support item 15_043_0128_1_3, Support Category 15 — Improved Daily Living Skills), distinct from — and priced below — the Psychologist line item. No AHPRA registration is required to bill the counselling item. As at the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27 (effective 1 July 2026), the national hourly price limit is $156.16 — unchanged from 2025-26, but it's reviewed with each new pricing schedule, so confirm the current figure on the NDIS Pricing Arrangements page before quoting a client. Turnaround for registered/"myprovider" claims typically runs a few business days; unregistered claims (self-managed) can take longer.
A worked example
Billing a plan-managed client for a month of sessions
Say you see a plan-managed NDIS participant weekly, at the counselling line item's national hourly price limit of $156.16 (NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27). Over a 4-session month, that's $624.64 in billable support. Here's how it actually gets paid:
- Confirm the plan allows it: check with the participant (or their plan manager) that "Counselling" under Support Category 15 is actually funded in their current plan — not every plan funds every support category.
- Deliver and record: each session is delivered and documented as usual; no different clinical process is required for an NDIS client than any other.
- Invoice the plan manager, not the participant: raise one invoice (or four, depending on the plan manager's preference) addressed to the registered plan manager, citing the participant's NDIS number, the support item code (15_043_0128_1_3), the session dates, and the rate charged (at or below the price limit).
- Plan manager pays and claims: the plan manager pays your invoice from the participant's plan funds, then handles the NDIA claim themselves — you're not involved in that step at all.
- Typical turnaround: plan managers commonly pay registered invoices within about 2–5 business days of receiving a correctly coded invoice, though this varies by plan manager.
Compare that to a self-managed participant on the same schedule: you'd invoice the participant directly exactly as you would a private client, and they'd separately claim reimbursement from the NDIA themselves — your invoicing workflow doesn't change at all based on which path the client is on, only who the invoice is addressed to.
What Zenvia supports today
Self-managed and plan-managed, invoiced through Zenvia
Zenvia handles invoicing for both self-managed and plan-managed NDIS clients — tag the client's funding source, and their sessions invoice and track the same way any other billing does. NDIA-managed claiming is different: it requires your own NDIS provider registration and a direct myplace portal submission, which is outside what an invoicing platform does for you (Zenvia's or anyone else's, short of a dedicated NDIA claims integration).
Run your NDIS billing through Zenvia
Self-managed and plan-managed clients, invoiced and tracked in one place.
Want the full picture? See all our funder and practice guides. Billing another funder? See Medicare, EAP, workers compensation, Victims Services NSW, Victoria's FAS, DVA and Open Arms, or private health fund rebates. Not sure which registration you need? See PACFA vs ACA vs AHPRA.