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What is a provider?
A provider is a person, business or organisation who delivers NDIS funded supports to participants. Providers have different areas of experience and expertise.
It's important to find the right providers to meet your needs. Providers can be large companies, charities, small not-for-profits, sole traders, or any other type of business.
NDIS registered providers are regulated by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission . All providers (registered or unregistered) must adhere to the NDIS Code of Conduct.
If your NDIS funding is NDIA-managed, you can only use NDIS registered providers to deliver your services.
Participants who self-manage or have a plan manager to manage their NDIS plan funding can use NDIS registered providers or unregistered providers.
More information about how to find a registered provider.
Find more resources about working with providers in accessible formats on the booklets and factsheets page.
Your first meeting with a provider
Below are some things to think about before your first meeting with a provider. They may help you to decide whether the provider and the supports and services they provide are right for you.
You may be able to find some answers before your meeting by looking at the provider’s website or talking to the person who made the appointment for you. You can also ask the provider at the meeting.
You don’t have to get answers for all these questions, and you may have other questions you want to ask.
You may want to write them down, so you don’t forget.
- How will this support help you with your disability-related needs?
- If you have received this support before, do you still need it/is it still helping you?
- Does your NDIS plan include funding for this support?
- How often do you want this support? How long is the appointment?
- What days do you want this support?
- What experience does the person who will give you the service have with your disability?
- How much will this support cost? (If self-managed, how does this price compare to the NDIS maximum price?)
- Are there other costs, like travel costs or report writing costs?
- Can the provider work with you when you need them to?
- How long does the provider think you will need the support?
- How can you get the most out of these supports?
- What do you need to bring to the session?
- How often will the provider review with you about whether the support is helping you?
- What experience does the provider/therapist have with the NDIS?
- If self-managed, how do you pay the provider – do they send an invoice and receipt?
- If plan-managed, do you need to do something for your plan manager to pay the provider?
- What do you want to know about the support?
- How can you change to a different support or stop the support when you don’t need it anymore?
We have created tip sheets with these questions that you can download:
- Before your first meeting with a provider (PDF 266KB)
- Before your first meeting with a provider (DOCX 57KB)
- Your first meeting with a provider (PDF 328KB)
- Your first meeting with a provider (DOCX 60KB).
After your meeting you can think about the information the provider has given you. You can talk with someone you trust to see how the service fits with your plan.
You might want to use the tip sheet:
If you have a plan manager, you can talk with them about your NDIS funding.
Depending on what supports are approved in your plan, you might decide to use fewer services with one provider so you can get other services with another provider.
You might like to use a basic calculator or support organiser (XLSX 30KB) to help you decide.
It’s important that you are comfortable with the way you communicate with your provider.
You could talk face-to-face, email or text, or you could talk on the phone or have a video call. You can let them know your preferred way to engage with them.