NDIS 90 Day Claim Rule From 1 December 2026: Self-Managed and Plan-Managed Guide

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The NDIS 90 day claim rule starts on 1 December 2026. From that date, a claim for an NDIS support must be made within 90 days of the day the support is provided. Today the limit is 2 years. This guide explains what the change means if you self-manage, use a plan manager, or act as a nominee. It also covers late claims, the exception in the law, and what to do now.

For this guide we read the law itself, the NDIA’s own guideline on using your plan, and the NDIA’s news and reform pages. Every claim below comes from those primary sources, and we list each one at the end.

NDIS 90 day claim rule: quick summary

The NDIS 90 day claim rule starts on 1 December 2026. It comes from the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act 2026, which changes “2 years” to “90 days” in section 45A of the NDIS Act.
The 90 days start on the day the support is provided, not the day the invoice arrives.
It applies to whoever makes the claim. That is you or your nominee if you self-manage, your plan manager if you are plan-managed, and the provider if the NDIA manages your funding.
The NDIA’s guideline says its system will automatically reject a claim that is not made within the required time frames.
The law lets the NDIA accept a late claim only in exceptional circumstances, and only if it was made within a reasonable period.
Even before December, from 15 October 2026 the NDIA will do extra checks on claims made more than 90 days after a support. The NDIA may hold those claims for up to 28 days.
The safest step now is to clear any unclaimed invoices and receipts well before 1 December.

What the law says

Section 45A of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 controls claims. It says an amount is not payable for a support under your plan unless a valid claim has been made. One condition is timing. Under section 45A(5)(a), a claim must be made before the end of a set period, starting on the day the support is provided.

That period is currently 2 years. The NDIA says the 2 year limit took effect on 3 October 2024. The Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act 2026, Act No. 66 of 2026, changes it. Schedule 2, Part 5 of that Act carries the heading “Reducing claim times”. Its single item replaces “2 years” with “90 days” in section 45A(5)(a).

The Act’s commencement table sets the start date for that Part as 1 December 2026. As a result, the NDIS 90 day claim rule has a fixed legal start date, not just a month. The NDIA’s reform page lists it under “Changes from December 2026”, and its guideline on using your plan says “from 1 December 2026”.

In addition, the Act allows the NDIS rules to set a shorter period for a particular kind of claim. So 90 days is the outer limit, not a guaranteed window for every claim.

Who the NDIS 90 day claim rule affects

Section 45A(2) sets out who may make a claim. In short, it is the person who manages the funding for that support under your plan. However, if the NDIA manages it, the provider claims instead. The NDIA’s guideline adds that your nominee or child representative can claim for you.

How the funding is managed	Who makes the claim	What the 90 days mean for you
Self-managed	You, or your plan nominee or child representative	You hold the deadline. Claim in the my NDIS app or your participant portal soon after each support.
Plan-managed	Your registered plan manager	Your plan manager can only claim once it has the invoice, so slow invoices eat into the 90 days.
Agency-managed (NDIA-managed)	The registered provider	The provider holds the deadline, but you can still check what your provider has claimed in the my NDIS app or your participant portal.

You can also mix these types. For example, you might self-manage some funding and use a plan manager for the rest. In that case, each part follows the row that matches it.

If you self-manage: what changes

This change matters most if you self-manage, because you make the claims yourself. The NDIA describes two ways to pay. You can claim after your provider sends an invoice and then pay them. Alternatively, you can pay first with your own money and then claim the cost back.

Under the NDIS 90 day claim rule, both routes run against the same clock. If a provider invoices you weeks after a session, part of your 90 days has already gone. Similarly, if you pay out of pocket and put the receipt aside, the NDIA can reject your late claim. In that case the NDIS will not pay you back unless the NDIA accepts the delay as exceptional.

Under the current 2 year limit, you could still claim a receipt many months later. From 1 December 2026, that habit becomes expensive. So the practical answer is a routine: claim each invoice or receipt as soon as it arrives.

If you use a plan manager: what changes

If you are plan-managed, your plan manager makes the claim, not you. The NDIA’s provider guide says providers send their invoices directly to the plan manager. The plan manager then processes the claim and enters it in the relevant portal.

That means the NDIS 90 day claim rule still matters to you. A provider who invoices late, or an invoice sent to you instead of your plan manager, uses up time. Also, a plan manager who is slow with paperwork can leave a provider unpaid for work already done. Our guide on how to choose an NDIS plan manager covers what good processing looks like.

You can help in two simple ways. First, ask each provider to send invoices straight to your plan manager. Second, check the claims made from your plan in the my NDIS app or your participant portal, so you notice anything missing early.

If you are a provider

For NDIA-managed participants, registered providers make the claim, so the NDIS 90 day claim rule sits with you. For self-managed and plan-managed participants, someone else makes the claim. Even so, your invoice is what starts their work. The NDIA already tells providers to ask for payment as soon as possible after delivering a support. From 1 December 2026, prompt invoicing is no longer just good practice.

What happens to a late claim

The NDIS 90 day claim rule is strict. The NDIA’s guideline on using your plan, dated 1 October 2026, says its claims and payments system will automatically reject a claim that was not submitted within the required time frames. In other words, a claim made after 90 days will normally fail.

There is one exception in the law. Under section 45A(6), the NDIA may treat a late claim as valid if two things are true. First, exceptional circumstances apply to the claim and justify the delay. Second, the claim was made within a reasonable period, given those circumstances. The NDIA’s guideline cites this section and says a claim must be made within 90 days “unless exceptional circumstances prevent you from being able to”.

Neither the Act nor the NDIA guidance we read lists what counts as exceptional. Therefore, do not plan around the exception. Treat it as a safety net for genuine emergencies, and keep evidence of anything that stopped you claiming on time.

Extra checks on older claims from 15 October 2026

The NDIA is not waiting for December to act on slow claims. On 5 October 2026 it announced that, from 15 October 2026, it will do extra checks on claims submitted more than 90 days after a support is delivered. Claims made within 90 days continue through the usual process.

According to that notice, an older claim may be held for up to 28 days while the checks happen. The NDIA may also ask for more information or evidence before it pays. If it rejects the claim, it will tell you why. The NDIA explains that older claims are harder to verify, because evidence may be harder to find and information may no longer be correct.

Some older NDIA pages still describe a review for claims made more than 6 months after a support. The 5 October notice is the newer statement, so rely on it.

Supports delivered before 1 December 2026

This is the question most people will ask, and the honest answer is that it is not settled in what we could find. The amending Act contains no special application rule for this change. Instead, it gives the Minister power to make transitional rules for the amendments. As at 7 October 2026, the NDIA material we read does not say how the NDIA will treat claims for supports delivered before 1 December.

For context, when the 2 year limit began on 3 October 2024, the NDIA said it would honour all claims for earlier supports for the first 12 months. It has not said, in anything we found, that a similar grace period will apply this time. So do not assume one.

The safe course is simple. Before the NDIS 90 day claim rule starts on 1 December 2026, claim every support you have already received. Ideally, do it straight away to avoid the extra checks on older claims.

Funding periods and the 90 day limit

Your plan may release funding in funding periods. The NDIA’s guideline says you can still claim for a support from an earlier funding period in your current plan. However, two conditions apply. You need enough funding in your current funding period, and after 1 December 2026 the claim must be made within 90 days of the support being provided.

Bear in mind that claiming an old support from a new funding period uses up funding you might need later. The guideline makes this point too, and suggests reviewing your service agreements so there is enough funding for future supports.

What to do now: a checklist

Gather every invoice and receipt you have not yet claimed, and claim them now.
If you self-manage, set a regular time to make claims, for example the same day each week.
Ask each provider to invoice promptly after each support, and to send invoices to the right place.
If you are plan-managed, ask your plan manager how quickly it processes invoices once it receives them.
Check the claims made from your plan in the my NDIS app or your participant portal, so gaps show up early.
Keep your invoices, receipts and notes. The NDIA can ask for evidence, and new record keeping periods are on the way.
If something stops you claiming on time, write down what happened and when, and contact the NDIA quickly.

How to check the NDIS 90 day claim rule yourself

You do not need to take our word for any of this. Here is where each part lives, so you can check it as things change.

Start date: open the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act 2026 on the Federal Register of Legislation. Section 2 has a commencement table. Item 8 covers Schedule 2, Part 5, and gives 1 December 2026.
Section 45A: open the NDIS Act 2013 and find section 45A. Subsection (5) holds the time limit, and subsection (6) holds the exceptional circumstances exception.
The NDIA’s plain-English version: the Securing the NDIS for future generations page lists the claiming change under December 2026. The guideline Our Guideline: Your plan gives the 1 December date.
October checks: the NDIA news item Increasing integrity checks on older claims.

One tip: some NDIA pages, such as How to make a claim, still say you have 2 years. That is correct until the change starts, so it is not a contradiction. Check the “page current as of” date at the foot of each NDIA page to see how recent it is.

Frequently asked questions

When does the NDIS 90 day claim rule start?

It starts on 1 December 2026. That date is set in the commencement table of the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act 2026.

Does the 90 days start from the invoice date?

No. Section 45A(5) counts the period from the day the support is provided to you. A late invoice does not restart the clock.

Does the NDIS 90 day claim rule apply to plan-managed participants?

Yes. Your plan manager makes the claim, so the deadline applies to them. Even so, how quickly invoices reach your plan manager decides how much time is left.

I am a plan nominee. Does this apply to me?

Yes, if you make claims for a self-managed participant. The NDIA’s guideline names plan nominees and child representatives among the people who can submit claims. Our guide to NDIS plan nominees explains the role.

What if I miss the 90 days?

The NDIA’s system will normally reject the claim. The NDIA can accept it only if exceptional circumstances justify the delay and you claimed within a reasonable period after that. Contact the NDIA as soon as you can, and keep evidence of what happened.

What counts as exceptional circumstances?

The Act does not define it, and we found no NDIA list of examples. The decision sits with the NDIA, case by case.

Can I still claim supports from before 1 December 2026?

In anything we found as at 7 October 2026, the NDIA has not yet said how it will treat older supports. Claim them before 1 December to be safe.

Is this the same 90 days as the plan variation window?

No, they are unrelated. The other 90 days is a window for some high support needs participants to ask for a plan variation after a support determination. Our guide to the NDIS budget resets covers it.

How Centre of Hope can help

Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in NSW. Through our support coordination service, we help participants understand who manages each part of their plan and who claims for what. We can also help you talk with providers and your plan manager about invoicing on time. If one of the options we discuss is one of our own services, we tell you plainly, and the choice stays with you.

If you would like to talk through the NDIS 90 day claim rule before 1 December, you can contact our team. You can also see all our NDIS services.