What is Short notice cancellation?

When a provider can claim

A provider can claim a short notice cancellation only when all of these apply:

• the support item allows cancellation claims
• the charge complies with the price limits
• the participant agreed to the cancellation terms in their service agreement
• the provider could not find other billable work for the worker and had to pay the worker for the time

Notice periods

• Disability support worker supports: less than 7 days’ notice.
• Most other supports: less than 2 clear business days’ notice.
• A no-show counts as a short notice cancellation.

Supports delivered as part of a program of support are not subject to these short notice cancellation rules.

How to claim

Claim up to 100% of the agreed fee using the same support item you would have used if the support had gone ahead, and select the cancellation option. There is no fixed limit on the number of cancellations a provider can claim, but the NDIA monitors these claims and may contact providers about a participant with an unusual number. A run of cancellations is also a duty of care signal: find out why it is happening.

In a bulk payment request, cancellation lines use the CANC claim type with a reason code: NSDH for a no-show due to health, NSDF for family reasons, NSDT for unavailable transport and NSDO for other reasons.

Paying the worker

The claim depends on the worker being paid, so the payroll side matters. The SCHADS Award has its own rules for cancelled client services, including when make-up time can be offered instead of payment. Check those rules before deciding whether the cancellation can be claimed.

Keep a record of when and how the cancellation was received, whether the worker was offered other work, and what they were paid. That record is the evidence if the claim is ever queried.