How to Change Your NDIS Provider: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
You can choose a different NDIS provider when your current arrangements no longer suit you. Start with your service agreement and a plan for keeping essential support in place. There is no universal 14-day notice period for every NDIS service.
Check your agreement before setting a last day
The NDIA’s provider-change guidance says to check the agreed notice and possible cancellation charges, find a replacement, notify the current provider and update the relevant portal arrangements. Ask your support coordinator, plan manager or my NDIS contact for help where needed. Do not assume that changing providers cancels valid outstanding invoices.
Decide what needs to be different
Write a short replacement-provider brief. It is more useful than asking whether a provider has capacity in general.
| What to describe | Example to adapt |
|---|---|
| Tasks | Help preparing an evening meal and getting ready for bed |
| Place | The suburb where support will happen, including home visits |
| Schedule | The days and visit times you need covered |
| Continuity | Whether meeting the worker before the first shift matters to you |
| Support requirements | Relevant communication, access or worker-skill requirements |
| Start date | A proposed date that still needs confirmation |
Share only the information needed to assess suitability. Avoid sending your full plan or detailed health history to every provider during an initial search.
Compare replacement providers before agreeing
Ask each provider the same questions:
- Can you cover these particular days, times and tasks?
- Who would provide the support, and what happens if they are unavailable?
- What is the full price, including any applicable travel, minimum visits and cancellation terms?
- What information do you need to confirm the arrangement?
- Can you confirm the start date in writing?
You can use the NDIA provider finder, recommendations from people you trust, your coordinator or Carevo’s provider request. Carevo connects people with providers; a response does not guarantee that the provider can deliver every requested service.
Put the handover in writing
Use this outline after checking the agreement and discussing any disputed terms. Replace the placeholders; do not assume a fixed notice period.
Subject: Proposed end date and service handover
Hello [provider],
I would like to end [specified services] on [proposed date].
Please confirm the notice requirements in our agreement and the final service date.
Please also confirm any outstanding invoices, scheduled visits and the process
for sharing relevant records with my chosen new provider with my permission.
I would like the following supports to continue until the agreed date: [list].
Please let me know who will coordinate the handover.Keep the written confirmation, contact details and agreed schedule together. The care handover template can help organise responsibilities. A document does not establish permission to share another person’s information.
If support is unsafe or the provider disputes the change
Prioritise immediate safety. Call 000 in an emergency. Ask a trusted person or advocate to help you contact the NDIS Commission about concerns. Get advice on disputed agreement terms instead of relying on a general promise that all charges disappear when you leave.
Before the first replacement visit
Confirm who is coming, when they will arrive, the agreed tasks and the contact if the visit does not happen. Make sure the participant has a copy of the arrangement and knows how to ask for changes.
Common questions
Do I always need to give 14 days’ notice?
No. Check the notice requirement in your own agreement and the current rules that apply to the charge. Seek help if the terms are unclear or disputed.
Should I stop paying the old provider immediately?
Do not assume that ending a service removes valid amounts already owed. Reconcile the final invoices and raise disputed charges with the provider and your plan manager where relevant.
Does submitting a Carevo request change my provider?
No. It starts a search for alternatives. You still choose a provider, agree to services and complete the required handover.
Your next step
Find a provider for your next step
Tell us what needs to change, where support is needed and your preferred start date. Relevant providers can respond so you can compare their fit before agreeing to a change.
Free to send a request. Provider availability, suitability and prices need confirmation before you agree to services.
Co-founder & CEO · Updated
Andre is the co-founder and CEO of Carevo. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts from UNSW Sydney, where his majors were International Relations, Politics, Information Systems, and Media and Communications, graduating in 2014, and went through the UNSW 10x Founders accelerator in 2023.
