NDIS recordkeeping in 2026: what changed, and what to do now

If you write NDIS session notes as a sole trader or small provider, the useful question this week is not “which software is legally required.” It is what changed, and what you should do in the note before you invoice.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 passed both Houses on 19 August 2026 and received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026 (Act No. 66 of 2026). That is the Parliament of Australia record. This is not legal advice. Rules and thresholds can still be filled in later.

What changed

The department’s explainer for providers (last updated 21 July 2026 when checked) lists the documentation-adjacent changes as:

• Seven-year records. Providers need to keep records relating to the payment and receipt of NDIS funds for seven years. Failure to retain those records can attract a civil penalty. That is about payment records, not a promise that any note app is “7-year NDIS-compliant storage.”
• Supporting documents above a threshold. Where claims exceed a threshold that is still being set, supporting documentation will be required. Do not invent the dollar amount.
• 90-day claim window. From 1 December 2026, the time to make a claim for supports under a participant’s plan falls from two years to 90 days.
• Enrolment. Most providers will need to enrol with the NDIA from 1 July 2027, with a basic identity check and a validated bank account. Enrolment is separate from NDIS Commission registration. The reform timeline says providers in scope should be enrolled by December 2027.
• Higher-risk registration. Expanded mandatory registration for higher-risk supports begins rolling out from 1 July 2027, with providers in scope registered by December 2030.

The Bills Digest commencement table says several provider schedules — including the recordkeeping-related parts of Schedule 2 — commence on the seventh day after Royal Assent. That is 27 August 2026. Confirm the compiled Act on the Federal Register of Legislation if you need the exact section numbers for your lawyer.

What to do now

Finish the note while the session is still true. A 90-day claim window punishes a week of unfinished notes more than a two-year window did.

Keep the payment record you already keep — invoices, remittances, who was paid — for seven years. Keep the session record in a place you can export. Those are related jobs. They are not the same job.

If someone later asks what was delivered, you should be able to produce: who, when, what happened, which goal or support it sat against, and what you would do next time.

That is claim-ready in the documentation sense: a record you can produce with the claim or if the NDIA asks. It is not Noteable submitting an NDIA claim, and it is not a legal requirement to use Noteable-style notes.

A checklist that stays honest

1. Capture the session once — date, worker, location, what was delivered.
2. Link it to the plan or goal if you know it.
3. Write what you observed, not “good session.”
4. Finalise promptly. Review any structured draft before it is the record.
5. Know how you would export last month’s sessions if asked.
6. Do not wait for the supporting-document threshold to be published before you start finishing notes.

What this is not

• The law does not require a particular software product.
• Seven-year retention, as described by the department, is about payment and receipt records.
• Noteable does not enrol you, register you, invoice, or submit NDIA claims.

If you want a field-by-field session note, use how to write NDIS session notes. If you want the product that keeps that note with the client’s recent sessions and follow-ups, start at the NDIS note-taking app.