Tax and accounting for NDIS support coordinators.
Whether you're a sole trader building a caseload or running a small team of coordinators, you can generally claim your worker screening, professional development and case management software against your income, and keeping your support coordination genuinely GST-free comes down to the paperwork behind each participant, not just the work itself. This guide covers what support coordinators typically claim, why the plan-and-agreement paperwork matters for GST, and how case management software connects to Xero. We're Brisbane based and work with support coordinators across Australia.
Updated July 2026 · Reviewed by the LINK Advisors team
What support coordinators can claim.
Ordered by typical value. Every claim still has to pass the ATO's tests: you paid for it, it relates to earning your income, and you can show a record.
NDIS worker screening check
Your worker screening check and renewal are generally deductible as a cost of holding the right to work with participants.
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Premiums tied to your coordination work are generally deductible.
CPD and sector training
Mental health, disability-specific and other relevant training courses are generally deductible.
Case management software
Subscriptions to coordination or case management software used to track participant plans and goals are generally deductible.
Work vehicle
Travel to participant and provider meetings is generally deductible for its business-use portion under the logbook or cents-per-kilometre method.
Mobile phone and data
The work-use portion of your phone and data for participant contact is generally deductible.
Home office running costs
If you do admin and reporting from home, a portion of your running costs may be deductible under the ATO's fixed rate method.
Professional association or network membership
Membership fees for relevant support coordination networks are generally deductible.
Laptop and reporting technology
Equipment used for plan reviews and reporting is generally deductible, either claimed outright or depreciated depending on cost.
Continuing education toward higher qualifications
Courses that build toward specialist or higher-level coordination qualifications are generally deductible.
GST-free, if the paperwork holds.
Support coordination is generally GST-free where it's a support under a participant's NDIS plan, there's a plan in effect, and a written service agreement covers what you're actually doing for them. The paperwork condition is the part that trips coordinators up, not the nature of the work itself, so a missing or outdated service agreement can put the GST-free status of that support at risk even when the coordination is genuinely reasonable and necessary.
Work that sits outside the scope of the participant's plan or agreement, extra hours not covered, or services requested informally, can carry different GST treatment, so it's worth keeping your agreements current as a participant's needs or plan change, not just at the start of the relationship.
Invoicing correctly to NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed participants also matters, since who you're actually billing changes how and when payment arrives, even though the GST treatment of the support itself is generally the same.
The right structure for the work.
Most support coordinators start as sole traders, which suits the business while it's mostly you managing your own caseload. As you subcontract other coordinators or take on staff to cover more participants, a company structure and clearer contracts between you and any coordinators working under you become worth setting up properly, partly for liability reasons and partly because NDIS Commission registration requirements shift once you're operating at scale.
Run the work, we run the numbers.
Case management and coordination-specific software tracks participant plans, goals and time against each service agreement, and connecting that to Xero means your invoicing matches what's actually been delivered and agreed. We set this up so nothing gets billed outside what the paperwork supports.
Frequently asked questions.
Is my support coordination work GST-free?
Generally yes, where there's a plan in effect and a written service agreement covering the support. Keeping those documents current is what protects the GST-free treatment.
What happens if I do extra work outside a participant's plan?
That work can carry different GST treatment, since it may fall outside the agreement covering the participant's supports. Update the agreement as needs change rather than working informally beyond it.
Should I stay a sole trader or set up a company?
Sole trader suits most coordinators managing their own caseload. It's worth reviewing once you're subcontracting other coordinators or taking on staff to cover more participants.
Do I need an NDIS worker screening check?
Generally yes, to work directly with participants, and the cost of the check and renewal is generally deductible.
How do I invoice differently for NDIA-managed versus plan-managed participants?
The billing process and who you send the invoice to differs, though the GST treatment of the support itself is generally the same. We set your Xero invoicing up so each pathway is handled correctly.
Talk to an accountant who knows support coordinator businesses.
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