- Switching NDIS providers does not change your plan or your funding. The NDIA sets your budget, not your provider.
- Any unspent money in a service booking goes back to your budget when the booking ends.
- There is no exit fee. The only thing to honour is the notice period in your service agreement.
- You do not need approval from the NDIA, and you do not need your provider’s permission.
“Will I lose funding if I change providers?” It is the question we hear most from people thinking about switching NDIS providers. The short answer is no. Your funding is not affected. Your plan stays exactly as it is.
We think most people stay too long with providers who let them down. Not because the provider gets better. Because nobody shows them the money side is safe. So here it is, using the NDIS’s own rules.
What happens to your funding when you switch NDIS providers?
Nothing. Your plan and your budgets stay exactly the same. Your funding is set by the NDIA when your plan is made, and only the NDIA can change it. A provider cannot add to your funding, and leaving a provider cannot shrink it.
The NDIA publishes its own guide on how to change providers. It is a normal, expected part of the scheme. With 774,456 participants holding approved plans, people change providers every week. It is routine, not risky.
Where does your NDIS funding actually sit?
Your funding sits in your NDIS plan, held by the NDIA. It is never in your provider’s bank account.
It works like this. Your plan holds your budgets. A service booking tags part of a budget for a provider. The NDIA or your plan manager then pays the provider after the support is delivered. The money only leaves your plan when you actually receive support.
Not sure what a plan manager does? They pay the invoices. They do not control your funding either.
What happens to unspent funds when you leave a provider?
They go back to your budget. Under NDIS rules, when a service booking ends or changes, any unspent money set aside for that provider returns to your budget.
Your new provider then books against the same budget. Nothing vanishes in the middle. The money that was going to pay for your support still pays for your support. Just with a provider you chose.
Can a provider charge you for switching NDIS providers?
Only what your service agreement already says, and nothing more. There is no NDIS exit fee, and the NDIA charges nothing.
The one thing to check is your notice period. It is written in your service agreement, and it is usually 2 to 4 weeks. If you leave without giving notice, some agreements let the provider charge for that time. That is why the order matters: find your new provider first, then give notice.
Providers are not allowed to pressure you to stay. The Code of Conduct requires them to respect your decisions, and the Practice Standards require them to help you move, not block you. If your provider pushes back hard, or is simply not responding, that tells you something.
Do you need NDIA approval to switch?
No. Your right to choose your providers is written into law. The NDIS Act says people with disability should be supported to exercise choice in the planning and delivery of their supports.
The NDIS Commission backs this up in your rights: safe and ethical supports, and the freedom to decide who delivers them. You do not need permission from the NDIA, your LAC, or your current provider. Your plan belongs to you.
What we see when people switch
We have helped many people switch providers, and we handle the whole thing. We talk with the NDIS. We deal with the old provider. We work out where the old support was falling short, and we build the new support around the person’s own goals. The aim is always the quickest transition we can manage.
One person we support had been abandoned by their previous company for two years. When we found them, they had no electricity, and they were struggling to manage day-to-day life. Today their whole week runs on a regular routine, with fun built in, with a worker they chose.
Their funding was never the problem. The support was. Switching is not the risk. Staying too long is. A worker who keeps cancelling does not get better because you wait patiently.
How do you check your budget before and after switching?
Open the my NDIS app or the portal. You can see your budgets, what has been spent, and what is left. Take a screenshot before you switch if it helps you feel sure. Check again after. The numbers will tell the same story this guide does.
The switch, handled end to end
If you would like help, this is what we do at Tegrity. We confirm we have room before you give notice to anyone. Referrals are acknowledged the same business day, in writing. We schedule your first shift to begin before your old agreement ends, so there is no gap in your support. Most participants start within a week. You meet your worker before supports begin. And you never pay out of pocket, because we are paid directly from your NDIS plan.
Our switching providers page has the four steps and a notice email you can copy.
Related guides
Thinking about switching? Start with one phone call.
We will tell you today if we have room in your suburb, before you give notice to anyone. Same business day reply, in writing. You meet your worker before supports begin. No strangers at the door.