NDIS reform dates 2026 to 2028: what each one means for shift notes
Several dates in the NDIS reforms change what a provider has to be able to prove, and shift notes are part of that proof. The two that reach the note most directly are 27 August 2026, when a 7 year retention duty for claim records commenced, and 1 December 2026, when the time to make a claim falls from 2 years to 90 days. Other dates change plans and funding without changing what a note must contain, and this page says which is which.
Key takeaways
- 27 August 2026: providers must keep prescribed records relating to claims for 7 years from the claim date, with a civil penalty of 120 penalty units. Notes need to be findable and tied to the claim they support.
- 1 December 2026: claims must be made within 90 days of delivering a support, so the note has to exist and be complete before the claim, not after.
- Many other dates change plan and funding rules. They do not add note content requirements, and this page says so where that is the case.
- Only the provisions named in each row are law. The third column is our reading of what a note should be able to show.
Which dates matter for shift notes?
The dates below come from the NDIS website’s page on the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations laws and from the commencement table in the Act. For a full calendar of the changes, including those that do not touch documentation, see NDIS Changes for Providers: The 2026-2028 Calendar from Provider360, which covers the dates in more depth. This page adds the missing column: what a shift note should be able to show.
| Date | What starts (source) | What a shift note should be able to show |
|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2026 | Supported Independent Living providers required to be registered (see our SIL registration guide). | Evidence of the SIL Practice Standards in daily practice, not only in policy. |
| 20 August 2026 | Royal Assent. Only participants, plan nominees or child representatives can ask for a plan reassessment before the scheduled date, where there is a significant and ongoing change to functional capacity and support needs, or to living, education, work or informal support arrangements (NDIS website). | What the participant did and what help they needed on the day, with dates. Notes are the observed record of any change in functional capacity that a participant may rely on when asking for a reassessment. |
| 27 August 2026 | Section 45B of the NDIS Act: providers must keep and retain prescribed records that relate to a claim, or to the support the claim relates to, for 7 years beginning on the day the claim is made. Civil penalty 120 penalty units. Also stronger information-gathering powers and automated processing of claims (Act, Schedule 2 Parts 1 to 4; NDIS website). | Which claim the note supports, the date and duration of the support, and that the note can be found and produced on request years later. The Rules that prescribe the record kinds had not been found on 26 September 2026, so check the current Rules. |
| 1 October 2026 | Support budgets for some supports reduce as plans are reassessed or newly approved. Plans may be suspended if a participant does not respond to requests for information after reasonable attempts (NDIS website; Act, Schedule 1 Part 7). | Progress against goals and the actual assistance given, so a provider has factual material for progress reports at reassessment. The suspension provisions place no new duty on the note. |
| 1 December 2026 | Claims must be submitted within 90 days of delivering a support, replacing 2 years in section 45A(5)(a) (NDIS website; Act, Schedule 2 Part 5). | That the note is complete, signed and linked to the shift before the claim is made. The law sets no deadline for writing a note (see note timing and retention), but a note that is not finished cannot support a claim inside 90 days. |
| 1 February 2027 | Plan renewal replaces plan continuation. New reasonable and necessary criteria apply progressively (NDIS website). | No change to what a note must contain. |
| April 2027 | The new way of planning begins to be introduced (NDIS website). | No note requirement announced. Watch for guidance on how goals are expressed. |
| July 2027 | Mandatory registration expands to providers of personal care and daily living supports and supports in closed settings (NDIS website). | For newly registered providers, evidence of the Practice Standards in daily practice, starting with accurate and timely records. |
| 1 January 2028 | Access changes begin for new applicants, with eligibility based on a standardised assessment of functional capacity (NDIS website). | Observed functional evidence: what the participant could do, with what assistance, on the day. |
Dates the NDIS lists that do not change what a note must contain, such as the plan management provider panel from October 2027 and commissioned support coordination from July 2028, are left out of the table.
What do the two most direct dates change in practice?
27 August 2026. Retention now has a statutory backbone for claim records. The section is conditional: it applies to records of a kind prescribed by the NDIS Rules, so it does not by itself say that every shift note must be kept for 7 years. It does mean a provider should be able to link each claim to the records that show the support was delivered, and retrieve them. Failing to keep a required record is a civil penalty, and an amount can become a debt due to the NDIA if the record was not kept and entitlement cannot otherwise be shown (section 182(4)). The full reading is in how long NDIS providers must keep records.
1 December 2026. The 90 day window makes the note part of the billing timeline. For each support delivered, the record that shows what happened needs to be finished before the claim goes in. Notes that sit in draft, or are queued for review beyond the window, become a claiming risk.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Dates can change, so check the NDIS website and the current compilation of the Act.
Frequently asked questions
When did the 7 year NDIS record keeping rule start?
Section 45B of the NDIS Act commenced on 27 August 2026 and applies to claims made on or after that date. It requires an NDIS provider to keep prescribed records relating to a claim, or the support a claim relates to, for 7 years from the day the claim is made.
When does the 90 day NDIS claiming window start?
From 1 December 2026, claims must be submitted within 90 days of delivering a support, replacing the current 2 years.
Do the 2026 NDIS changes change what a shift note must contain?
The provisions we checked do not set new content requirements for shift notes. They change retention, claim timing, plan and funding rules, so the note matters more as evidence of delivery and of the claim.
Where can I find a full calendar of the NDIS changes for providers?
The NDIS website lists the changes by date, and Provider360 publishes a 2026 to 2028 calendar. This page adds what a shift note should be able to show for each date.
Sources
- Securing the NDIS for future generations (NDIS laws page) (NDIA, retrieved 26 September 2026)
- National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026, Schedule 2 Part 4 (section 45B) and item 86 (section 182(4)) (Federal Register of Legislation, retrieved 26 September 2026)
- NDIS Changes for Providers: The 2026-2028 Calendar (dated 25 August 2026) (Provider360, retrieved 26 September 2026)
- Mandatory registration and transition pathways for supported independent living (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, retrieved 21 September 2026)
- What are the record keeping requirements (NDIS) (NDIA, retrieved 25 September 2026)
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