How to read support item codes

What a support item number is

A support item number is the unique identifier that tells the NDIA’s payment system exactly which support you are claiming for official source (opens in a new tab) . Using the correct code is not optional: a mismatched code will either be rejected outright or, worse, will be accepted but draw funds from the wrong budget category. The Support Catalogue lists every claimable support item alongside its code, unit of measure, price limit (where applicable), and the rules that apply to it.

Each support item sits within a support category and a registration group . The category aligns broadly to the Core, Capital, and Capacity Building budget structure in a participant’s plan; the registration group ties the support to the provider registration requirements that must be met before it can be delivered.

The parts of a code

Support item numbers follow a consistent structure. The number begins with digits identifying the support category , followed by digits that identify the registration group , and ends with a sequence that identifies the specific item within that group official source (opens in a new tab) . Some codes also carry suffixes indicating the time-of-day or day-type rate (for example, evening, Saturday, or public holiday rates for supports that attract loadings).

Reading the code structure tells you at a glance whether a support falls under Core, Capital, or Capacity Building, and which registration group your organisation needs to hold to deliver it. The Support Catalogue spreadsheet has a column for each of these fields, so you can filter by category or registration group to find the items relevant to your service.

Units and price limits

Each support item specifies a unit of measure, such as hour, each, or day official source (opens in a new tab) . The unit determines how the claim is quantified: an hourly support is claimed in hours (or fractions of hours), while a consumable item might be claimed per unit. Getting the unit right is important because mismatched quantities against the wrong unit type will cause a claim to fail or to draw an incorrect amount.

The price limit column shows the maximum rate you may charge for that item under the current Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL). You can charge at or below this limit, but not above it for price-limited items. See the PAPL guide for more on how the limits are set and when they change.

Quote-required items

Some support items in the catalogue are marked as requiring a quote rather than having a fixed price limit official source (opens in a new tab) . These are typically complex, bespoke, or high-cost supports, such as specialist equipment, major home modifications, or some behaviour support plans. For these items, you and the participant (or their plan manager) agree a price based on a written quote before the support is delivered, and that agreed amount is what is claimed.

Quote-required items still have a support item number and must be claimed under the correct code. The difference is that the price is not capped by the catalogue; instead it is governed by the agreed quote and the participant’s available budget for that item.

Use the catalogue

The Support Catalogue is published on the NDIS website as a downloadable spreadsheet and is updated at the same time as the PAPL, typically from 1 July each year official source (opens in a new tab) . OneForce Care’s claiming module uses the current catalogue to validate support item codes at the point of entry, which catches common coding errors before a payment request is submitted. For a broader look at how payment requests work and the most common reasons claims fail, see the claims guide.

When setting up a new service or adding support types, always cross-reference the catalogue to confirm the correct code, unit, and any special rules before delivering the support. The support catalogue in this hub also walks through how to navigate the spreadsheet.