Setting up and using the Rate Card for Non-NDIS Billing
Rate Cards are used for Non-NDIS billing purposes only. Setting up the Rate Card is not required if your organisation is solely using SupportAbility for NDIS billing as the NDIS Price Lists are built into SupportAbility.
Rate Cards are provided in SupportAbility to assist with calculating how much a Client is to be charged for non-NDIS-funded service delivery. The calculations use the Rate Card rates for each Usage Type in combination with the total 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours' in an Activity, and a cost amortisation model is applied for group servicing.
This article outlines what a Rate Card is, how to create and configure one, how to update the Rates when there has been an increase for an individual service/s, and explains how only one Card is valid at a time regardless of whether organisations have created multiple Cards.
It also explains how to configure Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours in the Staff section of an Activity when participants are to be billed for Non-NDIS services. This includes information on how the 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' are configured and utilised for billing in different scenarios, such as single-participant Activities, Activities occurring on a public holiday, and multi-participant (group) Activities.
Due to the limitations of Rate Card functionality, Activity Costs may also be used as an alternative way to charge Non-NDIS Clients or to manage corrections when Non-NDIS Chargeable functionality was originally used. Information about Activity Costs is outlined in the related article linked below.
Privileges:
- 'Edit System Preferences' is required to access and update the 'Rate Card' tab in System Preferences
- Rostered Staff can only update their own Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs in the Staff section of an Activity. Staff with higher privileges such as 'Team Leader' at the Site/Service level or 'Team Leader for ALL Services' can also update these hours for all staff.
Audience: Finance Team, Operations Management and those tasked with updating System Preferences.
Summary
The following list summarises the content of this article:
- What is the Rate Card?
- Where is the Rate Card configured?
- Configuring the Rate Card
- Validity Range
- Setting the Service Rates
- Updating the Card when Rates Change
- Updating Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours for billing when the Rate Card is in use
- How the Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours are utilised for billing
What is the Rate Card?
Rate Cards are used to set specific rates for non-NDIS-funded services delivered by your organisation:
Validity dates are entered for the Rate Card, and separate Rates may be entered for each Service as applicable. Different Rates may also be set for various 'Usage Types' such as Base Hours, Coordination Hours, Case Management Hours, Public Holiday Hours, 24-Hour Care (8-Hour Blocks), Overnight Care (8-Hour Blocks), and Rate Per km.
N.B. These 'Usage Types are a pre-determined list and cannot be modified, e.g. renamed, or new types added.
When a Client participates in an Activity for a Service which has a configured Rate Card and the Client's Funding Source is set to 'Billable (No Funding),' SupportAbility calculates the amount to be billed using the Rates set in the Rate Card in combination with the total Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours in the Staff section of the Activity.
For group Activities, the calculation is based on a cost amortisation model. This means that the total hours and kilometres incurred in a group Activity by Staff delivering the service are divided evenly across all participants. Any clients paying using a Non-NDIS Funding Source will be billed according to this split, while Clients paying with NDIS funding will be charged using the rates specified in their funding.
Where is the Rate Card Configured?
Rate Cards are configured on the 'Rate Cards' tab in System Preferences, which is accessible only by staff with the 'Edit System Preferences' privilege:
Configuring the Rate Card
Creating a Rate Card
To add a Rate Card, select the '+ Add a new rate card' button:
Enter the From and To Dates using the calendar icons. This will set a 'Validity Range' for the Rate Card:
Select '+ Add Rate Card'.
'To Date' Unknown
The 'To Date' is a mandatory field. When this is unknown a future date can be entered and updated later as required:
Validity Range
An organisation may have multiple Rate Cards; however, only one can be valid at a given time.
The Validity Range Dates and Rate card border are highlighted in green to indicate this card is the current one in use. Historic Rate Cards where the validity has expired will be displayed below the current Card:
Overlapping Date Range
When creating a new Rate Card, if the dates entered overlap with an existing Rate Card, a notification message will populate advising: Unable to proceed until all rate cards have valid date ranges that don't overlap other rate cards:
Setting the Service Rates
Different Rates may be entered for each 'Usage Type' for an individual Service as applicable, and these Rates may differ across the Services.
For example, Rates have been set for the 'Community Groups' Service as follows; Base Hours rate of $38.05, Public Holiday rate of $95.13 and Rate per km of $1.07, while the the Base Hours rate for Day Services has been set as $42.50:
Once a Rate has been entered for Base Hours, Time & 1/2, and Double Time are automatically calculated from the Base Hours Rate and displayed in the relevant fields.
Updating the Card when Rates Change
If Rates for an individual Service change, this can easily be managed by duplicating the current Rate Card and then updating the Rates for that Service.
A new Rate Card needs to be created to manage the validity dates for all Services, inclusive of the recently updated Service.
To duplicate the Rate Card, navigate to the far right of it and select the 'Duplicate' button:
Once selected, the system will prompt you: Are you sure you want to duplicate this Rate Card? This will end the current rate card and start a new one. Select Duplicate to proceed:
The new Rate Card's Validity Range will commence one day after (e.g. 01/07/2025) the last date of the one it was duplicated from (e.g. 30/06/2025):
In the example above, the previous Rate Card is still highlighted as the current one because the 'Valid To' date is in the future, relative to when the new one was created. However, the Validity Dates for both cards can be edited as required using the calendar icons.
Once the Rate Card has been duplicated and the relevant Validity Range set, the new Rates can be entered for the relevant Service in the new card.
Updating Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours for billing when the Rate Card is in use
Clients receiving Non-NIDS services are billed according to the total 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' in the Staff section of an Activity and using the Rates set for that Service in the Rate Card.
When an Activity is created, the total 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' are automatically populated in the Staff section of the Activity for each rostered staff member, using the number of hours of the Activity duration e.g. 3.50 hrs for an Activity starting at 5.30 pm and ending at 9.00 pm:
The 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' can simply be ignored if Non-NDIS funding is not applicable for this Activity.
Alternatively, when Non-NDIS funding is applicable, the 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours' can be edited when required.
It is important to note that when the Activity or Shift times are edited, the 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' are not automatically updated in alignment with this and will need to be manually updated.
The 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' may need to be edited for a number of reasons. For example, when the staff member works a longer or shorter Shift than the Activity duration period, in which case the Base Hours would need updating. Another example may be when the hours worked relate to a different 'Usage Type', e.g. a Public Holiday, in which case the relevant hours would need to be entered in the 'Public Holiday Hrs' field.
Rostered Staff are able to update the Non-NDIS hours for their own Shift only. Staff with the privileges to edit Activities are able to update the Non-NDIS hours for all rostered Shifts.
This is done by selecting the 3 dot menu under 'Actions', located far right of the Activity Staff section, then selecting 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours':
This will open the 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours' window.
The 'Base Hrs' displayed correlates to the Activity duration hours, however, they can be edited as required, and a number of hours can be entered for other Usage Types as appropriate e.g. Public Holiday Hrs:
How the Non-NDIS Chargeable Hours are utilised for billing
The following sections outline how the 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' are configured and utilised for billing in different scenarios, such as single-participant Activities, Activities occurring on a public holiday, and multi-participant/group Activities.
Single Participant Activity
Staff member Abel has delivered one hour of support to a Client and used the company vehicle for this purpose as shown in the Recorded column. The total 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' also displays the 1 hour of service:
Opening the 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' window displays the one hour which has automatically been entered in the 'Base Hrs' field when the Activity was created:
Therefore, when generating a Direct Invoice Batch for the Client, they will be charged a total of $48.75, comprised of $38.05 for one hour of support at the Base Hours rate, plus 10 x $1.07 for the Company kilometres.
Public Holiday and Private Kilometres
On this occasion, Staff member Abel has delivered one hour of support to a Client; however, it is on a public holiday when a higher rate is charged. He has also used his private vehicle for this purpose which he will need to be reimbursed for:
With this in mind, he has entered 10 kilometres in the 'Private km' field in the Recorded column. He has also updated the 'Non-NDIS Chargeable Hrs' by deleting the 1 hour in the 'Base Hrs' field and entering 1 hour in the 'Public Holiday Hrs':
In this case, when generating a Direct Invoice Batch for the Client, they will be charged a total of $105.83, comprised of $95.13 for one hour of support at the Public Holiday Hours rate plus 10 x $1.07 for the Private kilometres incurred. Not only will the client be charged for the kilometres, but the 10 kms incurred will populate in Abel's Timesheet data for payroll as Private kilometres require reimbursement.
Group Activity
In this instance, two Staff members have delivered support for 4.5 hours to a group of three Clients, two of which are Non-NDIS funded. Each staff member entered 20 kms using Company vehicles:
When generating a Direct Invoice Batch the two Non-NDIS funded Clients will each be charged a total of $102.92, comprised of 2.33 Hrs x $38.05 at the Base Hours rate, plus 13.33 km x $1.07 for the Company kilometres incurred.
Cost Amortisation
The Activity's 'Cost Amortisation' tab clearly outlines all the calculations. As you can see below, the charges are amortised across all Activity participants, not just across the Non-NDIS funded participants, however, Clients paying with NDIS funding use the rates specified in their funding:
More information on cost amortisation is outlined in the Cost amortisation model for group activities (Non-NDIS) article linked below for reference.
Client Funding Statement for billable and Non-NDIS charges
The Client Funding Statement, available from the Print Menu of the Client record, can be filtered to display a list of billable (Non-NDIS) charges for the Client for the selected period:
