New rules put participants, not perks, at the centre of NDIS referrals
From late November 2026, NDIS providers will no longer be allowed to offer gifts, rewards or other incentives to win or keep clients. The ban is part of the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations reforms passed by Parliament in August. It covers every provider paid from NDIS funding, registered or not.
What’s changing?
Providers can’t offer participants, families or anyone else a benefit designed to encourage someone to start using their services, stay with them, or use more of them. That includes gift cards and vouchers. It also covers arrangements between businesses, such as paying for leads or rewarding other organisations for sending referrals. Breaches are a criminal offence and can attract fines or imprisonment.
Why does it matter?
Choosing a behaviour support provider is a significant decision. It should rest on the right things: a practitioner’s experience, how well they understand the person, and whether their approach fits the participant’s goals. Incentives can cloud that choice, and they have been linked to misuse of participant funding.
What it means for you
- Participants and families: if a provider offers you something in return for signing up or staying, you can raise it with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
- Support coordinators and referrers: it’s worth reviewing any referral arrangements you have with providers so you’re confident they sit within the new rules.
At Insight PBS, referrals come to us because of the quality of our practitioners and the outcomes we achieve together with participants. We welcome a change that keeps everyone’s focus where it belongs.