NDIS bulk upload: how to submit claims by CSV.
Entering claims one by one is fine when you have two participants. Once you have ten, you need bulk upload. This guide covers the CSV format, every required column, the errors that kill claims, and what to do when a line gets rejected.
To bulk upload NDIS claims, download the CSV template from the myplace or PACE provider portal, fill one row per claim with the participant's NDIS number, support item code, service dates, quantity, unit price, and GST code, then upload the file. The NDIA processes approved NDIA-managed claims within three business days.
What is NDIS bulk upload?
Bulk upload lets NDIS providers submit many payment requests at once by uploading a single CSV file to the NDIS provider portal — either myplace or the newer PACE system — rather than entering each claim line manually.
Providers with NDIA-managed participants submit directly to the NDIA. For plan-managed participants, claims go to the participant's plan manager, who then pays the provider. How each channel works — and what PACE changes — is covered in our guide to NDIS claiming.
Most providers doing more than a handful of shifts per fortnight use bulk upload. Done right, it clears in three business days. Done wrong — wrong item code, wrong date, wrong unit — and individual lines bounce back with reason codes you have to fix and resubmit.
Getting the CSV template
The NDIA's bulk upload format is fixed. You must use their template — a custom CSV with different column names or order will be rejected at the file-validation step before any claims are processed.
- 1 Log in to myplace (or PACE) via PRODA at myplace.ndis.gov.au.
- 2 Navigate to Payment Request → Bulk Payment Request.
- 3 Download the template CSV from that page. It includes a header row and a sample row you can delete.
- 4 Fill in your claim rows (see column guide below), save as CSV, then upload the file back on the same screen.
CSV column guide
Each row in the CSV is one claim line — one support item, one participant, one date. These are the columns and what they need:
| Column | What to put in it | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| RegistrationNumber | Your provider registration number (from NDIS Commission) | Transposing digits |
| NDISNumber | Participant's 9-digit NDIS number, no spaces or dashes | Spaces or dashes included |
| SupportsDeliveredFrom | Start date of the service: YYYY-MM-DD | Excel silently reformatting the date |
| SupportsDeliveredTo | End date of the service: YYYY-MM-DD | Date outside participant's plan period |
| SupportNumber | Support item number from the NDIS support catalogue (e.g. 01_002_0107_1_1) | Wrong registration group for the participant's plan type |
| ClaimReference | Your internal reference for this line (invoice number, shift ID, etc.) | Duplicate reference across rows |
| Quantity | Number of units (hours for hourly items, 1 for fixed-price items) | Decimal separator wrong (comma vs period) |
| Hours | Hours delivered (for hourly line items); leave blank for non-hourly | Filled in when item uses EA units, not HR |
| ClaimType | Leave blank for a standard service, or a code such as CANC (cancellation), TRAN (provider travel) or NF2F (non-face-to-face) | Lower-case codes — they must be UPPERCASE |
| UnitPrice | Price per unit — dollars and cents, no “$” (e.g. 70.23); must not exceed the current NDIS price limit | Claiming above the price limit |
| GSTCode | P1 tax claimable (10% GST), P2 GST free (most NDIS supports), or P5 out of scope | Using P1 for GST-free supports — most supports are P2 |
| CancellationReason | Only when ClaimType=CANC: NSDH (health), NSDF (family), NSDT (transport) or NSDO (other) | Left blank on a cancellation claim |
| ABNofSupportProvider | For plan-managed claims: the delivering provider's 11-digit ABN, or exemption code REIMB / EXCLS | Missing on a plan-managed claim |
| AuthorisedBy | Legacy field — leave blank | Trying to fill a field that's no longer used |
File rules that trip people up
- —Filename under 20 characters (including the “.csv”), and a new, unique name on every upload.
- —Up to 5000 rows and 10MB per file — split larger batches.
- —Dates as YYYY-MM-DD; submit within 90 days of the service end date.
- —No stray characters in cells below your data — they fail the whole file.
Common errors — and how to fix them
Support item does not match plan type
The support item number encodes the registration group, which must match how the participant's plan is managed. A direct-support item code for an NDIA-managed participant can't be used for a plan-managed participant, and vice versa. Fix: check the participant's plan type in myplace, then verify the support item's registration group matches.
Service date outside plan period
NDIS plans have a start and end date. A claim with a service date before the plan started or after it ended will reject. If a plan has recently rolled over, make sure you're claiming against the right plan. Fix: check the participant's active plan dates and split any claims that cross a plan boundary.
Price exceeds the current limit
NDIS support prices are capped. The NDIA updates the price limits each financial year (July) and sometimes mid-year. If your rate for a support item is above the current limit, the claim will reject. Fix: download the latest NDIS Support Catalogue from the NDIS website and check the price limit for the item and state.
Insufficient funds remaining in the participant's plan
A claim will reject if the participant's plan balance for that support category has been exhausted — either by your earlier claims or by another provider. The portal won't warn you before upload. Fix: check the participant's remaining balance in myplace before uploading, and contact the participant or their coordinator if the balance looks wrong.
Wrong unit of measure (HR vs EA)
Hourly support items use HR as the unit; some fixed-price items use EA (each). Filling Hours for an EA item, or leaving it blank for an HR item, causes a validation error. Fix: check the unit column in the NDIS Support Catalogue for each item code you use.
What happens when a line rejects?
Bulk upload processes each row independently. If five rows in a hundred-row file reject, the other ninety-five are paid normally. You do not need to resubmit the entire file.
After upload, the results screen shows each row's status. Rejected rows display a reason code. Download the results, filter for rejected rows, fix the errors in the original CSV, and resubmit only those rows as a new file. Not sure what a reason code means? Use our NDIS claim error-code lookup.
Keep your service records
The NDIA may request evidence that the support was delivered — shift notes, progress notes, or a signed attendance record. Under PACE's delivery-confirmation model, this is increasingly how claims are verified. Always link your bulk upload rows back to a shift record or progress note before you submit.
For NDIS providers using practice management software
Rostrel generates your bulk upload CSV directly from your completed roster shifts — automatically populating the correct support item number, service dates, quantity, unit price (capped to the current NDIS price limit), and GST code for each line. Before you download the file, Rostrel validates every row against the participant's active plan dates and remaining budget, flagging anything that would reject at the portal so you can fix it before you ever log in to PACE or myplace.
Frequently asked questions
How long does bulk upload payment take?
The NDIA processes NDIA-managed payment requests within three business days. Plan-managed claims go to the plan manager, who then pays the provider — timelines vary by plan manager but are typically 7–14 days.
Can I upload claims from multiple participants in one file?
Yes — a single bulk upload file can contain claim rows for multiple participants. Each row is identified by the participant's NDIS number, so the portal processes them independently.
Is there a row limit on the bulk upload file?
The NDIA does not publish a hard row limit, but very large files can be slow to process. Most providers split files at a few hundred rows if they find upload times are long.
Do I need PRODA to bulk upload?
Yes. All access to the myplace provider portal — including bulk upload — requires a PRODA account linked to your organisation. PRODA is managed through the Services Australia website.
What's the difference between bulk upload and PACE?
Bulk upload is a feature — a way to submit many claims at once via CSV. PACE is the NDIA's newer computer system that is gradually replacing the older myplace portal. Bulk upload is available in both systems, but the screens look different. PACE also introduces delivery-confirmation checking, which means the NDIA cross-references claims against service records more actively.
Stop fixing bulk upload errors manually
Rostrel builds your bulk upload file from your roster and shift notes automatically — item codes, dates, quantities, and references, pre-validated before you touch the portal.
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