NDIS Bulk Upload Guide: How to Fill In the Bulk Payment Request File and Fix the Errors
How to fill in the NDIS bulk payment request file column by column, the date format that works, the common error codes and the new 90-day claim limit.
On this page
An NDIS bulk upload is a CSV file of payment requests that you upload in the myplace provider portal, under Payment Request, then Bulk Payment Request Upload. Each row is one payment request, and one file can hold up to 5,000 rows. For participants on the NDIA's new computer system, the portal won't take single payment requests, so the bulk file is how you claim for them.
The NDIA's guide says its most common rejections are lines with several errors at once, invalid dates and the wrong support item. Below is every column and code, plus the common errors with their fixes, from the NDIA's guides as they stood on 24 October 2026.
The short version: keep all 16 columns. Write dates as YYYY-MM-DD and check them after Excel has touched the file. Fill in Quantity or Hours, not both. Keep the file name to 20 characters including .csv, and use a new name for every upload. From 1 December 2026, claims must go in within 90 days, so claim weekly or fortnightly.
What is an NDIS bulk upload?
A bulk upload, which the NDIA calls a bulk payment request, lets you claim for many supports at once. The NDIA's bulk payment request guide (December 2025) gives the example of 10 participants with one support a week for a month. That's 40 single requests by hand, or one file with 10 lines.
Claims and payments are submitted through the myplace provider portal, according to the NDIA's provider portals page. The my NDIS provider portal is for viewing plans (with the participant's consent), my provider relationships and claim and payment enquiries.
Plans in the NDIA's old computer system need a service booking before you can claim NDIA-managed supports. Plans in the new system, which the portal calls PACE, have none, according to the NDIA's claims and payments checklist. The participant records you as a my provider instead, and the NDIA's payment request page says you must use the bulk payment request for them. The checklist adds that one file can hold participants from both systems.
Where do you find the NDIS bulk upload template?
In the myplace provider portal, go to Payment Request, then Bulk Payment Request Upload. The Bulk Upload screen has the template, an information sheet on each column and a Support Item Reference List with the codes for the SupportNumber column. The NDIA also links the template CSV from its provider portals page.
The guide's file rules:
- Save it as CSV (comma delimited) and don't delete any columns.
- Keep the file name to 20 characters or less, including .csv, with no special characters.
- Each row under the header is one payment request, up to 5,000 rows and 10MB a file.
- Clear anything typed below or beside your data. One stray character stops the whole file loading.
The NDIS bulk upload template, column by column
Here are the 16 columns in order, from the December 2025 guide. The mistakes come from its error lists and field rules, with the NDIA's rejection codes in brackets.
| Column | What goes in it | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 1. RegistrationNumber | Your Organisation ID: 9 digits starting with 405. | A number that doesn't match Profile, My Organisation Details. |
| 2. NDISNumber | The participant's 9-digit NDIS number, starting with 43. | A parent's or nominee's number (S01). |
| 3. SupportsDeliveredFrom | Start date as YYYY-MM-DD. Not in the future. | Excel changing the format when you save. |
| 4. SupportsDeliveredTo | End date, same format, on or after the start. | One line spanning two plans (V26). |
| 5. SupportNumber | The support item number, like 01_011_0107_1_1. | A category instead of a line item (C18), or an item not valid for those dates (C16). |
| 6. ClaimReference | Your invoice or reference number, up to 50 characters. Optional but recommended. | Reusing a reference already claimed (P05). |
| 7. Quantity | Number of units. The guide is inconsistent here (decimals are allowed in one place, and its example puts Quantity 1 beside Hours 2:30), so I use Hours alone for timed supports. | Filling in both, or 2.30 for two and a half hours (that's 2.3 hours). |
| 8. Hours | Time as hours:minutes with no leading zeros, like 2:30 or 13:00. | 2.5 or 02:30. |
| 9. UnitPrice | The price for each unit or hour, as numbers with two decimal places. | A dollar sign, or a price over the limit (V31). |
| 10. GSTCode | P1 (10% GST), P2 (GST free) or P5 (out of scope). | Blank, or any other code (M06). |
| 11 to 13. AuthorisedBy, ParticipantApproved, InKindFundingProgram | Legacy or unused. Leave them blank. | Deleting them, or adding in-kind items. |
| 14. ClaimType | Blank for a normal service, or a code below, in capitals. | A claim type the item doesn't allow (C29). |
| 15. CancellationReason | CANC lines only: NSDH, NSDF, NSDT or NSDO. | Leaving it empty on a cancellation. |
| 16. ABN of Support Provider | Plan managers only: the provider's ABN, or REIMB or EXCLS. | Filling it in on NDIA-managed claims. |
Claim type and cancellation reason codes
ClaimType and CancellationReason take these codes, in capitals.
| Code | Use it for |
|---|---|
| (blank) | A direct service |
| CANC | Short notice cancellation |
| REPW | NDIA required report |
| TRAN | Provider travel |
| NF2F | Non-face-to-face services |
| THLT | Telehealth supports |
| IRSS | Irregular SIL supports |
| NSDH, NSDF, NSDT, NSDO | Cancellation reasons: no show due to health, family issues, no transport, or other |
Not every claim type suits every item. The NDIA's 2026-27 support catalogue has a Y or N column for each. Weekday daytime self-care (01_011_0107_1_1) is a Y for travel, cancellations and non-face-to-face. Therapy has its own cancellation and travel items, ending in _CA and _PT, and its direct service items are an N for those claim types. A mismatch comes back as C29. Provider travel non-labour costs go in as a direct service, with ClaimType blank.
What date format does the NDIS bulk upload use?
The guide says the date columns accept YYYY-MM-DD or DD-MM-YYYY, but every date fix in its error tables asks for YYYY-MM-DD, so use that. 19 October 2026 is 2026-10-19.
Excel is the usual culprit. It reads 2026-10-19 as a date and saves it back in your computer's short date format. The guide warns that "Excel will reformat them if you open and edit anything in the file." It also says to keep the file open while you upload it, because uploading a closed file may change the date formatting.
- Format the date columns as Text before you paste anything in.
- Open the saved CSV in Notepad or TextEdit before you upload, to see the dates as they're really saved.
- Keep dates inside the plan, and inside the service booking on old-system plans (C03, C28, V36).
How do you upload the file and read the results?
- Go to Payment Request, then Bulk Payment Request Upload.
- Choose your file, type a File Reference, tick the pricing declaration and select Upload.
- Wait a day or so, as the guide suggests. Then go to View Payment Request and set View By to Uploaded Bulk Payment File.
- Open any line marked ERROR to read its Reject Reason. Download Results gives you the file back.
A rejected line stays rejected for good. Don't reload the whole file. Put only the failed lines, fixed, under the header in a new file and upload it under a new name. You can keep the claim reference.
The guide says an over-limit price may be paid only up to the limit, with the line marked Capped = YES in the reconciliation file. Check that column before you mark invoices as paid in Xero.
The NDIA's guide to getting paid, as it read on 24 October 2026, says valid claims from my providers are usually paid within 2 to 3 business days, and that payment can take about 10 business days if you're not recorded as a my provider. Its my provider guide says claims for specialist disability accommodation, home and living or behaviour supports are rejected automatically if you're not recorded.
Common NDIS bulk upload errors and how to fix them
Some errors stop the whole file. Others reject single lines after processing. The bulk payment requests guide lists line rejections from most common down, starting with MB1, M01 and M02.
| Message or code | What it means | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| "...missing the first row (header)..." | The header was changed or deleted. | Paste your rows into a fresh template. |
| "...one or more records are in error" | A row failed the format checks, so nothing went in. | Fix the rows listed in the error file's first column, then upload under a new name. |
| "...exceeds 20 characters in length" | The file name is too long. | Shorten it. W20261019.csv is 13 characters. |
| "Both duration and quantity cannot co-exist" | Quantity and Hours are both filled in. | Clear one of them. |
| MB1 | Several fields on the line are wrong. | Check every field on that line. |
| M01 | The support dates aren't valid. | Fix them. On old-system plans, the service booking must cover them. |
| M02 | The item isn't in the category you claimed against. | Check the support item. |
| V04 | It duplicates a paid or pending claim. | If it's genuinely separate, lodge a payment enquiry with evidence. |
| V11 | You're not a my provider for that category or those dates. | Talk to the participant, or contact the NDIA. |
| V26 | The dates span two plans. | Split it into one line per plan. |
| V31 | The price is above the limit. | Use the current pricing schedule. |
| V33 | The support is plan-managed. | Only the plan manager can claim it. Invoice them, and contact the participant to arrange payment. |
Check prices against the current schedule. The NDIA's pricing page says the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, set by the Minister's first pricing determination, took effect on 24 September 2026.
If the same codes come back every week, check how shifts are recorded and matched to items. Book a free call and I'll look at where yours start.
How long do you have to claim?
The NDIA's guide to getting paid still says you have 2 years after a support to submit a payment request. Two changes tighten that.
- From 15 October 2026, claims submitted more than 90 days after a support get extra checks. The NDIA's news post of 5 October 2026 says they may be held for up to 28 days. The guide to getting paid adds that in a bulk upload, only that claim stays open.
- From 1 December 2026, claims must be submitted within 90 days of delivering a support, down from 2 years. That's from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's page on the NDIS changes, updated 2 October 2026. The NDIA's page on the new laws lists it under December 2026.
Neither page says how supports delivered before 1 December will be treated, so I'd clear any backlog now. For a weekly claimer, 90 days is plenty. The risk is a rejected line that nobody fixes for two months. The NDIA also says providers will need to keep records of supports and payments for 7 years, so I'd keep every upload file, results file and timesheet.
Worked example: one week's claim for a small provider
Say a 9-person disability support provider in Mackay has six participants. The office manager claims every Monday. On Monday 19 October 2026 she builds the file for 12 to 18 October from the roster. Letters stand in for NDIS numbers here.
| Line | Participant | Dates | Support item | Hours | ClaimType |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 2026-10-12 | 01_011_0107_1_1 (self-care, weekday daytime) | 3:00 | (blank) |
| 2 | A | 2026-10-17 | 01_013_0107_1_1 (self-care, Saturday) | 4:00 | (blank) |
| 3 | B | 2026-10-13 | 04_104_0125_6_1 (community access, weekday daytime) | 4:30 | (blank) |
| 4 | B | 2026-10-13 | 04_104_0125_6_1 (travel to that support) | 0:20 | TRAN |
| 5 | C | 2026-10-15 | 01_011_0107_1_1 (cancelled at short notice) | 2:00 | CANC, reason NSDH |
| 6 | D | 2026-10-15 | 01_015_0107_1_1 (self-care, weekday evening) | 2:30 | (blank) |
| 7 | E | 2026-10-16 | 04_104_0125_6_1 | 5:00 | (blank) |
| 8 | F | 2026-10-12 to 2026-10-16 | 01_011_0107_1_1 | 10:00 | (blank) |
Each line also has the registration number, the NDIS number, the agreed unit price at or under the 2026-27 limit and a GST code. Her checks before upload change two lines:
- Line 7 comes out. E's community access is plan-managed, so she invoices the plan manager. Left in, it's a V33.
- F's new plan started on Wednesday 14 October, so line 8 becomes 12 to 13 October (4:00) and 14 to 16 October (6:00). As one line, it's a V26.
The upload still fails, because a hand edit left 2.30 in Quantity as well as 2:30 in Hours on line 6. She clears Quantity, saves the file as W20261019B.csv and uploads again. The next day all eight lines show as SUCCESSFUL. Checking funding type and plan dates first caught two of the three problems, and that's the part I'd automate.
How to stop building the bulk upload file by hand
If you claim a handful of lines a week, doing it by hand is fine. If you're choosing a rostering system anyway, start with our guide to the best NDIS software for small providers.
Past a few dozen lines a week, or when the same rejections keep coming back, it's worth building the file from the roster. Each completed shift already has the participant, date, times and support type. The new NDIS laws let the NDIA automate some claims and payment processing, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing says the NDIA makes over 600,000 decisions about claims and payments every day.
What I'd build:
- Pull completed shifts from your roster or timesheets.
- Match each shift to the right support item by day, time and type, using the 2026-27 catalogue.
- Check every line for plan dates, funding type, my provider status, claim type and price.
- Write the 16-column CSV with text dates and a short new file name.
- Read the results back and list rejections with the code and the fix in plain English.
- Leave the upload to a person, who checks the file first.
Our guides to NDIS rostering and Xero integration, automating data entry and AI and automation for NDIS providers cover the systems around this.
I built a compliance setup for an NDIS provider in the middle of an audit. Every obligation sat in one register, and reminders went out on their own at 60, 30 and 7 days. They've since brought me back for a bigger build: automatic rostering and invoicing. In the compliance build, every AI output was a draft for a person to check, and every automation had an off-switch. More in our NDIS compliance automation case study.
Our workflow automation service covers builds like this. It takes the file building off whoever does your claiming now and leaves them the checking. It's built in your own accounts, so you own it.
Sources
- NDIA: How to make a payment request
- NDIA: Bulk payment requests guide, December 2025 (PDF)
- NDIA: How to use the provider portals, with the template (CSV)
- NDIA: Portal error message guide, March 2026 (PDF)
- NDIA: Claims and payments checklist (PDF)
- NDIA: Guide to getting paid and Guide to getting paid as a my provider
- NDIA: Increasing integrity checks on older claims, 5 October 2026
- NDIA: Securing the NDIS for future generations
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: NDIS changes, updated 2 October 2026
- NDIA: Pricing arrangements and the support catalogue
- NDIA: How to troubleshoot claims and payments
Facts checked 24 October 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal, payroll or tax advice. For your own claims, go by the NDIA's current claiming guides, or call the NDIA on 1300 311 675.
Want your bulk upload file built from the roster? Tell us how you claim now, and we'll show you what we'd check before each upload. Book a free call.
Common questions
What date format does the NDIS bulk upload use?
The NDIA's bulk payment request guide says the two date columns accept YYYY-MM-DD or DD-MM-YYYY. Its error fixes all ask for YYYY-MM-DD, so use that, for example 2026-10-19. Check the dates again after the file has been open in Excel, because Excel can reformat them.
Where do I find the NDIS bulk upload template?
In the myplace provider portal, select the Payment Request tile, then the Bulk Payment Request Upload tile. The Bulk Upload screen has the template, an information sheet on each column and a support item reference list. The NDIA also links the template CSV from its How to use the provider portals page.
Can I still make single payment requests in the portal?
Not for participants on the NDIA's new computer system. The portal tells you single payment requests are no longer available for PACE participants and to use the bulk upload instead. For plans still on the old system, single requests still work, and one bulk file can include participants from both systems.
How long do I have to submit an NDIS claim?
The NDIA's guide to getting paid says within 2 years of the support. Since 15 October 2026, claims submitted more than 90 days after the support get extra checks and can be held for up to 28 days. From 1 December 2026, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing says the limit drops to 90 days.
Why was my NDIS bulk upload rejected?
If the whole file failed, check the file name is 20 characters or less, the header row is intact and every row passes the format checks. If single lines were rejected, open each one in View Payment Request and read the Reject Reason. Fix only those lines and upload them in a new file with a new name.
Do I need a service booking to claim?
Only for NDIA-managed supports when the participant's plan is on the old computer system. Plans made in the new system don't have service bookings. Instead, the participant records you as one of their my providers. If you're not recorded, your claim can take longer while the NDIA checks it, and some supports are rejected outright.
