Everyone loves a clean home; however, if you are living with a disability, cleaning your house can be difficult and sometimes impossible. So it makes sense to look for support in getting everyday cleaning tasks done. If you or a family member is on an NDIS plan, you could wonder if these funds can be used to hire cleaning services. The answer to this question is dependent on your NDIS plan. With that in mind, here’s more on how things work.
Does the NDIS fund cleaning?
The simple answer is yes, but only if the services are related to your disability and meet reasonable and necessary criteria. For instance, if you are unable to clean your house because of your disability, you can hire a house cleaner and pay them using your NDIS funds. That said, the criteria used to determine reasonability or necessity in regards to NDIS cleaning can get complex.
For instance, if you share a home with your parents, but you cannot clean your room, you can hire a cleaner, but NDIS will only cover the cost of them cleaning your room. Your parents should clean the rest of the house. Under NDIS criteria, it’s not reasonable or necessary to cover cleaning costs for the whole house.
Every participant’s NDIS plan is different, and the funds are meant to support things you cannot do yourself because of your disability, such as cleaning, gardening, etc. That said, NDIS does not cover tasks that need specialists, such as electricians or plumbers, to fix any issues, even if you or your family member has a disability.
Some of the cleaning services offered include
- Vacuuming and mopping hard
- Garage cleaning
- Refrigerator and oven cleaning
- House dusting
- House and bathroom cleaning
- Home organization
- Cleaning of kitchen surfaces
- Washing, folding, and ironing
If you are plan-managed or self-managed, you can use a regular cleaner to keep your home clean. You can opt to use an NDIS-registered cleaning service or find someone else; just remember to invoice their service correctly.
Things to consider when hiring a cleaner
Get a price agreement
NDIS cleaning service providers have an hourly-rate pricing system, so you and your provider must agree on an amount before they start. You should know that your NDIS funds will not cover any money aside from the hourly rate. This means you need to include any incidental costs in the rate agreement. If you forget, you might have to pay for it yourself.
Make a service agreement.
Aside from getting a price agreement, you also have to stipulate what you need to be done, such as cleaning the kitchen and bathroom or organizing the house. A service delivery and requirement agreement details what you need and protects you against any misunderstandings arising from services rendered.
Utilize the NDIS guide
The cleaning service provider you pick should ensure they invoice their services in accordance with NDIS requirements. This ensures no payment issues arise, and they can offer you continued services. The invoice must:
- Clearly indicate the hours worked since the payment system is an hourly-rate system.
- Include any incidental costs, such as additional cleaning supplies, into the hourly rate.
- Lastly, understand that NDIS regulates how much these service providers can charge per hour. You can find out more information on the hourly rate caps for different services in their NDIS price guide.
As an NDIS member, you are able to achieve a lot more with this funding. It offers you the necessary support you need to live an independent life, such as getting regular cleaning services. With this simple guide, you have a better idea of how NDIS cleaning works.
