Will the NDIS Pay for a Cleaner?

Updated July 2024

So, keeping your home clean and tidy has become a bit more difficult, and you’re an NDIS participant or thinking about applying for NDIS services. You might be wondering; can I get a cleaner through the NDIS? Let’s find out!

What is the NDIS?

First, if you’re not super familiar with the NDIS, here’s a quick overview. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an Australian government-funded program that helps people with disability access support via funding. The types of supports the NDIS will fund can range from assistive technology and personal care to employment assistance and social connection, depending on the individual’s needs and other factors.

Do I Qualify for NDIS-Funded Cleaning Services?

To decide whether you’re eligible for NDIS home cleaning services, the NDIS will consider a few things…

If NDIS cleaning services will be effective and beneficial for you

The NDIS will fund supports that will likely be effective in your unique circumstance. Usually, this is based on past support experience with people who have similar disabilities. The requested support (NDIS house cleaning, in this circumstance) must also be clearly beneficial for you.

Your needs and goals

The support must align with the needs and goals stated in your NDIS plan. For example, keeping your living environment clean is essential for your health and wellbeing. If you can’t clean effectively because of your disability, then funding for an NDIS cleaner might be necessary.

Your informal supports and existing supports

When deciding whether to fund support services, the NDIS considers any informal supports available to you. Informal supports can include family members, friends, or community groups that are capable and willing to help you. If you’re already receiving other professional/funded supports that include domestic assistance, this will also be considered (mainly to avoid you receiving duplicate services).

Put simply, the NDIS will fund support services for tasks that you can’t do yourself, but are necessary for your health and happiness. For example, if you live on a property with a large garden, but you can’t care for that garden due to limited mobility, the NDIS may fund a gardener to help keep it in check. Domestic cleaning is an essential task to support general wellbeing, meaning cleaning services may be funded as ‘help with household tasks’. So, if you find cleaning challenging due to your disability, and cleaning services are deemed necessary for your situation, the NDIS may choose to fund an NDIS cleaner for your home.

To see the complete list of NDIS support criteria, visit the NDIS website.

How to Organise NDIS Cleaning

Ready to organise NDIS cleaning? If you’re already an NDIS participant, the first step is to review your current plan and check if it includes funding for NDIS house cleaning. If it does, you can go straight to contacting a cleaning service provider (see below for tips on who to contact). If your current plan doesn’t cover cleaning services, you can request a plan reassessment. You might need to provide evidence explaining why you need help with cleaning to support your request.

If you’re not already engaging the NDIS, you’ll need to apply to become a participant. Start by checking your eligibility on the NDIS website and then complete the Access Request Form. You may need documents from medical specialists (like your GP) to confirm your disability and its impact on your daily life. Once your application is approved and you have an NDIS plan, follow the same steps as current participants. Be prepared to discuss your needs and highlight why cleaning services will benefit your situation.

Who Can Provide My NDIS House Cleaning Service?

Now, you’ve either checked your NDIS plan and found that NDIS house cleaning is included. Or you’ve applied for the NDIS and been allocated funding; what now? The next step depends on how your NDIS plan is managed.

If your NDIS plan is self-managed or plan-managed, you are generally free to choose any cleaning service provider you like. So, you can go ahead and research NDIS cleaners and select one at your leisure. However, the NDIA recommends that you always choose an approved, registered NDIS provider for your cleaning. This is mainly because registered providers must adhere to quality and safety standards. If your plan is NDIA-managed you must choose from a list of approved, registered NDIS providers to deliver your support. So, if your plan is NDIA-managed, the next step is to peruse NDIS-registered providers and go from there.

A quick tip: many providers are NDIS registered, but this doesn’t mean they’re all the same. Put some time into finding a provider who puts your needs first and has a track record of delivering high-quality support.

Other NDIS Services

The NDIS will fund a range of services, but it all depends on your personal situation. As mentioned, the NDIS will only fund services that are necessary, reasonable, and relevant to you. These services might include transport, cleaning, home maintenance, and workplace support, for instance. However, the NDIS generally will not fund specialist services like electricians and plumbers.

Are you ready to organise NDIS cleaning services? We can help! Here at Simply Helping, we offer cleaning, domestic assistance, and home help as part of our NDIS-approved support. Click here to learn more and contact us today!