Industries · NDIS & Support Workers
Tax support for NDIS & independent support workers.
Working through Mable, Hireup or directly with participants means ABN income, your own tax and your own super. SML keeps it simple, compliant and properly claimed.
Where the money leaks
The pressure points we see in ndis & support workers.
- No tax withheld from ABN income, then a large bill at tax time.
- Unsure whether your services are GST-free under the NDIS rules or whether you even need GST.
- Driving between clients every day, with no record of the kilometres.
- No one paying super for you, and no plan to cover it yourself.
- Platform payouts, invoices and expenses spread across apps and bank accounts.
What SML handles
Done together, with the records behind it.
ABN set-up & tax planning
How much to set aside each payment so tax time is not a shock.
GST review
Whether you need to register, and whether your NDIS supports meet the GST-free conditions.
Car & travel claims
Travel between clients recorded properly so the deduction holds up.
Super & PAYG instalments
A plan for your own super, and instalments managed if the ATO puts you on them.
Annual tax return
Support work income and expenses lodged with the records behind them.
In practice
What independent support workers most often get wrong
Tax is not taken out for you. On an ABN, every payment arrives in full and the tax is settled when your return is lodged. Most independent workers who end up with a large bill simply did not set money aside during the year. Once that bill reaches a certain size, the ATO can also put you on quarterly PAYG instalments for the next year, so the first year after starting is the one to plan carefully.
GST depends on two separate questions. First, whether your turnover means you must register at all — the general threshold is $75,000. Second, if you are registered, whether your supplies to NDIS participants are GST-free. That generally requires the participant to have an NDIS plan in effect, the support to be a reasonable and necessary support in that plan of a kind listed for GST-free treatment, and a written agreement with the participant or their representative. Missing paperwork is the usual reason it fails.
Travel is the third. Driving between clients during a working day is generally deductible; the trip from home to your first client and back from the last one usually is not, unless specific conditions apply. A simple log of daily client-to-client kilometres is often the difference between a solid claim and one that cannot be supported.
The rhythm
What the year looks like.
Dates and thresholds change. We work to the current ATO requirements for your lodgement cycle rather than a generic calendar.
- Every payment
- Set aside a percentage for tax (and GST if registered) into a separate account.
- Quarterly
- BAS or PAYG instalments if you are registered for GST or on instalments.
- Before 30th June
- Decide on personal super contributions and gather your car and expense records.
- After 30th June
- Annual tax return with platform statements and invoices reconciled.
Free self-check · 3 minutes
Doing support work on an ABN — is enough being set aside for tax and super?
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Start the free checkCommon questions
Asked most often by ndis & support workers operators.
Do I charge GST as an NDIS support worker?
Only if you are registered for GST, which is required once turnover reaches $75,000. Even then, supplies to NDIS participants can be GST-free if the conditions are met, including the participant having a plan and a written agreement being in place.
Who pays my super if I work through Mable or Hireup?
Independent support workers on an ABN are generally responsible for their own super. Whether super guarantee applies depends on the actual contracting arrangement, so it is worth checking your specific set-up.
Can I claim the driving between my clients?
Generally yes for travel between clients during the day, with a record of the kilometres. Travel from home to your first client and from your last client home is usually private, with limited exceptions.
From the Knowledge Hub
Guides worth reading before we talk.
Sole Trader Tax Basics
Read guideGST-Free Sales Basics
Read guideMotor Vehicle Expenses for Business
Read guideABN Registration Basics
Read guideNext step
Talk to someone who knows your industry's numbers.
Book a conversation with SML and bring the issue you want fixed first — we'll shape the bookkeeping, BAS, payroll and tax around how your business actually runs.
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