How to Manage a Participant's Support Coordination Budget
Manage a participant's support coordination budget: convert dollars to hours, pace spend, bill within the 90-day window, and stay compliant in 2026-27.
Where the support coordination budget sits in a plan
The price limits you bill against in 2026-27
Converting the budget into billable hours
Pacing spend across the plan period
What counts as billable - and what does not
The 90-day claim window changes your invoicing discipline
Tracking against the budget without overspending
Conflict of interest and how you bill
Common mistakes that drain a budget
How reform reshapes budget management
A month-one checklist for a new participant
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out how many hours a support coordination budget covers?
Divide the dollar amount in the Capacity Building - Support Coordination category by the price limit for the funded level. For a $10,000 Level 2 budget at ~$100.14/hr, that is about 99 billable hours across the plan. Always confirm the current price limit against the live PAPL and apply any remote loading before calculating.
Can support coordination funding be moved to another budget category?
No. Support coordination sits in Capacity Building as a stated, category-locked amount, so it can only be spent on support coordination. An underspend cannot be redirected to Core or Capital, and an overspend elsewhere cannot be topped up from it. If the participant needs more coordination, the route is a plan variation or reassessment, not reallocation.
What happens if I bill more than the participant's remaining budget?
The claim will be rejected or clawed back, and you carry the loss - the participant is not liable for the overage. This is why you reconcile the actual remaining balance in the provider portal or with the plan manager before committing to a block of work, especially on mid-plan handovers where earlier claims may already have reduced the balance.
Does the 90-day claim window mean I lose money if I bill late?
Yes. From 1 December 2026 the window to submit a claim shortens from two years to 90 days from the date of support, so an hour not claimed within 90 days can be forfeited entirely. Move to fortnightly or monthly claiming and reconcile unclaimed hours every cycle. Confirm the start date against the primary reform sources before relying on it.
Is the support coordination price limit what I earn per hour?
No. The price limit is the maximum you can bill a participant's plan, not a wage or a margin. Your actual return is that figure minus non-billable time, overheads, and - for employed staff - SCHADS award wages and on-costs, which are set separately by Fair Work under MA000100. Keep the billing ceiling and your cost base as two distinct numbers.