What Non-Billable Time Really Costs Support Coordinators
Support coordination non-billable time can swallow 30-45% of your week. See what you can't claim, the true effective hourly rate, and how to protect margin.
What actually counts as non-billable time
Billable versus non-billable: the line the NDIA draws
The billable ratio nobody advertises
Worked example: what your effective hourly rate really is
Why the seven-year rate freeze makes non-billable time hurt more
The 90-day claim window turns delay into permanent loss
Travel: partly billable, capped, and easy to lose
Conflict of interest: why you can't invoice your way out of it
Common mistakes that inflate non-billable time
How to shrink your non-billable load
Frequently asked questions
Can I bill for writing NDIA reports as a support coordinator?
Generally yes — a required progress or implementation report for a named participant is a deliverable of the service and can be claimed to that participant's plan, at the correct level and while funds remain. Claim the time you genuinely spent, keep the record, and confirm the item descriptor in the current PAPL, since report claiming is a commonly audited area.
What percentage of a support coordinator's time is actually billable?
A sustainable solo coordinator typically bills around 55-70% of worked hours; new practices often sit at 45-55% in the first year. The remainder goes to admin, invoicing, marketing, PD, supervision, unpaid intake and uncapped travel. Utilisation sustained above ~75% usually means you're under-recording your own admin or heading for burnout.
Can I charge a participant for a no-show or late cancellation?
Only where a compliant cancellation term applies and is set out in the service agreement, and within the rules in the current PAPL. Absent that, the lost hour is non-billable and you absorb it. Never reclassify a no-show as some other billable activity to recover the fee — that breaches the Code of Conduct.
Why is my effective hourly rate so much lower than the $100.14 price limit?
Because the price limit is a billing ceiling that only applies to your billable hours, not a wage across your whole week. At around 62% utilisation on a 38-hour week, the ~$100.14 Level 2 limit works out to roughly $62 per actual hour worked before overheads, and closer to $37-42 after insurance, software, supervision and super. Verify the current limit against the PAPL.
Does the 90-day claim window affect non-billable time?
Yes. From 1 December 2026 (verify against the primary source), claims must be submitted within 90 days instead of two years, so deferred invoicing can become permanently unrecoverable. It makes prompt billing a hard operational discipline rather than an admin task you can postpone.