NDIS advertising is governed by four overlapping sets of rules: the NDIS Code of Conduct, the Australian Consumer Law, the NDIA's trade marks and, from 27 November 2026, a legislated ban on kickbacks and inducements. Regulators are watching: the NDIA's market monitoring team referred 604 instances of concerning practices to the ACCC between August 2024 and December 2025.
This guide explains each rule in plain English and links to the regulator's own pages. It is general information, not legal advice, so confirm anything you plan to publish with the NDIS Commission, the NDIA or your adviser. For how we run compliant marketing for providers, see our NDIS marketing page.
Who enforces NDIS advertising rules?
Three regulators share the job, and since December 2023 they have worked together through the NDIS (Fair Price and Australian Consumer Law) Taskforce.
| Regulator | What it enforces | What that looks like |
|---|---|---|
| National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) | The NDIS name, acronym and logos, which are registered trade marks in its name | Cease-and-desist letters and legal action for misuse, and referral of possible consumer law breaches to the ACCC |
| NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission | The NDIS Code of Conduct for registered and unregistered providers, and the Practice Standards for registered providers | Compliance action against providers and workers; its guidance includes a scenario in which it tells a provider to stop advertising services it is not registered to deliver |
| ACCC | The Australian Consumer Law, including misleading claims about NDIS funding | For a company, a maximum penalty per breach of the greater of $50 million, three times the benefit obtained or, where that cannot be worked out, 30 percent of adjusted turnover during the breach period |
Source: NDIA, NDIS logo guidelines (current as of 3 May 2026); NDIS Commission, NDIS Code of Conduct (last updated 25 May 2026) and its Guidance for NDIS Providers (April 2024); ACCC, media release 135/24, 13 November 2024.
In December 2025 the NDIA reported what its targeted campaign against misleading advertising, launched in August 2024, had produced:
| Referral | Number |
|---|---|
| Instances of concerning practices under the Australian Consumer Law, referred to the ACCC | 604 |
| Likely breaches of the NDIS Code of Conduct, referred to the NDIS Commission | 112 |
| Integrity matters, referred to the Fraud Fusion Taskforce | 6 |
Source: NDIA, Cracking down on misleading promotion of 'NDIS-approved' products, 4 December 2025. The NDIA said more than $100,000 in fines had been paid as a result, including by Thermomix and Bedshed.
Can you call yourself a registered NDIS provider?
Only if you are registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission under section 73E of the NDIS Act. The NDIA's logo guidelines say an unregistered provider must not advertise or pass itself off as a 'registered provider', or use other language that falsely implies registration, and give 'official NDIS provider' as an example.
Registration also has edges. You are registered for particular registration groups, and the Commission's Code of Conduct guidance includes a scenario in which it instructs a provider to stop advertising counselling services until it is registered to provide them. The same guidance, in its section on advertising a provider business for sale, lists falsely claiming or implying registration through words or logos among the things to avoid. Every page should say which you are, and which supports any registration covers.
Being unregistered is no barrier to advertising, and the Code of Conduct binds unregistered providers as much as registered ones. Registration requirements are widening, though. From 1 July 2027, mandatory registration starts rolling out for providers of higher-risk activities, including personal care, daily living supports and supports in closed settings, and everyone in scope is due to be registered by December 2030, according to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's timeline (updated 15 September 2026).
Which NDIS logo can you use?
Probably not the NDIS logo itself. The NDIS logo and acronym are registered trade marks of the NDIA, and no provider, person or business may use the logo without the NDIA's written consent, whether on advertising, vehicles, buildings, emails, stationery or business cards. What registered providers can use is a set of supporter logos carrying a 'Registered Provider' tagline.
| Logo | Who may use it | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| The NDIS logo | Only with the NDIA's written consent | Applies to publicity, advertising, vehicles, buildings, emails, stationery and business cards |
| 'I heart NDIS' or 'We heart NDIS' with the 'Registered Provider' tagline | Registered NDIS providers only | Use the NDIA's tagline packs, and never use the logo to suggest a product or service is NDIS funded |
| 'I support NDIS' or 'We support NDIS' with the 'Registered Provider' tagline | Registered NDIS providers only | The same conditions |
| The NDIS Commission's logo | Not available for providers' websites | It is excluded from the Commission's Creative Commons licence, and its linking policy says sites may not use it |
Source: NDIA, NDIS logo guidelines, current as of 3 May 2026; NDIS Commission, Copyright and Disclaimer, last updated 4 October 2024.
These files are searched for often: Keyword Planner shows 1,600 searches a month for 'ndis logo', 320 for 'i love ndis logo' and 210 for 'ndis registered provider logo' in Australia (October 2026), and free logo download sites rank for those searches. A file from a logo site does not come with the NDIA's consent. The same linking policy also asks sites that link to the Commission not to copy its phone numbers onto their pages, but to link to its contact page instead.
Can you use 'NDIS' in your business name, domain or service names?
Be careful. The NDIA lists using the NDIS acronym in business names, trading names or domain names, and in product or service names such as 'NDIS packages' or 'NDIS bundles', as examples of misleading statements of affiliation. The ACCC's November 2024 warning to providers gave a similar example, 'NDIS therapies', as advertising that suggests affiliation or endorsement. The NDIA accepts that providers sometimes need to use the acronym descriptively, as long as it does not infringe its rights, confuse people or mislead them.
In practice, describe what you do and who it is for in your copy, such as 'speech therapy for NDIS participants' or, if it is true, 'registered NDIS provider of speech therapy', rather than building NDIS into the name of the business or a product.
Can you say 'NDIS approved' or 'NDIS funded'?
No. The NDIA does not endorse or approve any products or services, and it says businesses promoting their offerings as 'NDIS approved', 'NDIS permitted' or '100% NDIS funded' are likely breaching the Australian Consumer Law. Whether a support can be funded depends on each participant's plan, and since 3 October 2024 the NDIS has published lists of the supports participants can and cannot spend their funding on.
| Avoid | Why | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 'NDIS approved' | The NDIS does not approve or endorse goods or services | 'Registered NDIS provider', if true, or a plain description of the support |
| '100% NDIS funded' or 'covered by the NDIS' | Funding depends on each participant's plan | 'You may be able to use your plan funding for this; check with your plan manager or support coordinator' |
| 'All-inclusive NDIS holidays' | The ACCC says general holiday costs would not be covered | Describe the support itself, without funding claims |
| Meal delivery 'covered by the NDIS' | The ACCC says the NDIS does not cover food expenses | Describe the service accurately, without funding claims |
| Instructions on which funding codes to use for movies or theme parks | The ACCC lists this as concerning advertising | Leave funding decisions to the participant and their plan |
Source: NDIA, 4 December 2025; ACCC media release 135/24, 13 November 2024.
What does the NDIS Code of Conduct mean for your marketing?
The Code applies to registered and unregistered providers, their key personnel and their workers, and it has eight elements. People delivering NDIS supports must:
- act with respect for individual rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and decision-making
- respect the privacy of people with disability
- provide supports and services in a safe and competent manner, with care and skill
- act with integrity, honesty and transparency
- promptly take steps to raise and act on concerns about the quality and safety of supports
- take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to violence against, and exploitation, neglect and abuse of, people with disability
- take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct
- not charge or represent higher prices for goods for NDIS participants without a reasonable justification.
The Commission's guidance turns elements 4 and 8 into specific limits on marketing. Providers should give truthful information about their workforce's capacity, qualifications and professional affiliations, make no false claims about how effective a support is or claims that cannot be independently substantiated, and be clear about the full cost of a service and what it covers. They should disclose real or potential conflicts of interest and avoid sharp practices, which the guidance says include inducements or rewards with no link to a participant's plan, high-pressure sales, and promoting higher prices for substantially the same supports to participants than to other people without reasonable justification. Registered providers must also manage and document perceived and actual conflicts of interest under the NDIS Practice Standards.
Can you use participant photos, stories and testimonials?
Only with informed consent, and with more care than most businesses need. The Code of Conduct guidance says people have the right not to have personal information disclosed without their informed consent, and gives a person's name, address, date of birth and details of their health or disability as examples. The OAIC says a disability service provider that handles health information is covered by the Privacy Act even if it is a small business, and under Australian Privacy Principle 7.4, sensitive information such as health information can only be used for direct marketing with the person's consent.
A practical consent process:
- Ask for each use separately: website, social media, ads and printed material.
- Explain in plain English, and in Easy Read where needed, exactly what will be shown, where and for how long.
- Involve the participant's nominee or guardian where they have one, and still respect the participant's own wishes.
- Make clear that saying no changes nothing about their supports, and that they can withdraw consent later.
- Record consent in writing, and take content down promptly if it is withdrawn.
- Leave out any disability or health detail the story does not need.
Reviews need the same care. The ACCC says fake or misleading reviews are against the law, that connections such as staff or paid reviewers must be disclosed, and that incentives for reviews risk misleading people unless they apply to positive and negative reviews alike and are disclosed. For an NDIS provider the simplest rule is to offer nothing at all for a review.
What is the NDIS ban on kickbacks and inducements?
From 27 November 2026, NDIS providers must not offer or give an inducement or kickback where it is likely to encourage a person to engage, keep using or increase their use of the provider's services. The ban comes from the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026, which passed Parliament on 19 August 2026, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's fact sheet explains how it works.
| Term | What the fact sheet says |
|---|---|
| Inducement | A reward, benefit or other offer intended to influence a person's decision or behaviour |
| Kickback | A payment, gift or other benefit given in exchange for favourable treatment or a business referral |
| Allowed | Genuine pricing practices, and certain merchandise such as hats or tote bags |
| Banned in all cases | Alcohol, tobacco and associated products, cash and cash-like products, and electronic devices |
| Penalty | A fine, imprisonment of up to 2 years, or both |
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Final changes to the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 (August 2026), and the implementation timeline updated 15 September 2026.
For marketing, that rules out sign-up gifts, gift cards or devices for new participants, rewards for participants who recommend you, and any payment or gift to a support coordinator or another provider for a referral. If you pay any business per participant it sends you, have the arrangement checked against the legislation before 27 November. The Code of Conduct guidance already told providers not to give inducements that could affect how supports are provided, including through referral arrangements, so none of this should come as a surprise.
What do Google and Meta allow for disability services ads?
Less than for most industries. Google lists disabilities in the health category of its sensitive interests, even when an ad is aimed at a carer, so disability services ads cannot use advertiser-curated audiences such as Customer Match lists, your own data segments or lookalike segments. Predefined Google audiences, such as in-market and affinity segments, and location targeting can still be used. Meta's advertising standards bar ads that assert or imply a person's disability or physical or mental health, or that ask for personal attributes, so copy should describe the service rather than the person.
Source: Google Ads policy, Health in personalized advertising; Meta, Privacy violations and personal attributes. Both checked 1 October 2026.
What is changing for NDIS providers next?
| Date | Change | What it means for marketing |
|---|---|---|
| 27 November 2026 | Ban on providers offering kickbacks and inducements begins | No gifts, rewards or referral payments to win or keep participants |
| 1 July 2027 | Expanded mandatory registration for higher-risk supports starts rolling out, and a new enrolment system begins for most providers | Check every 'registered' claim as your status and requirements change |
| 1 October 2027 | A new panel of plan management providers begins, with a six-month transition | The plan managers you invoice may change |
| 1 July 2028 | New support coordination and connection funding begins | Referral relationships with coordinators may change |
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Securing the NDIS for future generations timeline, updated 15 September 2026.
An NDIS advertising checklist
- Does every page state accurately whether you are registered, and for which supports?
- Is the NDIS logo absent unless the NDIA has given written consent?
- If you use an 'I heart NDIS' or 'We support NDIS' logo, are you registered, and does it carry the 'Registered Provider' tagline?
- Is NDIS kept out of your business name, domain and product names?
- Have you removed 'NDIS approved', '100% NDIS funded' and anything suggesting funding is guaranteed?
- Are prices for participants the same as for other customers, or justified where they differ?
- Can you back up every claim about outcomes, qualifications and capacity?
- Does every participant photo, story or quote have current, written, informed consent?
- Are your reviews genuine and unrewarded?
- Have you removed every gift, incentive and referral payment before 27 November 2026?
- Do your ads avoid audience lists and any copy that refers to a person's disability?
Where to go from here
Compliant NDIS marketing is mostly plain, specific and honest. Our NDIS marketing page explains how we run search, referral pages and ads for providers inside these rules, our guide on how to get NDIS clients covers the channels, and if your site needs rebuilding, see NDIS provider websites. To have your current pages and ads checked, book a free 30-minute profit audit.
General information only, based on NDIA, NDIS Commission, ACCC, OAIC, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Google and Meta sources checked on 1 October 2026. It is not legal advice. Confirm anything you plan to publish with the NDIS Commission, the NDIA or your own adviser.
Next step
Want this kind of work in your business?
Engagement intake is capped, senior operators run every account. If your attribution is leaking and your reports have stopped making sense, the next step is a 30-minute call.
