An auditor emails a coordinator. They want the incident record for a participant’s fall last March, plus every edit made to it. The provider changed software in June. The export from the old system has the incident, but only the final version. Who wrote it, who changed it, and when? That’s gone. Nobody asked for the history before the old subscription ended.
Most data isn’t lost during the move. It’s lost when you cancel the old system before you’ve taken everything out of it.
How do you switch NDIS software?
To switch NDIS software without losing data, export everything from your old system before you cancel, including edit history and signed documents. Clean the data, load it into the new system and check the record counts match. Run one pay cycle in both systems. Train staff by role, cut over at the end of a claim period, and keep read-only access to the old records for seven years.
This guide is for NDIS providers moving from one platform (or a pile of spreadsheets) to another: the 8 steps, the timeline, the real costs, and how to keep shifts running.
Are you a participant changing your NDIS provider?
That’s a different process. You check the notice period in your service agreement, line up a new provider first, then tell the old one. The NDIA explains each step on its how to change providers page.
What is NDIS software migration?
NDIS software migration is the process of moving a provider’s participant records, workforce data, rosters, progress notes, incidents and billing history from one system to another, then retiring the old system without breaking services, claims or record-keeping obligations.
The hard part isn’t the participant list. It’s the records an auditor will ask for later, which sit in places a basic export skips.
Data type | What to export | Format to ask for | Easy to miss |
|---|---|---|---|
Participants | Profiles, plans, goals, funding type | CSV | Plan end dates and remaining budget |
Service agreements | Signed agreements and schedules | PDF with signature record | Superseded versions |
Progress notes | Every note, linked to shift and worker | CSV plus PDF | Author and edit timestamps |
Incidents | Reports, actions, SIRS notifications | PDF with full history | Who changed what, and when |
Workforce | Worker details, screening, training | CSV plus document files | Expiry dates on credentials |
Rosters and timesheets | Past shifts, clock-in data, pay codes | CSV | Shift notes and allowances |
Claims and invoices | Claim history, rejections, payments | CSV | Unclaimed shifts |
Before you start, check your current files against the NDIS participant file checklist. Gaps you carry across stay gaps.
Signs it’s time to change NDIS management software
Switch when the current system costs you money or audit risk, not because a new one looks nicer. Watch for these:
You re-enter the same participant details in three places.
Payroll needs a manual fix most fortnights, usually on weekend or sleepover shifts.
Staff credentials live in a spreadsheet outside the system.
Before an audit, you spend days building evidence packs by hand.
If two sound familiar, compare your options with our NDIS software comparison before you commit.
NDIS software migration checklist: 8 steps
Step 1. Read your exit clause first
Find three things in your current contract: the notice period, the date access ends after cancelling, and any fee for a full export. Everything else in this plan has to finish before that access date.
Step 2. List every record type you hold
Use the table above. Include records outside your software too: shared drives, inboxes, paper files. Your NDIS record keeping requirements apply to all of them.
Step 3. Request the full export, history included
Ask your current vendor in writing for a complete export. A standard CSV usually gives you the current version of each record, not its history. For incidents, progress notes and service agreements, ask for audit logs or PDF exports that show author, date and edits.
Step 4. Clean before you load
Don’t migrate mess. Remove duplicate participants, archive (don’t delete) people who’ve left, and flag every worker whose screening check or first aid has expired. Our guide to staff credential tracking shows what to check.
Step 5. Load the data and reconcile the counts
After import, compare numbers. If the old system had 46 active participants, 31 current service agreements and 58 workers, the new one should too. Spot-check five progress notes and two incident records against the originals. Check that each NDIS progress note still links to the right shift and worker.
Step 6. Run one pay cycle in both systems
Roster one fortnight in the new system while payroll still runs from the old one. Compare the outputs line by line. A Sunday shift or a sleepover ($62.87 allowance under the SCHADS Award) that pays differently tells you a rule is set up wrong. Check the current SCHADS pay rates for 2026 before you sign off.
Step 7. Train staff by role, not by feature
Support workers need four things on day one: see their shift, clock in, write a note, report an incident. Coordinators need rostering and compliance. Finance needs claims. Short role sessions beat one long demo. If your workers will use a phone app, test it against our checklist for NDIS support worker apps.
Step 8. Cut over at a claim boundary and keep the archive
Switch at the end of a claim period, once every shift in the old system has been claimed. From 1 December 2026, claims must be lodged within 90 days of the support under the Securing the NDIS Act, so an unclaimed shift left in a cancelled system is money you may not get back. Then keep a read-only archive. Records now have to be kept for seven years (from 27 August 2026).
How long does NDIS software migration take?
For a provider with 10 to 50 staff, plan on three to five weeks from signed contract to full cutover. Here’s a realistic timeline:
Week | What happens |
|---|---|
Week 1 | Exit clause checked, record list done, export requested |
Week 2 | Data cleaned and loaded, counts reconciled |
Week 3 | Parallel pay cycle starts, coordinators trained |
Week 4 | Support workers trained, parallel cycle compared |
Week 5 | Cutover at the claim boundary, old system set to read-only |
The slowest step is almost always Step 3. Some vendors take a week or more to supply a full export, so ask on day one.
What does switching NDIS software cost?
The new subscription is the visible cost. These are the ones people forget:
Overlap: one or two months paying for both systems.
Export fees: some vendors charge for a full data export. Check Step 1.
Setup or migration fees from the new vendor.
Paid training time. Training is work, so it’s paid. Twenty workers at 1.5 hours each, at the SACS Level 2.1 rate of $36.22 an hour, is $1,086.60 before on-costs.
Admin hours for the parallel pay cycle.
Compare these against what the current system costs you each month in payroll corrections and rejected NDIS claims. See current plans on our NDIS software pricing page.
How do you switch without disrupting services?
Participants shouldn’t notice the change, apart from better shift notes. Three things keep it that way:
Keep rosters in one place only. During the parallel cycle, the new system is the source of truth for shifts. Payroll can run in both. Rosters can’t.
Tell plan managers before the first invoice. A new invoice layout from the same ABN can trigger a query or a delay. A short email with a sample invoice prevents it.
Keep incident reporting live on day one. If a worker can’t log an incident in the new app on the first shift, they’ll text it, and you’re back to the March problem.
How do you keep data secure during migration?
Participant data includes health information, so the Privacy Act applies throughout. Under the OAIC’s guidance on APP 11 security of personal information, you must protect it from loss and unauthorised access, and destroy or de-identify copies you no longer need.
In practice:
Send export files through a secure transfer link, not email.
Limit access to two or three people.
Delete temporary copies on laptops once the import is checked.
Ask your new vendor where data is hosted. Australian hosting is the simplest answer for auditors.
How CareVisor handles the switch
CareVisor is built for providers who’ve outgrown their first system. We handle migration from the major NDIS platforms in the Australian market: send us an export of your participant list, worker details and documents, and we’ll load them and have you ready in 48 hours. There’s no setup fee. Your data stays on AWS Sydney. And if you ever leave, we’ll export your data in a standard format at no cost, because the exit clause in Step 1 should never be the thing that traps you.
Want to see your own workflows first? Start a 7-day free trial with sample data. No credit card needed.
Key takeaways
Export everything, including edit history, before you cancel the old system.
Reconcile record counts after import. Don’t assume.
Run one pay cycle in both systems to catch SCHADS setup errors.
Cut over at a claim boundary. The 90-day claim window starts 1 December 2026.
Keep a read-only archive. Records must be kept for seven years.
Frequently asked questions
Can you switch NDIS software mid-year?
Yes. There’s no rule tying a software change to the financial year or a participant’s plan dates. The safest time is the end of a claim period, once every shift in the old system is claimed.
Will I lose my progress notes when I change NDIS software?
Not if you export them with author and timestamp data and keep a read-only archive of the originals.
Do I need to tell participants I’m changing software?
You don’t need their permission for an internal system change. Tell plan managers before your first invoice from the new system, and update participants if they’ll receive new forms or messages.
How long do NDIS providers have to keep old records?
Seven years, under changes in the Securing the NDIS Act from 27 August 2026. Keep the old system’s data in a read-only archive you can search during an audit.
Can I move from spreadsheets to NDIS software?
Yes, and it’s often the easiest migration because you already control the files. Clean the spreadsheets first, then import. Spreadsheets aren’t a CRM, though: they don’t keep an audit trail. Our guide to NDIS CRM software explains the difference.
What is the best NDIS software to switch to?
The best option is the one that passes your audit test: rostering, compliance and claims in one place, with full record history. See our breakdown of the best NDIS business management software.
Ready to switch without the March problem?
It sounds like the old system works just well enough that changing feels riskier than staying. That’s fair. Most of the risk sits in the export, not the move. If you want a second pair of eyes on your exit clause and export list before you commit, talk to our team. We’ll tell you what to ask your current vendor for, even if you don’t end up choosing us.
About CareVisor
CareVisor is an Australian NDIS operating system for disability service providers. It brings participant management, rostering, staff compliance, incident reporting, progress notes and claiming into one platform, with a mobile app for support workers on iOS and Android. Plans scale with participant numbers, every plan includes unlimited staff, and data is hosted in Australia. Learn more about the CareVisor NDIS platform.
