Hire Your Own Support Worker With An ABN

NDIS participants that are Plan-Managed have the freedom and flexibility to use any provider whether they are NDIS registered or not. This means that you can hire your own support workers with an ABN!

Why would you hire your own Support Worker?
It may seem easier to engage the services of a care company who will provide you with a support worker, but there are many benefits to hiring your own support staff. It may require a little more work to set up, but often means you have better communication with your support workers and the option to negotiate their rates and hours of support. In addition, organising your own workers can reduce issues that are often faced when utilising agency staff, such as minimum service times.

This greater flexibility also means that you can hire someone that you already know, although you cannot hire a family member. Examples of people that you can hire as support workers include good friends, neighbours and colleagues. These people may be able to assist you whilst going about their normal day, for example, by giving you a lift to work on their way to work, or by dropping by your house after work to help you.

Considerations when hiring your own Support Worker
Before you hire someone, you need to consider what your needs are. What areas of your life do you need support with? Perhaps you need help with personal care, with health needs like attending appointments, or assistance getting out and about or doing your shopping. You may need support with daily living requirements like cooking and cleaning, or everyday tasks like sending emails. Write down what you want support with each day or week to get an idea of the type of support person you need, or whether you need different support from different people.

It is also useful to think about the qualities you would like in a support worker, such as punctuality, flexibility, discretion, physical strength or patience. Perhaps you’d also prefer a support worker that you have shared interests with or has knowledge or specific skills that you’d like to learn. These considerations may impact upon the people that you choose to reach out too.

You also need to consider your support budget, so that you know how many hours of support you can pay for. You can contact your Alpha Plan Manager to discuss the amount of funding that you have available for this type of support, as well as for assistance to determine suitable rates that adhere to the NDIS price guide. You can login to your Alpha Dashboard to see your budget totals, spend and available balances at any time.

How to find Support Workers
Since you are reading this article, you probably already have someone in mind that you’d like to hire as a Support Worker. If you aren’t sure yet or need someone with specific qualities, there are many ways that you can reach out to suitable candidates. If you are a member of an NDIS Facebook group, then you could post in the group to advertise that you are looking for someone. Shopping centres and universities usually have Community Noticeboards where you can post adverts. Another approach would be to ask your other providers or support services if they know of anyone that would be suitable.

Contractor or employee?
For workers that you engage personally, you will need to consider the specific working arrangements to determine whether that person is an employee or a contractor. This will impact the legal, financial and tax obligations for you and your support worker. The best resource to work out which arrangement is applicable is the ATO website. They have a great tool that asks you a series of questions to determine whether you are engaging a worker as an employee or an independent contractor.

What do I need to hire my own Support Worker?
The support worker that you hire as an independent contractor will need to have their own Australian Business Number (ABN) and will be responsible for managing their own insurance, tax and superannuation. The Australian Government Business Registration Service has a quick and easy application process for your support worker to apply for an ABN. There is no cost invoiced in applying for an ABN.

In addition to an ABN, it is important to check that your support worker has:

While it is not mandatory for your support staff to hold these policies/qualifications, it is very important to consider each of these for your own and your support workers’ safety and peace of mind.

Making Service Agreements with your Support Workers
When you have selected a support worker it is a good idea to have a written Service Agreement with them. The agreement should include the type of work, the amount of work that is agreed upon and the cost of service (hourly rate) for a specific timeframe (e.g. week or month). Other useful information you might include is how you will communicate with them (e.g. phone, email), and cancellation terms including late cancellations from either party. If your support worker is helping you at home, you may include information around their access to your home. Ensure that the agreement contains emergency information such as emergency contact details and responsibilities in emergency situations.

How do I pay my independent Support Worker?
Once you have agreed upon the types of supports that will be provided and the associated rates that will be charged, your support worker will need to invoice you for their support hours.

This invoice should be addressed to you (not your Plan Manager) and include the following information:

* Support workers name
* ABN
* Individual invoice number and invoice date
* Support workers payment details – account name, BSB and account number
* Support workers contact information – postal address, phone number, email address
* Dates and detailed description of service/s (it is best to use similar language to the NDIA for example, ‘1:1 support in the home’ or ‘1:1 support for community access’)
* Number of hours at the agreed rate
* Total cost

It is a good idea to double check the hours and rates invoiced by your support worker to ensure that they match the support given before forwarding this invoice to your Plan Manager to pay.

If you would like more information or advice on how to hire your own support worker with an ABN, get in touch with Alpha Plan Management.

June 26, 2020/0 Comments/by alpha_admin /wp-content/uploads/2020/06/zachary-kyra-derksen-0bDd5rZlZmk-unsplash_web-e .jpg alpha_admin /wp-content/uploads/2019/04/[email protected] alpha_admin :33: :59:50Hire Your Own Support Worker With An ABN