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A cancellation policy you can actually send to clients.

Pick a starting style that fits how your practice runs, adjust the wording, and copy it into your intake pack or website. Written for Australian psychologists, with Medicare and NDIS rules baked in.

Three quick questions. Then we'll suggest a starting point.

Nothing here is final. You can edit every word before you copy it.

1Who do you mainly see?
2How do you usually collect cancellation fees?
3What kind of starting policy do you want?

Next: your best-fit starting point, plus two other options to compare.
Practical starting copy for Australian psychologists — not legal advice. Cancellation fees are not rebatable through Medicare, DVA, WorkCover, third-party insurers, or private health funds. NDIS is the exception: short-notice cancellations (inside 2 clear business days) can be claimed from a participant’s plan where the terms are written into the Service Agreement and the clinician cannot be redeployed. Final wording should be checked with your supervisor or indemnity provider.

FAQs

Can I charge cancellation fees to Medicare clients?

Yes — your practice sets the policy. Medicare will not rebate the fee, so it comes out of the client’s pocket. Same for DVA, WorkCover, third-party insurers, and private health funds. NDIS is the one exception (see below).

What do I need for NDIS clients?

Three things must line up before you can claim a short-notice cancellation from a participant’s plan: (1) the cancellation terms are written into the Service Agreement, (2) the cancellation is inside 2 clear business days (allied-health rule — not the 7-day DSW rule), and (3) you cannot fill the slot or redeploy the clinician to other billable work. Document each one; plan managers will ask.

Should I use 24 or 48 hours notice?

48 hours is now the typical setting in Australian private practice and matches the NDIS 2-business-day rule, so one policy covers all your clients. 24 hours is still valid, especially for telehealth-heavy or warm-style practices that want to be more forgiving. Pick the one you will actually enforce every time.

Does the new PsyBA Code of Conduct require specific cancellation wording?

The Code (effective 1 December 2025) doesn’t prescribe wording, but it does require you to disclose fees, rebates, third-party arrangements, and cancellation terms before treatment begins. Having the policy in your intake pack, website, or Service Agreement meets the disclosure obligation.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is practical starting copy. Run the final wording past your supervisor, indemnity provider, or APS/AAPi resources, and check it against any Service Agreement or funding-body requirements you operate under.