API & integrations · Handling NDIS API errors

Handling NDIS API errors

When something goes wrong on a call to the NDIS, whether it's a plan sync, a claim submission, or a cancel, Navigator captures the error and surfaces it as a task. This article walks through the most common error messages, what they mean, and how to resolve them.

6 min read Last updated April 2026

Where errors appear

Whenever an NDIS API call fails after Navigator's automatic retries, the system creates a task and tags it NDIS API Error. The task description includes the raw error message, and a note is added to the related customer or invoice with extra context.

The error tasks are how your team knows something needs human attention. Filter the task queue by the NDIS API Error tag to see them.

Most errors below come back verbatim from PRODA/PACE. Reading the exact message helps. Navigator passes it through unchanged so you have the same evidence the NDIS support team would.

Requester does not have authority

Requestor does not have the authority to perform the request
Fires from
Plan sync (fetching budgets and plan data from PACE)
Linked to
The customer being synced
What it means
Your organisation's PACE relationship with this participant is missing or incomplete. The NDIS won't release plan or budget data because it doesn't recognise you as having the authority to ask.
Resolution

For any of these, you'll need to verify in PACE that you have both relationships in place for the participant: one as the provider, and one as the plan manager. If either is missing or has lapsed, the API blocks the request.

  1. Open PACE and search for the participant.
  2. Check both relationships are active: provider endorsement and plan manager endorsement, both with current effective dates.
  3. If either is missing or expired, contact the participant or their support coordinator to request the endorsement be added (or refreshed) in PACE.
  4. Once PACE shows both relationships active, retry the sync from the customer's profile in Navigator. The error task can be archived once the next sync succeeds.

Plans cannot be created for overlapping date periods

Plan sync failed: NDIS plans cannot be created for overlapping date periods
Fires from
Plan sync (when creating a new support plan from PACE data)
Linked to
The customer being synced
What it means
The plan dates Navigator has on file overlap with the new plan dates coming from PACE. Usually this happens because an old plan's end date hasn't been updated, or a renewed plan was issued before the previous one was closed off.
Resolution

Compare the customer's plan dates in Navigator against PRODA/PACE. They almost certainly don't align.

  1. Open the customer's profile in Navigator and look at all support plans (including past ones).
  2. Open the same participant in PACE and pull the current plan list with start and end dates.
  3. Find the mismatch. Usually the most recent plan in Navigator has an end date later than the start date of the new plan in PACE.
  4. Edit the affected plan in Navigator so its end date matches PACE. The most common fix is to shorten the previous plan's end date so it doesn't overlap with the new one.
  5. Retry the sync. Once the dates align, the new plan creates cleanly and the error task can be archived.

Invoices assigned to incorrect plans

Found N invoices assigned to incorrect plans
Fires from
Plan sync (validation step that runs before any plan or budget update)
Linked to
The customer being synced. The task lists the offending invoices.
What it means
One or more invoices have line items with service dates that fall outside the support plan they're attached to. Navigator blocks the sync entirely rather than letting bad data flow through to the NDIS.
Resolution

The invoice needs to be moved to the plan that actually covers its service dates.

  1. Open the task. It lists the affected invoices in the alerts section.
  2. Open each affected invoice. Check the service date range of each line item.
  3. Compare to the customer's plans in the funding section. Identify which plan covers the line item's service dates.
  4. Edit the invoice and select the correct plan from the plan picker. Save.
  5. Repeat for each invoice listed in the task.
  6. Retry the sync. Once every invoice sits within a plan whose dates contain its service period, the validation passes and the sync runs.

Why this matters: if an invoice is claimed against the wrong plan, the NDIS budget reconciliation diverges from Navigator's view. Catching it early at sync prevents budget exhaustion and rejected claims downstream.

Failed to cancel NDIS payment request

Failed to cancel NDIS payment request {payment_request_number}
Fires from
Invoice cancellation (when reversing a claim that's already been submitted)
Linked to
The invoice being cancelled. The full PRODA error message is captured as an invoice note.
What it means
Navigator tried to cancel a payment request through PRODA and the NDIS rejected the cancel. Common upstream reasons: the payment request is no longer in a cancellable state, the request number is unknown to PRODA, or the participant's plan period has changed.
Resolution
  1. Open the invoice and read the PRODA error in the most recent note. That's the verbatim explanation from the NDIS.
  2. Check the payment request status in PRODA directly. If the request has already been processed, it can't be cancelled and you'll need to handle the reversal differently (e.g. credit note or manual adjustment).
  3. If the request is still cancellable, retry the cancel from the invoice action menu in Navigator.
  4. If the request can't be cancelled, archive the task with a note explaining the situation, and follow your team's process for manually reconciling the discrepancy.

When the error doesn't match anything here

The NDIS API can return any number of free-text error messages. The four above cover the most common, but new ones do appear from time to time. When you see an unfamiliar error:

  1. Read the full message on the task and the linked customer/invoice note. The text usually explains what's wrong, even if not in plain English.
  2. Check whether it's a transient error. Wording like "service unavailable", "timeout", or HTTP 500-style messages often resolves on retry. Trigger another sync from the customer's profile.
  3. Check whether it's a data issue. Wording about NDIS numbers, plan dates, support items, or budget categories usually points at a mismatch between what's in Navigator and what PACE has.
  4. Check whether it's an authority issue. Anything mentioning relationships, endorsements, or "requestor" almost always means the PACE relationship needs attention (see above).
  5. If still unclear, take the verbatim error message and the affected customer/invoice details to your Kismet support contact. They can compare against Navigator's logs and confirm whether it's a known issue.

Escalation

Most NDIS API errors are recoverable on your end. Escalate to Kismet support when:

For routine "this customer needs their PACE relationship fixed" errors, the resolution sits with the participant or their support coordinator, not Kismet.