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If you have used NDIS-funded supports such as writer coaching or storytelling coaching and as a result have self-published a book, can you then sell your books? Yes, you can – although please don’t expect to make a lot of money from selling your books, because that is highly unlikely.

If you are an NDIS participant who sells your book …

Let’s say you are an NDIS participant who has used your NDIS funds to pay for a writer coach, storyteller coach, typist, editor or other support person, who has been helping you improve your writing, in order to achieve your goals. And that as a result of developing your storytelling or writing skills and improving your writing, you have then self-published a book.

Let’s say you offer your books for sale, and are successful in selling some. And you would not have been able to sell these books or earn this money, had you not received the coaching or typing support paid for with your NDIS funds.

Firstly, be realistic about the sort of money you are likely to earn as a result of selling your self-published books. Most authors who sell their books earn so little that they are unlikely to cover their production costs, much less their writing time. The value of selling your books is that it means people are reading your books and prepared to pay for them, and you can feel proud of being successful insofar as you are the author of a book people are buying.

So it is likely you will earn only a small amount from sales. You probably won’t earn enough to cover the costs of production, or make a profit.

But the fact people are buying your book  makes you feel like a “real writer” – and this can make you feel more confident and professional, and potentially keen to write more books.

What constitutes “earnings”

Whether you are an NDIS participant or not, if you are writing a book and intend to publish it, you need to keep a record of all expenses incurred in writing and producing your book. These may include hiring an editor, graphic designer or self-publishing services provider, and the costs of printing. You also then have to keep a record of exactly how many books you sell and how much money you have earned from sales.

The money that you earn from selling your books is not regarded as “profit” until you earn more than you have spent on producing the books.

The above principles of gross earnings, expenses and profit apply when declaring earnings from the sale of your books.

Who does an NDIS participant need to report earnings/profit to?

The below information is based on information provided to us by the NDIS hotline on 9/3/23. We do not take any responsibility for the accuracy of this information, but note that on 9/3/23 NDIS indicated to us that it was correct.

you do not need to report these earnings to ndis

If you are an NDIS participant, and are selling books that you have been enabled to write because of the NDIS-funded support you have received, you don’t need to notify the NDIS about your earnings.

This is because NDIS provides funding for ‘supports’ to assist participants to meet their goals (e.g. improve their capacity in different areas, such as improving their ability to communicate in writing or interact socially and within the community). NDIS does not provide ‘income support’. Therefore, your earnings are of no consequence to them.

you do need to report earnings to Your income support provider

If you are receiving income support from Centrelink, an insurance company or another agency, and you begin earning money from any source (including from book sales), you must declare those earnings to the income support provider.

Again, make sure you have kept a record of all expenses and all earnings so you can work out whether or not you have made any profit.

If you are not sure whether you have to declare very low-level earnings or profit from book sales, ask your income support provider.

you may also need to report your earnings to the ato

Your ‘earnings’ from ATO’s point of view includes anything that you earn minus expenses equals profit.

If you are earning any money from book sales it is likely the ATO will require you to obtain an ABN (which is free from this government site), as a sole trader, and keep a record of all expenses and sales.

In 2023, if you are earning less than $18,200 per year (from all sources of income), you do not need to pay the ATO any tax on those earnings. If you are earning more than that, you need to pay tax on your earnings. For up-to-date information on how much you can earn without paying tax, see here.

Relevant links/info for NDIS participants

The above information is based on the information provided to me 9/3/23 by an NDIS hotline staffer who checked their answer with their manager several times to ensure it was correct. If you would like to ask the NDIS yourself call the hotline on 1800 800 110.

Image: Copyright S W Kane.