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NDIS Pricing Guide 2025: Essential Updates for Participants and Providers

NDIS Pricing Guide

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

The annual update to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) pricing guide is always a significant event for participants, families, and service providers alike. With the 2025-26 pricing arrangements now released, it’s time to understand what’s changed and how these updates might affect your NDIS journey.

For NDIS participants and their families across Melbourne, Frankston, and the Mornington Peninsula, understanding these pricing changes is crucial for making informed decisions about support and services. Whether you’re a participant managing your own plan, a family member helping navigate the system, or a support coordinator seeking the best value for your clients, the price guide directly impacts the support you can access. Let’s break down the essential information you need to know about the latest NDIS pricing changes.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

What Are the NDIS Price Guidelines?

The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits serve as the financial rulebook for NDIS services across Australia. This comprehensive document outlines the maximum rates registered providers can charge for specific supports funded under a participant’s NDIS plan.

“The price limits are designed to ensure NDIS participants receive value for money while maintaining a sustainable and competitive market for disability supports,” explains Martin Hoffman, former NDIA CEO, in the document’s introduction.

The price guide is typically updated annually, with the most significant changes taking effect on July 1st each year. The newly released 2025-26 pricing arrangements, published on June 16, 2025, will govern service pricing for the coming financial year.

Who Must Follow the NDIS Price Guidelines?

Not all NDIS participants are affected by the price guidelines in the same way:

Agency-Managed Plans

If your plan is agency-managed (managed by the NDIA), registered providers must strictly adhere to the price limits. The NDIA will only pay up to the maximum amount specified in the guide for each support.

Plan-Managed Plans

For plan-managed participants, plan managers must ensure providers charge within the price limits. While there’s slightly more flexibility, plan managers are still required to demonstrate value for money.

Self-Managed Plans

Self-managed participants have the most flexibility. You can choose registered or unregistered providers and aren’t bound by the price limits. However, the guidelines still serve as an important reference for understanding fair market rates.

Major Changes in the 2025-26 NDIS Price Guide

1. Support Worker Rate Increases

The most welcome news for many providers is the 3.95% increase for disability support worker services. This adjustment reflects:

  • The Fair Work Commission’s decision to raise minimum award wages by 3.5%
  • An additional 0.5% increase in the Superannuation Guarantee

This means the standard weekday rate for community participation support will increase to $70.23 per hour from July 1, 2025. The increase ensures frontline disability support workers receive their entitled pay rises under the Social, Community, Home Care, and Disability Services Industry Award.

2. Standardised National Therapy Rates

Perhaps the most significant change is the introduction of standardised national pricing for therapy support. Previously, therapy rates varied by state, with higher caps in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory.

The new national rates include:

  • Physiotherapy: $183.99/hour (decrease of $40.63 in WA/SA/TAS/NT; decrease of $10 in other states)
  • Psychology: $232.99/hour (decrease of $11.23 in WA/SA/TAS/NT; increase of $10 in other states)
  • Dietetics & Podiatry: decrease of $5/hour nationally

This standardisation comes after the NDIA’s analysis of over 10.5 million therapy transactions, which revealed NDIS hourly rates for physiotherapy were up to 68% higher than Medicare and Private Health Insurance standards in some regions. According to the NDIA, “the current NDIS hourly price limits for physiotherapy exceeded Medicare and Private Health Insurance measures by 22-29% in eastern states and up to 55-68% in other regions.”

3. Extended Early Childhood Supports

The early childhood approach has been extended to cover children up to 9 years old (previously 7). This change gives families more time to access early intervention support during critical developmental years.

New support line items have also been introduced for a broader range of early childhood professionals, including developmental educators, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, art/music therapists, podiatrists, and dietitians.

4. Changes to Plan Management

Plan Management services will see key changes in the 2025-26 pricing guide:

  • Plan Managers can no longer charge setup fees
  • A single national rate now applies for administration regardless of location
  • Remote and very remote loadings have been discontinued

Monthly administration fees remain unchanged at $104.45.

5. Provider Travel and Claiming Updates

The new pricing guide introduces important changes to provider travel billing:

  • Therapy providers can now claim only 50% of their hourly price cap for travel
  • Travel claims are capped at 30 minutes in metropolitan and regional areas (60 minutes in remote areas)
  • Price caps for therapy supports now come in 10-minute increments, allowing more flexible session lengths

For example, if a physiotherapist travels 30 minutes to see a participant, they can now claim a maximum of $47.25 for this travel time, rather than the full hourly rate.

6. Other Notable Updates

  • Nursing and domestic supports: 3.2% increase in price limits
  • Travel allowance: Support workers can now claim petrol costs up to $0.99 per kilometre
  • Medium Term Accommodation and Centre Capital Cost: Approximately 2.4% increase

The Future of NDIS Pricing

The establishment of the Independent Pricing Committee (IPC) in September 2024 marks a significant milestone for the Scheme after ten years of operation. The Committee’s work signals a potential shift away from the traditional hourly pricing model toward more outcome-focused approaches.

The Australian Government has committed $37.61 million over four years to test innovative payment methods, including:

  • Enrolment payments where providers receive funds for delivering supports over extended periods (1-2 years)
  • Outcome-based payments where providers receive payment when participants reach specific goals

These initiatives represent a fundamental shift in focus from support quantity to outcome quality, potentially transforming how providers and participants engage with the NDIS.

Understanding the NDIS Support Catalogue

While the Price Guide outlines the rules and policies, the NDIS Support Catalogue is where you’ll find specific support items with their codes and prices. This companion document lists every available support with its:

  • Support item number (reference code)
  • Support item name and description
  • Unit of measurement (hour, day, each, etc.)
  • Price limit for standard, remote, and very remote areas

For example, looking up “Support Coordination Level 2” in the catalogue shows:

  • Item number: 07_002_0106_8_3
  • Price limit: $100.14 per hour (standard areas)
  • Remote price: $140.19 per hour
  • Very remote price: $150.21 per hour

The Support Catalogue is essential for checking specific pricing and is updated alongside the Price Guide.

How These Changes Affect Participants

For most participants, the good news is that plan funding will be automatically adjusted from mid-July 2025 to reflect the new price limits. You don’t need to take any immediate action regarding these changes.

However, it’s worth noting that the shift to national therapy rates may impact service availability in some regions, particularly Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Tasmania, where providers will see significant reductions in their maximum hourly rates.

The extension of early childhood supports to age 9 offers families more flexibility and support during these critical developmental years, which is a welcome change for many.

Action Steps

  1. Download the latest documents: Get the 2025-26 NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits and Support Catalogue from the NDIS website.
  2. Review your current service agreements: Check if your service agreements with providers comply with the current price limits and whether they’ll need updating after July 1st.
  3. Discuss with your support coordinator: If you work with a support coordinator, discuss how these pricing changes might affect your support arrangements.
  4. Consider service impacts: If you receive therapy supports in WA, SA, NT, or TAS, check with your providers about any potential impacts on service delivery.
  5. Mark your calendar: Note that these changes take effect on July 1, 2025, with plan adjustments occurring in mid-July.

Conclusion

Understanding the NDIS pricing arrangements helps you make informed decisions about your support and ensures you’re getting value from your NDIS plan. While the 2025-26 changes bring some significant adjustments, particularly for therapy support, they aim to create a more sustainable and equitable system for all participants.

If you need help understanding how these changes might affect your specific situation, remember that The SALT Foundation’s team is here to help participants across Melbourne, Frankston, and the Mornington Peninsula navigate these updates with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the new NDIS Price Guide come into effect?

The 2025-26 NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits take effect from July 1, 2025. Participant plans will be automatically adjusted to reflect the new pricing from mid-July 2025.

How can I check if my provider is charging the correct price?

You can verify pricing by checking the current NDIS Support Catalogue, available on the NDIS website. Look up the specific support item code to find the applicable price limit.

Will my NDIS funding change because of the new Price Guide?

Yes, your plan funding will be automatically adjusted (indexed) to match the new price limits. This typically happens within two weeks after the new guidelines take effect, around mid-July 2025.

Do self-managed participants have to follow the Price Guide?

No, self-managed participants have the flexibility to negotiate pricing arrangements with their providers and can pay above the price limits if they choose. However, the guide still serves as a useful reference for understanding market rates.

Where can I find the official NDIS Price Guide documents?

The official NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document, along with the Support Catalogue, are available on the NDIS website. These are the authoritative sources for all pricing information.