NDIS Price Guide: A Clear Overview of Your Supports

The NDIS price guide sets the maximum amounts you can be charged for supports, but understanding it isn’t straightforward. Many participants don’t know where to look or how prices vary across different states and territories.

At Nursed, we’ve created this guide to cut through the confusion. You’ll learn how to find your supports, compare providers, and make your budget work harder for you.

What Determines Your Support Costs

The NDIS Price Guide, officially called the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, sets the maximum amounts registered providers can charge for each support. This isn’t a suggestion or a starting point for negotiation with providers-it’s a hard ceiling. A standard support worker in 2025–26 costs $70.23 per hour, psychology services run $232.99 per session, and occupational therapy sits at $193.99 per session. These rates reflect a 4.36% indexation adjustment from the previous year, informed by minimum wage movements and the Consumer Price Index. The NDIA based the 2025–26 pricing decisions on more than 10.5 million therapy transactions, making these figures grounded in real market data rather than guesswork. Understanding these exact numbers matters because they directly shape how far your budget stretches and which supports you can realistically access.

How Annual Reviews Shape What You Pay

Prices change every year on 1 July, driven by the NDIA’s annual pricing review. This process pulls together market analysis, provider cost data, feedback from participants and families, and input from disability sector experts. The 2025–26 pricing arrangements took effect on 16 June 2025, with accompanying documents in PDF, DOCX, and Excel formats available on the NDIA website. Outside this annual cycle, the NDIA also makes regular updates throughout the year to keep pricing aligned with policy shifts and guidance changes. This means the price limits you see today may differ from what applies next month, so checking the Support Catalogue regularly protects you from budget surprises. Some support categories saw no change in 2025–26 (therapy services, Level 1 and Level 2 support coordination, and plan management fees remained unchanged), while others shifted with the indexation adjustment.

Where Location Changes What You Pay

Price levels vary significantly by location across Australia. More remote areas allow providers to charge higher amounts, reflecting the genuine cost differences in delivering support outside major cities. The Support Catalogue shows which claim types apply to each support-whether travel costs are billable, whether non-face-to-face delivery is allowed, or how cancellation rules work. This geographic variation means you need to check the price limits for your specific area rather than assuming national rates apply. Some supports also have price levels based on intensity (standard versus high intensity support), delivery timing (daytime versus after 8pm), or the day of the week (weekday, weekend, or public holiday). Each scenario has a separate line item with its own price limit. Providers receiving Temporary Transformation Payment support have separate line items with a 1.5% loading to help with transition costs.

How to Navigate Price Variations for Your Situation

Understanding these variations prevents you from overpaying and helps you budget accurately for the year ahead. The Support Catalogue lists every support with its line item number, description, and current price limits. You can search by support type or NDIS code to find what applies to you. When you compare providers, check whether they charge at the maximum rate or negotiate lower prices-many providers will work with you to reduce costs. If a support isn’t listed in the catalogue, speak with your plan manager or support coordinator; some services can be claimed under flexible categories if they meet the reasonable and necessary criteria. This flexibility means you have more options than the price guide alone suggests, and exploring them helps you access the right supports without overstretching your budget.

Finding Your Supports in the Price Guide

The NDIS Support Catalogue contains over 800 line items, each with a unique code that tells you which budget category pays for it and what the maximum price is for your area. The right support matters because using the wrong category wastes your flexibility. Core budgets are flexible and let you move money between categories, but Capital and Capacity Building funds lock into their specific categories. When you search the NDIS Support Catalogue, you identify which part of your plan funds that support and whether it has restrictions like travel costs or non-face-to-face delivery limits. The NDIA Support Catalogue exists as an Excel spreadsheet on the NDIS website and updates whenever pricing changes. Many participants ignore this document and rely on providers to tell them what things cost, which is a mistake. You should check it yourself before signing any service agreement.

Where to Find Your Exact Support Costs

Start with the NDIA Support Catalogue Excel file and search for your support by name or NDIS code. If you know the support type, filter by category-Daily Living supports sit in Core, while Psychology or Occupational Therapy sit in Capacity Building. The spreadsheet shows the line item number, support description, current price limit, and which claim types apply. For example, Support Coordination Level 1 costs $80.06 per hour and Level 2 costs $100.14 per hour as of 2025–26. These aren’t suggestions; they’re the maximum any registered provider can charge. Once you find your support, note the line item code because that’s what you’ll reference when comparing quotes from different providers. Some supports have multiple line items depending on intensity, timing, or location. Standard support workers cost $70.23 per hour, but high-intensity support workers cost more. After-hours support also has a separate line item with higher pricing. Your location determines which price limit applies, so a support worker in a remote area costs more than one in a capital city.

Why Providers Won’t Tell You the Full Picture

Providers have every incentive to present pricing in ways that favour your business, not your budget. Some will quote you at the maximum rate without mentioning that you can negotiate lower prices. Others will bundle supports into packages that seem convenient but actually waste your flexibility. A support coordinator or plan manager should help you understand pricing, but many don’t examine the catalogue details thoroughly. You need to know that if you fund a support from the wrong category, you might exhaust your budget faster than necessary. If you need equipment rental, it should come from your Capital Assistive Technology budget first. Only if that’s exhausted should it come from your Core Consumables budget. The same logic applies to therapy services. Exercise Physiology should be claimed from Improved Health and Wellbeing first, then from Improved Daily Living if necessary.

How Budget Categories Protect Your Flexibility

Understanding these priorities means you make your budget stretch further and keep your flexibility intact for unexpected changes during the year. Core supports offer the most flexibility-you can move money between Daily Living, Consumables, and Social & Community Participation (Transport remains fixed). Capacity Building funds are less flexible; money budgeted for a category must be spent on services within that category, though you can choose which services best meet your goals. Capital supports are the least flexible; funds must be used for specific items like assistive technology or home modifications and usually require a therapist recommendation. When you compare providers, check whether they charge at the maximum rate or negotiate lower prices-many providers will work with you to reduce costs. If a support isn’t listed in the catalogue, speak with your plan manager or support coordinator; some services can be claimed under flexible categories if they meet the reasonable and necessary criteria.

Making Your Budget Work Harder

This flexibility means you have more options than the price guide alone suggests, and exploring them helps you access the right supports without overstretching your budget. The key is knowing your line items before you talk to providers. Armed with this information, you can ask specific questions about pricing, compare quotes accurately, and spot when a provider charges above the limit (which means you’d pay the difference out of pocket). You can also negotiate confidently because you know exactly what the maximum should be. When you understand the Support Catalogue structure, you shift from being a passive participant who accepts whatever providers tell you to an active participant who controls your budget and makes informed decisions about your supports.

Maximising Your NDIS Budget

Compare What Providers Actually Charge

Getting more value from your NDIS budget starts with knowing what providers actually charge versus the maximum rates listed in the Support Catalogue. Many participants accept the first quote without checking whether the provider bills at the ceiling or has already negotiated a lower price. Price limits are the maximum prices that registered providers can charge NDIS participants for specific supports, but most providers will accept less if you ask. A support worker at $70.23 per hour might drop to $65 if you commit to regular weekly bookings, or a psychology session at $232.99 might reduce to $210 if you book a package of ten sessions upfront. Self-managed participants hold the strongest negotiating position because you control the money directly; plan-managed participants should ask their plan manager to negotiate on your behalf before signing agreements.

The real mistake happens when you compare providers only on hourly rates without checking what they actually deliver. One provider charging $70.23 might complete your shopping and meal prep in two hours weekly, while another at the same rate takes three hours to do the same work. The cheaper provider per hour is actually more expensive per task completed. Ask each provider for a detailed breakdown of what they will do in each session and how long it takes. Then calculate the real cost per outcome, not just the hourly rate. Over a year, choosing the more efficient provider saves hundreds of dollars and frees up budget for other supports you need.

Work Backwards From Your Goals

Planning your annual budget requires you to work backwards from your goals rather than forwards from your funding amount. Most participants receive their plan and immediately think about how to spend the money, but this approach leaves you reactive and vulnerable to overspending. Instead, list the specific outcomes you want to achieve in the next twelve months-whether that’s maintaining independence in daily living, developing work skills, improving health, or accessing community activities. Then identify which supports deliver those outcomes most efficiently.

If you want to stay independent at home, daily living assistance matters more than a support worker who mostly provides companionship. If you’re working towards employment, job coaching from someone with proven placement experience beats generic support coordination. The rates reflect what providers actually need to deliver quality services. This means you cannot stretch a psychology budget by using untrained supporters instead of psychologists-you will get poor results and waste money.

Invest in Quality Coordinators and Specialists

Capacity Building supports like Support Coordination Level 1 at $80.06 per hour or Level 2 at $100.14 per hour are worth paying for if your coordinator actively helps you access services and solve problems. A passive coordinator who just processes paperwork wastes your budget. Request references from previous clients and ask specific questions about how coordinators have helped participants achieve goals. Quality coordinators identify gaps in your supports, connect you with providers who match your needs, and advocate for you when services fall short.

Build Buffers and Review Quarterly

Try a 10% buffer for unexpected changes during the year. Plans rarely run exactly as written; someone gets sick, a provider becomes unavailable, or your needs shift. That 10% buffer keeps you from scrambling mid-year when surprises hit. Finally, review your actual spending quarterly against your plan.

If you’re tracking behind schedule on a support, contact your plan manager immediately rather than waiting until July when the plan renews. Most plans can be adjusted during the year if your circumstances change or you’ve discovered a support isn’t working for you.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the NDIS price guide transforms how you manage your supports and budget. You now know that prices represent maximum amounts you can negotiate downwards, that location and timing affect what you pay, and that selecting the right budget category protects your flexibility throughout the year. The Support Catalogue gives you the power to compare providers accurately, spot overcharging, and make informed decisions about which supports deliver real value for your goals.

Download the current Support Catalogue from the NDIS website and search for the supports you need to note the line item codes and maximum prices for your area. Before signing any service agreement, request detailed quotes from at least two providers and ask whether they will negotiate lower rates. Check your plan documents to confirm which budget category funds each support, then work backwards from your goals to decide how much to allocate to each category.

We at Nursed offer personalised care and support designed to enhance your independence through daily living assistance, home modifications, day programs, respite care, and supportive accommodation. Our team works with you to understand your goals, identify the supports that matter most, and help you make your budget work harder. If you’re ready to explore how we can support you, visit Nursed to learn more about our services and how we help participants thrive at home and in their community.