NDIS Price Guide for 2023

The NDIS Price Guide 2023 brings significant updates that directly impact your support funding and service costs. New hourly rates, additional service categories, and revised geographic loadings reshape how participants plan their budgets.

At Nursed, we’ve analysed these changes to help you navigate the updated pricing structure. This guide breaks down the key modifications and shows you how to maximise your NDIS funding under the new rates.

How Are NDIS Supports Categorised and Priced?

The NDIS divides all supports into three distinct categories, each with specific rates that determine your spending limits and service access. These categories operate under different rules and price structures that shape how you use your funding.

Core Support Categories and Rates

Core Supports represent the largest budget portion for most participants and cover essential daily assistance. Standard support work costs $54.24 per hour, while complex behavioural support reaches $81.36 per hour. The National Disability Insurance Agency expanded its therapy benchmarking to include Medicare Benefits Schedule and Private Health Insurance data to inform therapy price settings, with geographic loadings that add up to 20% in remote areas.

These supports include personal care, household tasks, transport assistance, and consumables (like continence aids). The rates reflect the skill level required and complexity of tasks involved in each service type.

Capacity Building Investment Rates

Capacity Building supports cost more because they focus on skill development and independence goals. Speech pathology sessions cost $193.99 per hour, while occupational therapy reaches the same rate for face-to-face sessions. Psychology services command $214.41 per hour, which reflects the specialised qualifications these professionals hold.

These rates apply whether you receive services individually or in group settings, though some providers offer group discounts within the maximum limits. The NDIA sets these higher rates because these investments should reduce your long-term support needs.

Capital Purchase Guidelines

Capital supports work differently than hourly services – they have fixed maximum amounts rather than time-based rates. Assistive technology purchases require quotes and often need NDIA approval for items over $1,500. Home modifications follow a tiered approval system, with minor changes under $20,000 needing less documentation than major structural alterations.

Vehicle modifications can reach $30,000 for comprehensive accessibility installations. The Support Catalogue contains many support line items within Assistive Technology, which streamlines approval and payment processes.

The next section examines the specific changes that took effect in July 2023 and how they affect your current support arrangements.

What Changed in the 2023 NDIS Price Updates

The July 2023 price adjustments delivered the most substantial rate increases in NDIS history, addressing workforce shortages, skills gaps, training issues, career pathways, diversity, and data gaps in care and support sectors. Standard support work jumped from $49.86 to $54.24 per hour, while complex behavioural support increased from $74.67 to $81.36 per hour. These increases directly respond to provider feedback about recruitment difficulties and staff retention challenges across the disability sector.

Support Worker Rate Restructure

The National Disability Insurance Agency restructured its cost model to include superannuation guarantee increases and award wage adjustments that took effect in July 2023. Weekend rates now command a 25% premium over weekdays, which pushes Saturday support to $67.80 per hour and Sunday services to $73.26 per hour. Public holiday rates reached $97.74 per hour for standard support work (a 44% premium over weekday services).

These changes affect your budget plans significantly. Weekend services now consume 25-44% more funds per hour than the same weekday support. Participants who rely heavily on weekend assistance need to recalculate their annual budgets to accommodate these higher rates.

Geographic Rate Expansions

Remote area premiums expanded to cover additional postcodes, particularly in remote and very remote areas, especially for RNs in residential facilities where job satisfaction is high across all work aspects except for pay. Regional Remote areas gained 10% premiums where none existed before, which affects participants in towns like Broken Hill, Mount Isa, and Alice Springs. The NDIA based these adjustments on Australian Bureau of Statistics Remoteness Area classifications and provider cost data that showed higher operational expenses in these locations.

Metropolitan participants see no geographic adjustments, but regional participants should budget for these automatic increases when they plan support hours.

New Service Categories

The 2023 catalogue introduced new support items for people with disability who may be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, come from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, or have a faith. Telehealth therapy sessions received dedicated line items at 85% of face-to-face rates, which acknowledges the reduced overhead costs for remote service delivery.

These additions reflect participant demand data and provider submissions from the annual price review process. A significant change is the increased flexibility in funding categories. Instead of fixed line items, participants now have more freedom to allocate their funds across different support types. The next section shows you how to read these price guides and calculate your actual support costs under the new structure.

How Do You Read NDIS Price Guide Line Items

The NDIS Support Catalogue contains individual line items, each with a specific 10-digit support item number that determines your exact service cost. Line item 01_011_0107_1_1 represents standard weekday support work at $54.24 per hour, while 01_011_0107_1_3 covers the same service on Sundays at $73.26 per hour. The first two digits indicate the support category, the middle section specifies the service type, and the final digits determine time and complexity factors.

Understanding Support Item Numbers

Geographic location codes automatically apply regional loadings to your base rates. Participants in Remote areas see 10% increases, while Very Remote areas command 20% premiums above standard pricing. The National Disability Insurance Agency uses Australian Bureau of Statistics classifications to determine these geographic zones and applies them without requiring additional approvals.

Calculating Weekend and Holiday Costs

Weekend services consume 25-44% more funds than identical weekday support. Ten hours of weekend personal care costs $678-$732 compared to $542 on weekdays. Public holiday rates reach $97.74 per hour for standard support, which makes a 4-hour Christmas Day shift cost $391 instead of the weekday equivalent of $217.

Complex behavioural support escalates these costs further. Weekend rates jump to $101.70 per hour while public holidays reach $117.16 per hour. The National Disability Insurance Agency processed therapy transactions to establish these rates.

Premium Rate Activation

Higher rates activate automatically based on time, location, and service complexity without special approvals. Services between 6pm-8am Monday to Friday attract evening loadings of 25%, while overnight shifts (8pm-6am) command 50% premiums over standard rates. Specialist services like psychology ($214.41 per hour) and complex behavioural interventions cost nearly four times standard support rates.

Travel Time Charges

Travel time charges apply when support workers drive between participants, typically at 75% of the standard hourly rate. This adds significant costs for participants in regional areas where providers service multiple clients across wide geographic zones. Your annual budget planning must account for these premium periods and additional charges.

Final Thoughts

The NDIS Price Guide 2023 delivered the most significant rate increases in scheme history. Standard support work jumped to $54.24 per hour and complex behavioural support reached $81.36 per hour. Weekend premiums now add 25-44% to service costs, while geographic loadings expanded to cover additional regional areas with 10-20% increases.

Effective budget management requires understanding these new rate structures and planning for premium periods. You must calculate weekend and holiday costs separately from weekday services, factor in travel time charges for regional participants, and monitor spending against updated line item numbers. The automatic application of geographic and time-based loadings means your actual costs may exceed basic hourly rates significantly (particularly in remote areas).

Professional support co-ordination becomes more valuable under these complex arrangements. Nursed offers personalised care and support services that help participants navigate funding effectively while maintaining independence at home and in the community. Regular budget reviews and professional guidance help you adapt to ongoing price changes while achieving your disability support goals within the updated framework.