NDIS Price Guide 2026-27: What Has Changed and Why

The NDIA reviews NDIS prices every year to make sure they are fair for participants and sustainable for providers. This review is called the Annual Pricing Review (APR), and it checks whether prices are up to date based on market data, research, and feedback from participants and providers.

For 2026-27, the NDIA used data from over 16 million therapy transactions to make sure therapy prices reflect what is actually being charged in the real market. That is 5 million more data points than the previous year, so the changes are based on a bigger picture than ever before.

The Biggest Change In Support Worker Rates

The change most participants and providers will feel first is the increase in support worker pay rates.

The standard weekday rate for a support worker has gone from $70.87 to $73.58 per hour, an increase of about 4.8%. This happened because the Fair Work Commission increased the minimum wage for disability support workers, and the NDIS pricing follows that increase.

Here is what the new rates look like across different times and days:

Weekend and public holiday rates are higher because support workers receive penalty rates under the award that covers their employment. These rates are the maximum a provider can charge, not a set amount that every provider must charge.

For participants: Your plan budget is generally adjusted to keep pace with price rises, so in most cases, you will not end up with less support. If you are an agency or plan manager, your provider will update their rates from 1 July 2026. They must speak to you before changing your service agreement, and you must agree to the change.

Why Some Therapy Prices Are Up and Some Down

This is where the 2026-27 changes get more detailed. Not all therapy prices moved in the same direction. The NDIA compared NDIS prices against Medicare and private health insurance data to see where NDIS rates were too high or too low compared to the broader market.

1. Psychology went up. The rate for psychologists increased from $232.99 to $252.99 per hour. This was done because NDIS rates for psychologists were lower than what psychologists earn outside the NDIS, which was making it hard for participants to find a psychologist. The increase is meant to fix that.
2. Dietitians went down. The rate dropped from $188.99 to $178.99 per hour. The data showed NDIS rates for dietitians were significantly higher than market rates elsewhere.
3. Exercise physiologists went down. The rate dropped from $166.99 to $161.99 per hour for the same reason.
4. Occupational therapy, speech pathology, and physiotherapy stayed the same. No change to these rates for 2026-27.
5. Art therapy and music therapy dropped significantly. These went from $193.99 to $156.16 per hour. The NDIA tightened the rules around who can claim at therapy rates. Art therapists must now hold a Master's degree and be registered with the relevant professional body, and music therapists must be accredited. Recreational art activities cannot be claimed as therapy.

Here is the full picture in one table:

One more change on therapy invoices: From 1 July 2026, therapy providers must list travel time, report writing, and telehealth as separate line items on invoices instead of rolling them into one hourly charge. This means to have more transparency, your statements show exactly what each charge is for. Travel time is capped at 50% of the therapist's hourly rate.

No Changes In Support Coordination and Plan Management

Support Coordination and Plan Management prices have not changed.

Level 2 Coordination of Supports stays at $100.14 per hour. Level 3 Specialist Support Coordination stays at $190.54 per hour. The Plan Management monthly fee stays at $104.45 per participant per month.

These rates have been frozen for several years now. The NDIA has flagged that it will review how Plan Management fees are structured in the future, but so far, no timeline has been confirmed.

Changes To The Short-term Accommodation Billing

Short-term Accommodation (STA) is the funding used for respite care when a participant stays somewhere other than home for a short period to give their regular carers a break.

From 1 July 2026, providers can no longer charge one bundled daily rate for STA. Instead, they need to charge separately for accommodation and for the actual hours of support delivered.

Accommodation is now capped at $162.85 per day for the participant's accommodation. If a support worker also needs to stay overnight on site, a separate $162.85 per day can be claimed for that.

Support hours are charged at the normal support worker hourly rates, depending on the time of day.

What this means for participants: Respite care invoices will be more detailed from now on. Instead of one daily figure, you will see the accommodation cost and the support hours listed separately. This actually gives you clearer visibility over what you are being charged for.

Mandatory Registration For Supported Independent Living 

Supported Independent Living (SIL) is the funding for people with disabilities that needs support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is funding for people who require a high level of support to live as independently as possible. This funding is not for people who only require a few hours of support to maintain their daily life.

From 1 July 2026, only registered NDIS providers can deliver SIL. Unregistered providers who were already delivering SIL before 1 July 2026 can continue operating, but they must apply for registration before 1 October 2026. After 1 October 2026, only registered providers can claim SIL funding.

If you are a SIL participant and your current provider is unregistered, your NDIS plan and funding will not change due to these registration requirements. By 1 October 2026, if the provider has not been registered, the NDIS will help you find a new provider and ensure you are not left without support.

A Big Change Coming in January 2027 For Community Participation

Two changes do not begin until 1 January 2027, so there is nothing you need to do right now.

From 1 January 2027, a 10% price reduction will apply to community and social participation supports delivered by unregistered providers. Registered providers keep the same rates and will continue to receive annual price increases. Unregistered providers delivering these supports will not receive future annual increases either.

The NDIA has said it will monitor what happens. If too many unregistered providers leave the market and participants lose access to their support workers, the NDIA can review or pause this change. 

What this means for participants: If your community participation support worker is unregistered, their price will be reduced by 10% from January 2027. This does not automatically mean they will stop working with you, but it may affect their decision to continue. It is worth having a conversation with your provider about their plans.

Key Dates at a Glance

What Most Participants Need to Do

For most people, the answer is not much right now. Most participants do not need to take any action. If you are an agency or plan managed your provider handles the rate updates. You do need to agree to any changes to your service agreement before they take effect. Your provider must contact you about this.

If you use SIL or community participation supports from an unregistered provider, have a conversation with them now about how the changes affect your arrangement.

If anything in your plan does not look right after 1 July, contact your support coordinator or plan manager.