How NDIS prices are set
Every year the NDIA publishes the - a long document, and the reason "what does a support worker cost?" has a public answer. For each support it lists a price limit: the most a provider can charge when a plan is managed by the NDIA or by a plan manager.
The NDIA's published rulebook for what providers may charge, and how - price limits, travel, cancellations, group supports and more. Updated at least once a year, usually from 1 July, with the current schedules on ndis.gov.au.
Three things follow from that. The limit is a ceiling, not a set price - providers can charge less. It applies to registered providers working with NDIA-managed and plan-managed participants (Beyond is registered, no. 4050087183). And if you self-manage your plan, you can agree any price with any provider - but a higher price simply buys fewer hours from the same budget.
The current price limits are on the NDIA's website under Pricing arrangements. The document is written for providers, so if a line in it doesn't make sense, ask us - explaining it is part of the job.
What changes the rate
The same support can sit on several different price limits. What moves it:
- When. Weekday daytime is the base rate. Evenings cost more, Saturdays more again, Sundays and public holidays the most. Overnight support has its own rates depending on whether the worker is awake or sleeping over.
- How many people. One-to-one support is priced per hour for one person. In a small group, the hourly cost is shared, so the price per person is lower - which is one reason our programs run in groups.
- What kind of support. Everyday support and community access sit on standard rates. Supports that need particular skills - the NDIA calls these high intensity - have a higher limit.
- Short stays. A respite stay is priced per 24 hours, and that daily rate includes the accommodation, meals, activities and the support itself - it isn't hourly.
This is why a quote from any provider should say when the support will happen, not just how many hours. Ten hours spread across weekday afternoons and ten hours on Sundays come from the same budget at very different rates.
Which budget pays
Your plan is split into budgets, and each support is paid from a specific one. In short:
- Core pays for daily personal support, help at home, community participation and respite stays - the everyday supports, and the flexible budget.
- Capacity Building pays for support coordination, under Coordination of Supports.
- Supported independent living (Bethel) is funded from Core, but the funding is set specifically for that support in the plan.
If you're not sure what's in your plan, we've written a whole guide: Your NDIS plan, decoded. Bring the plan to us and we'll show you where each support would come from.
Travel and cancellations - the two surprises
Two charges catch people out, because they're allowed by the NDIS but only under conditions - and both should be in your written arrangements before they ever appear on a statement.
- Provider travel. A provider may claim the time it takes a worker to travel to you, but only if you've agreed to it in advance, and only up to the caps the NDIA sets. Travel that isn't agreed can't be charged.
- Short-notice cancellations. If a support is cancelled with less than seven clear days' notice, or nobody's home, the NDIS allows a provider to claim up to the full agreed price - again, only where the arrangements say so. We'd always rather reschedule than charge; tell us as soon as plans change.
How we quote
Our rates follow the NDIS price limits for every support we deliver. Before any support starts, we go through the arrangements with you - what the support is, when it happens, the rate that applies and which budget it comes from - and you get it in writing. Nothing changes without talking to you first, and nothing is charged for the first conversation.
We work with NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed plans. If your plan is plan-managed, we invoice your plan manager directly; if you self-manage, we invoice you and you claim from the NDIS.
Tell us. Spreading support across weekday daytimes, or joining a group program instead of one-to-one, can make the same budget go further - and pacing spending across funding periods is something we'll help with rather than leave you to discover.
Self-funded support - no plan needed
Our self-funded support is arranged privately, outside the NDIS, so the price limits above don't apply. Instead we quote for the arrangement you actually want - the tasks, the days, the hours - and you see the figure before anything begins. There's no assessment and no package to apply for first.
It's designed for families who need practical help now: domestic help, shopping, meals, companionship and transport. It isn't personal or clinical care - if that's what's needed, we'll say so and point you to the right funding.