If your NDIS invoices suddenly look different this month, you’re not imagining it. The new 2026-27 Pricing Schedule took effect on 1 July, and alongside some rate changes, the way therapy services appear on invoices has been restructured. Here’s a plain-language guide to what changed and what’s worth checking.
The Rate Changes That Matter
Rather than an across-the-board increase, this year’s update rebalanced therapy prices. Psychology and positive behaviour support rose by $20 to $252.99 per hour, a deliberate move to improve access after those rates fell below what Medicare and private insurers pay. Occupational therapy, speech pathology and physiotherapy price caps were left unchanged at $193.99.
A few rates came down, which stretches plan budgets further. Psychotherapy under the “Other Professionals” category dropped almost 20 per cent to $156.16 per hour, dietetics eased to $178.99, and exercise physiology to $161.99. Support worker price caps were held at last year’s levels, and plan funding was indexed on 13 July to account for the changes.
Your Invoices Will Look More Detailed
The bigger everyday change is structural. Therapy billing has been unbundled: provider travel, telehealth sessions, non-face-to-face work like report writing, cancellations and NDIA-requested reports now each appear as their own line item, rather than being wrapped into a single session charge.
This is genuinely good for participants. You can now see exactly what proportion of your therapy funding goes to face-to-face time versus travel, reports or telehealth. Provider travel is also capped at half the standard hourly rate, so a therapist’s drive to you can no longer be billed at the full session price. A session’s total cost with travel is broadly unchanged, it’s simply broken into visible parts now.
The Rule That Protects You
Here’s the part every participant should know: a new price schedule doesn’t automatically change what you pay.
“You must talk with participants about any proposed changes to existing service agreements,” the NDIA states.
Participants must agree before changes are made. So if a provider simply starts charging differently without a conversation, that’s worth raising. Equally, where a price cap has dropped, such as psychotherapy, it’s fair to ask your provider how your agreement reflects that. The full schedule and updates are on the NDIS pricing updates page.
What to Check This Month
Three quick checks cover most situations. First, compare your latest invoice against your service agreement, do the rates match what you agreed? Second, look at the new line items, especially travel, and make sure they reflect what actually happened; travel billed on a telehealth day is the kind of error the new transparency is designed to catch. Third, if you use telehealth, confirm it’s billed under the new telehealth items, which keeps your records clean.
If something doesn’t add up, ask your provider or plan manager first, most discrepancies are honest transition errors in billing software rather than anything sinister. Persistent problems can go to the NDIA on 1800 800 110.
The Bigger Picture
The unbundling isn’t just administrative tidiness. Each activity now visible as a separate line gives the Agency real data on how therapy funding is actually used, which will shape future pricing decisions, including a full therapy pricing review already planned. For participants, the takeaway is simpler: your invoices just became more transparent, and a five-minute monthly check is how you turn that transparency into protection.
Epik Wire covers the NDIS and its systems in plain language for participants and families. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed.
