Setting your rates: NDIS price limits and fair pricing for independent workers

Published 13 October 2026 · For workers · Source checked 13 October 2026

A price limit is a ceiling, not a target. How the NDIS pricing schedules apply, when they do not, and how to set a rate you can explain.

Start with who is paying

The NDIA’s pricing schedules set out the maximum prices payable for NDIS supports. At the time this article was checked, the Minister’s first pricing determination had set maximum prices for the 2026–27 financial year. The NDIA says it cannot pay a claim above the maximum price, that providers cannot charge more than it, and that participants are not entitled to a payment above it.

Those maximum prices apply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed participants. They do not govern what a self-managed participant agrees to pay you, but fair pricing under the Code of Conduct still applies, so a self-managed rate still needs to be reasonable and explainable.

Find the right support item

The schedules list support item numbers and names, with a national price and separate remote and very remote prices. Match your service to the item that describes it, and the price to the place the support is delivered, not to where you live. If an item is unclear, ask the participant’s plan manager or support coordinator which item they expect it to be claimed under.

The NDIA also publishes a disability support worker cost model, which estimates the cost of delivering a billable hour of support. It is useful for understanding how much sits behind an hourly rate, and it is not a rate you are required to charge.

What your rate has to cover

Independent workers carry costs that an employee’s wage does not: tax and super, insurance, vehicle costs, training, worker screening, admin time and unpaid time between shifts. Add those up before you decide what a sustainable hourly rate is, then check it against the price limit for the item.

Treat the limit as a ceiling. A lower rate can be right for a small, simple arrangement, and a rate at the limit is only appropriate where it reflects the cost of the support. Charges such as travel or short-notice cancellations are only available where the pricing rules allow them and where they are set out in the service agreement, so read the current arrangements before you promise them.

Fair pricing in practice

The Code of Conduct requires that you do not charge or represent higher prices for goods or services for NDIS participants without reasonable justification. The Commission says pricing is fair when there is no major price difference between the cost for an NDIS participant and for other customers, and it expects providers to be able to justify their pricing.

Keep a short note of how you arrived at your rate, and be ready to explain it. If you suspect you are charging too much, review it and adjust. If you are not sure whether a difference is justifiable, that is a good reason to ask the Commission before the question is put to you.

Put it in writing, and review it

Put your rates, what they include and what they do not in the service agreement, and tell people in advance when they change. The schedules are reissued each year and the NDIA has said updated pricing and claiming guidance documents are being published, so check the current pages before you quote. This is general information, not financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

Do NDIS price limits apply to me as an independent worker?

The NDIA’s maximum prices apply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed participants, and the NDIA says providers cannot charge more than the maximum. They do not govern what a self-managed participant agrees to pay you, but fair pricing under the Code of Conduct still applies, so a self-managed rate still needs to be reasonable and explainable.

What should my rate cover?

Is the price limit what I should charge?

Treat the limit as a ceiling. A lower rate can be right for a small, simple arrangement, and a rate at the limit is only appropriate where it reflects the cost of the support.

Can I charge for travel or short-notice cancellations?

Only where the pricing rules allow them and where they are set out in the service agreement, so read the current arrangements before you promise them.

Keep learning

Registered or unregistered? Which path suits your NDIS support business: Some supports can only be delivered by registered providers, and others can be delivered either way. Here is what each path allows, what it asks of you, and a third option.
The NDIS Code of Conduct for support workers: what it means in everyday work: The Code of Conduct applies to registered and unregistered providers and to the workers who deliver NDIS supports. Here is what each commitment looks like on an ordinary shift.
Starting as an independent support worker: what to set up first: Working for yourself brings freedom and responsibility. This checklist covers the checks, paperwork and boundaries to get right before you take on your first client.
How to become a registered NDIS provider: the steps and what to prepare: Registration is an application, an independent quality audit and a suitability assessment. Here is the sequence, what to have ready, and where the costs and delays usually sit.

More in our NDIS updates and insights, our step-by-step guides, or the NDIS and aged care provider directory.

Official sources

Source checked 13 October 2026. Rules and guidance can change; verify current details with the responsible agency. How we write and check our guides.