The NDIA has released its Annual Pricing Review (APR) for 2024–25, outlining the service pricing structure that will apply from 1 July 2025. These changes will affect thousands of disability care providers delivering support, therapy, nursing, and coordination services under the NDIS.
This NDIS annual review helps define pricing certainty and cost recovery pathways for care providers across the sector.
For NDIS providers and organisations with SCHADS-covered workers, the stakes are high. Each update to pricing limits has downstream effects on compliance, payroll setup, staff retention, and service delivery viability.
The NDIA sets these price limits to ensure fair provider compensation while maintaining sustainability across the scheme. The 2024–25 APR builds on an expanded data set, particularly in therapy, and incorporates recommendations from the newly established Independent Pricing Committee (IPC).
A More Targeted Review Process Going Forward
Starting in 2025–26, the NDIA will no longer conduct a full Annual Pricing Review each year. Instead, it will move to a 3-year pricing work plan, focusing on targeted reviews of specific services over time. This approach aims to improve long-term planning for providers, with pricing updates released earlier in the financial year to support operational forecasting and budgeting.
Disability Support Worker Supports
The NDIA will increase price limits for support worker-related supports from 1 July 2025, directly aligned with:
- The Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review, which applies to the SCHADS Award (Social, Community, Home Care, and Disability Services Industry Award 2010)
- An increase to the Superannuation Guarantee, which rises from 11.0% to 11.5%
This adjustment reflects Recommendation 4 in the APR report, ensuring pricing keeps pace with wage obligations and super entitlements. For NDIS providers, this means preparing for an increase in payroll costs, but also an increase in the revenue ceiling allowed under NDIA price limits.
Level 1 Support Coordination
Support Coordination, particularly Level 1 (Support Connection) and Psychosocial Recovery Coaching (PRC), will see an uplift in NSW, VIC, QLD, and ACT. However, Level 2 and 3 support coordination price limits remain unchanged.
These targeted increases are intended to support market viability and ensure providers can continue delivering quality support in areas with higher service delivery costs and workforce shortages.
Nursing and Psychology
Price limits for nursing services and psychology supports have also been increased in the same states (NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT). These adjustments aim to ensure pricing reflects wage costs, professional registration requirements, and the growing demand for clinical services under the NDIS.
New National Therapy Pricing
The NDIA has also standardised several therapy pricing rates nationally. For example:
- Physiotherapy is now set at $183.99/hour, with some states seeing a reduction of up to $40.06.
- Psychology is priced at $232.99/hour, an increase of $10 in some areas, but a decrease of $11.23 in others due to the removal of state-based loadings.
- Dietitian and podiatrist services have decreased by $5 to $188.99/hour.
While some services saw modest increases, therapy supports were significantly restructured, with multiple reductions and removals that will directly impact allied health providers and the organisations that employ or contract them.
Removal of Higher Price Loadings in WA, SA, TAS, and NT
The NDIA has removed the higher price loadings for physiotherapy and psychology in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory. These loadings were initially introduced to account for workforce shortages and additional costs in regional markets but are now being withdrawn based on updated supply-side data.
Therapist Travel Cost Limits Reduced
Providers delivering therapy supports can now claim less for travel, following adjustments to the cap on therapist travel costs. This decision reflects updated usage and delivery data but may place added pressure on providers delivering home-based or outreach services, particularly in regional and remote areas.
Therapy Services Now Billed in 10-Minute Increments
The NDIA has introduced 10-minute billing blocks for therapy supports, moving away from the assumption that 1-hour sessions are standard. This change aims to give providers and participants greater flexibility in service duration and billing, especially important for shorter, more frequent interventions or telehealth. Providers will need to ensure internal rostering, billing systems, and payroll processes are set up to handle this level of granularity.
Cessation of Plan Management Setup Fee and Remote Loadings
The one-off setup fee for plan management services has been removed, along with the additional remote loading previously available in certain areas. This may impact small plan managers and sole traders whose business model relied on these once-off fees to cover onboarding costs. The monthly plan management fee of $104.45 remains unchanged.
Implication: Providers delivering therapy supports or plan management services will need to review how these changes affect their unit economics. For some, this could trigger a reassessment of delivery models, especially for travel-heavy or low-margin services.
A Formal Therapy Pricing Review Is Underway
The NDIA has confirmed that therapy pricing will undergo a comprehensive, formal review over the next year. This review will consider factors such as workforce qualifications, delivery setting, participant outcomes, and regional availability.
It’s part of the NDIA’s move toward differentiated pricing models recommended by the Independent Pricing Committee. The outcomes of this review are likely to inform further adjustments to therapy pricing beyond 2025–26.
The Independent Pricing Committee (IPC) was established in September 2024 to provide external oversight of the NDIA’s pricing decisions and methodology. The 2024–25 APR is the first to be released alongside an IPC Review, which makes clear that:
- The existing one-size-fits-all approach to pricing may not be sustainable
- More nuanced, differentiated pricing structures could better reflect market diversity, cost pressures, and participant needs
- The NDIA should invest in data transparency and a clearer pricing methodology moving forward
The NDIA has accepted these findings and committed to developing a Pricing Roadmap, which will be published in the coming months. This roadmap is expected to outline how future pricing reforms will be staged and what NDIS providers can expect from 2025 onward.
Takeaway: This signals the beginning of longer-term pricing reform that may result in more region-specific or service-specific adjustments, both up and down.
With pricing changes taking effect from 1 July 2025, NDIS providers, particularly those employing SCHADS-covered workers, should begin preparing now.
The outcomes of this NDIS review have immediate implications for how care providers structure service delivery, payroll, and pricing models.
Review pricing guides and cost models
Understand how your organisation’s revenue will shift with the new limits and where your margins may be affected by reduced loadings or support caps.
Update payroll to reflect SCHADS minimum wage increases
The SCHADS Award minimum wage will increase based on the Fair Work Commission’s June 2025 decision. Combined with the Super Guarantee increase to 11.5%, this will require updates to your payroll system.
Evaluate impact on therapy services
If you offer physiotherapy, psychology, or support requiring travel, assess whether the new limits will cover your delivery costs, especially in outer-metro or regional zones.
Communicate changes with staff and clients
Prepare internal guidance for support coordinators, therapists, and finance teams. Where relevant, notify participants of any updates to travel costs, service availability, or changes in booking processes.
Review rostering, billing, and timesheet systems to ensure they support 10-minute billing blocks, especially for therapy supports and shorter interventions.
Update internal travel claim policies to reflect the new cap of 50% of the 10-minute rate for labour costs, while continuing to claim non-labour expenses like tolls and vehicle wear and tear.
NDIS pricing changes don’t just affect your rates, they affect your payroll setup, compliance responsibilities, and bottom line.
At Pay Cat, we:
- Automate SCHADS Award compliance, including wage updates, broken shifts, sleepovers, allowances, and super
- Provide a 100% compliant, embedded SCHADS template inside Employment Hero Payroll
- Give therapy providers, support coordinators, and finance teams the confidence of clear payroll workflows and pre-configured award rules, reducing errors and saving time.
Whether you're adjusting disability support worker pay categories or reviewing how your travel and loading entitlements are configured, Pay Cat keeps your payroll system compliant, so you can focus on service delivery.
Get in touch if you aren't yet using Pay Cat and want to see how it works.
We’ll update this article once the 2025–26 PAPL and Pricing Addenda are published.
Further Reading and Resources
The NDIA is responsible for setting price limits for services delivered to NDIS participants. The 2025-26 price limits are included in the APR released.
You can download the full report here.
Download our free SCHADS Award EBook
Everything you need to know about the Social, Community, Home Care & Disability Services Industry Award (without the jargon)
Who is Pay Cat?
Pay Cat are payroll specialists dedicated to helping Australian businesses simplify payroll and ensure 100% compliance with modern awards. As Employment Hero Payroll experts, we provide tailored solutions that streamline payroll processes, reduce errors, and save time. For SCHADS businesses, our industry-first, 100% compliant SCHADS interpreter template guarantees accurate award interpretation and automation.