How to set your NDIS pricing (and stay within the price guide)
Pricing trips up more new providers than almost anything else — not because it's hard, but because the rules live in a few different places. Here's how to set prices that are correct, defensible and easy to invoice.
Start with the Pricing Arrangements
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (often still called "the price guide") set the maximum you can charge for most supports. You can charge less, but not more. Every support item has a code and a price limit, and some vary by state, time of day and ratio. Your first job is simply to find the right item for each support you deliver.
Know what's bundled in
A common early mistake is trying to bill separately for things the price already covers. As a rule, your support price is expected to cover ordinary business costs — admin, basic supervision, routine record-keeping. What you *can* often claim separately, within the rules, includes specific things like non-labour costs and, in defined circumstances, travel.
- Provider travel — claimable within set limits and only in line with current rules.
- Short-notice cancellations — claimable up to the stated cap when your service agreement allows it.
- Non-face-to-face supports — claimable for some support types when genuinely required and agreed.
Put it in the service agreement
Whatever you decide on travel, cancellations and the like, it has to be written into the participant's service agreement *before* you rely on it. A charge the participant never agreed to is a charge you can't defend. This is exactly why a clear, current service agreement is your pricing foundation, not an afterthought.
Invoice cleanly
- Use the correct support item code for each line.
- Show the date, duration and rate for each support delivered.
- Keep your rate at or under the current price limit for that item and region.
- Claim travel or cancellations only where your agreement and the rules both allow.
- Keep the records that back up every line, in case of review.
Stay current
The Pricing Arrangements are updated regularly — usually at least once a year, sometimes more. Quoting last year's limits is both a compliance risk and a credibility one. Build a habit of checking the current version, and make sure your service agreement template reflects the latest cancellation and travel terms.
This is general guidance — the authoritative source is the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits published by the NDIA. Always price from the live document.
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