September 2025 – Changes for Therapy Providers
Therapy support provided by allied health professionals is one of the most common types of NDIS services. These supports are subject to rules and regulations that are enforced by the NDIA and the Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Changes have recently occurred to these supports and how they can be claimed from an NDIS plan.
Following the release of the 2025 Annual Pricing Review and the July 2025 Pricing Arrangements and Limits Document, there are some changes that impact many allied health professionals. You can read some of the important changes below.
Therapy Provider Travel Hourly Rate Cap
Provider travel rules for therapy services have changed from July 1st 2025. When spending time travelling to a participant to deliver a support, the provider is only able to charge up to 50% of their direct service rate. This means if they charge $193 per hour for their therapy service, they can only charge $96.50 per hour for travel time.
The amount of time they can charge has not changed, for most participants receiving therapy support at home, this will be 30 minutes on the way, and 30 minutes back (only if they are the last appointment of the day). Sometimes this can be more time if the service is delivered in a remote location.
Reduction to Therapy Hourly Rates
There have been three types of therapy that the NDIS has limited the hourly rate that can be charged. For physiotherapy, dietitian and podiatry services, the rate has reduced by up to $10 per hour. The NDIS provides information to suggest that the rates previously allowed exceeded the rate being paid by the public without an NDIS plan.
Change to State Loading Limits
Some states including Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania have previously been able to claim therapy rates at a price that was higher than other states. From July, these rates will be removed and these states will be required to use the rates set in the other states.
New specific codes for Early Childhood providers
The NDIA has introduced some new specific support items for children under 9. Therapy providers may need to change their billing to accurately show the supports being provided to young children.
10 Minute Billing Increments
Providers should now ensure that they invoice for supports in 10 minute increments. This is to ensure that providers are accurately billing for supports and not charging higher numbers of hours than actually delivered.
Qualifications for Professionals
While there have been no changes to the qualifications required by therapy professionals, the NDIS continues to monitor and check this information.
To be an NDIS-funded therapist, you generally need to have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher in your relevant field (e.g., psychology, counselling) and be registered with your respective professional body, such as AHPRA for psychologists or the Australian Counselling Association. Additionally, you might need to demonstrate relevant experience, professional development, and adherence to specific professional standards.
These qualifications are mandatory as part of the Practice Standards Verification Module put in place by the NDIS Commission.
To help avoid delays or information requests by the NDIA, it is strongly recommended to provide this information on the invoice issues to NDIS participants.
For more information, please see our resource: Therapy Support Changes in July 2025