NDIS support worker pay rates 2025–26: what workers get and what providers charge

Every year the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (commonly called the Price Guide) sets the maximum rates that registered providers can charge for funded supports. The current version covers 2025–26.

This guide explains how the rates work, what support workers are typically paid, how sole traders should set their rates, and where to find the actual figures.

How NDIS pricing works

The NDIS does not directly set what workers are paid. It sets the maximum price a provider can charge for each support item. What the worker actually receives depends on the employment arrangement between the provider and the worker.

For employees of a registered provider or disability support organisation (DSO), pay rates are governed by the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award (SCHADS Award). The SCHADS Award sets minimum hourly rates by employee level, with penalty rates for evenings, weekends, and public holidays.

For sole traders billing directly under the NDIS, the Price Guide maximum acts as a ceiling on what you can charge. Your rate needs to cover your time, your ABN costs, any travel, your insurance, and the cost of any consumables used during delivery. You do not receive an employer superannuation contribution on top, and there are no paid leave entitlements, so you need to build that margin into your rate.

2025–26 Price Guide rates

The NDIS releases updated Pricing Arrangements each financial year, usually in late June or early July. The key support items for personal and community supports are:

Assistance with Daily Life (Support Category 01)

Standard rates apply for weekday daytime delivery. Higher rates apply for evenings (after 8 pm), Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. The standard weekday rate for Level 2 workers (the most common level for daily living supports) is in the range of $67–$72 per hour depending on the registration group.

Community Participation (Support Category 04)

Similar structure to daily living. Rates reflect the complexity and qualification requirements of the support. Community nursing care items (higher qualification required) attract higher rates.

Capacity Building (Support Category 07)

Higher rates than daily living. Supports like support coordination and specialist support coordination attract rates above $100 per hour. These require either a relevant qualification or demonstrated experience, depending on the registration group.

For the exact current figures, the NDIS publishes the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document on ndis.gov.au. The Billa price guide page within the app lets you search and reference current support catalogue items while writing notes and preparing claims.

What employees actually receive

The gap between the NDIS billing rate and the worker's take-home pay is larger than most participants or new workers expect.

A registered provider billing at $70 per hour for daily living supports is not paying a worker $70 per hour. From that $70, the provider covers:

• The worker's base hourly rate (set by SCHADS Award)
• Superannuation (11.5% in 2025–26)
• Leave accruals (annual leave, personal leave)
• Workers' compensation insurance
• Public liability insurance
• Administration and compliance costs
• Training and worker screening
• Vehicle or transport costs in some arrangements

After these costs, the actual worker might receive $32–$45 per hour base rate, depending on their Award level and the provider's size and overhead structure. Larger providers with more overhead typically pay toward the lower end. Smaller independent providers may pay more.

The SCHADS Award level for a support worker is determined by their qualification level and the complexity of work. Most daily living support workers start at Level 2.1 or 2.2. Workers with relevant Certificate III or IV qualifications may be assessed at a higher level.

Setting rates as a sole trader

If you operate as a sole trader billing directly under the NDIS, you set your own hourly rate up to the Price Guide maximum. Setting it too close to the maximum sounds attractive but leaves no room for error on cancellations, travel, or administration time.

A practical way to work backwards:

Calculate your actual time per hour billed. For every hour of support delivered, you probably spend 15–20 minutes on documentation, travel, and admin. Your effective hourly rate on a $70 billing rate is closer to $56–$58 if you factor that time in.

Account for non-billable weeks. Annual leave, sick leave, public holidays, and periods between participants mean you are not billing 52 weeks a year. Many sole traders bill for 44–46 effective weeks. Divide your target annual income by 44 weeks and then by your typical weekly billable hours to arrive at the minimum hourly rate you need.

Add insurance and compliance costs. At minimum: professional indemnity insurance, public liability insurance, and NDIS Worker Screening. These are fixed annual costs. A sole trader delivering 20 hours per week might absorb $8–$12 per hour in fixed overhead.

A sole trader billing at the full Price Guide rate for standard weekday supports, working 20–25 hours per week, typically earns between $55,000 and $80,000 before tax depending on the mix of support types and days.

Weekend and public holiday rates

This is where sole trader income can look very different from employee income.

The Price Guide sets higher rates for Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday supports because the SCHADS Award requires penalty rates on those days. For employees, those penalties are mandatory. For sole traders, the higher billing rate is available but not obligatory.

A Sunday rate under the Price Guide is typically around 1.5x the weekday rate. Public holidays are higher still, often 1.7–2x the weekday base. A sole trader who works predominantly on weekends and public holidays can earn considerably more than one working standard weekday hours at the same nominal hourly rate.

Keeping records for claims

Regardless of whether you are an employee or sole trader, your progress notes need to support the claim submitted to the NDIS. Notes must match the service delivered: date, time, support type, and participant. A claim submitted for a support not documented in a note is a risk in any NDIS audit or payment dispute.

Billa structures notes around support catalogue line items so that the note ties directly to the claim. Notes are timestamped and stored against the participant, which makes claim preparation straightforward when the time comes.

For more on how different claim types work and how to submit them, see the guide to NDIS claim types.