Get the Facts about Therapy Travel Charges
We get asked all the time, ‘Can my therapist charge me for travel, and if so, how much?? In short, the answer is yes, and the amount can differ depending on what you agree to before you start services. This resource sets out:
- Which NDIS therapists can charge for travel?
- Why are Therapists charging me travel?
- How much a therapist can charge for travel
- What is the maximum rate your therapist can charge?
- What if there is more than one client or the therapist is visiting another client in my area?
- Additional travel costs
- Our top tips to reduce travel costs
Which NDIS therapists can charge travel?
Capacity building services include services like Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy, Physiology, Psychology and more.
Capacity building providers (mostly therapists) are able to claim for provider travel if there is a ‘Y’ in the ‘Provider Travel’ column in the NDIS Support Catalogue for the service line item.
In truth, there is a Y for almost all items, so this means that ALL therapists can charge for travel.
Your therapists and capacity building providers can charge two separate travel costs
Labour Costs (cost of their time while they are travelling).
This includes:
- travelling to your appointment andor
- returning to their usual place of business afterwards (Note: return travel cannot be charged if you are the last appointment of the day and your therapist is going home after your appointment)
Non-Labour Costs:
- kilometers travelled
- other costs associated with the travel such as tolls and parking
Why are Therapists charging me for travel?
Therapists charge you travel time so that YOU have access to therapy WHEN and WHERE you need it.
Remember that you don’t HAVE to agree to pay travel fees – this is your choice. It gives you options that are more convenient or suitable to you. It’s unlikely that a Therapist would rather be driving than delivering their service, so this will only happen when needed to offer you the service.
How much can NDIS therapists charge for travel – includes latest 2025 changes!
The maximum amount of TIME therapists can claim is:
- 30 minutes in MMM1-3 areas (most participants fall into this MMM area as it includes major cities, inner regional and some outer regional)
- 60 minutes in MMM4-5 areas (regional and remote areas)
- Find your MMM region by entering your address here
How much can they charge for the time travelled?
For therapy supports providers, including early childhood therapy, the price limit for provider travel time is 50% of the regular price limit for these items. This rate applies to both directions – travel TO your appointment and their travel to their usual place of business if you are their last consult.
This was updated in the latest NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26
Here’s a real life example of therapy charges:
Your speech therapist is coming to your home for a 1-hour session.
They travelled 20 minutes to get to you from their workplace.
Because you live in a non-rural area (MM1), they can only charge you for up to 30 minutes of travel time (as per the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26)
What you can be charged for therapy under the NDIS:
1. Session Cost:
The full cost of the 1-hour session is $193.99.
2. Travel Cost:
NDIS allows therapists to charge travel at a rate of half their hourly rate.
So:
$193.99 ÷ 2 = $97.00 per hour is how much they can charge for travel
But they only travelled 20 minutes, so the travel charge is:
($97.00 ÷ 60minutes) × 20minutes = $32.33 travel charge
This was updated in the latest NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26
What is the maximum rate your therapist can charge?
Click here to use our easy price search guide here
What if there is more than one client or the therapist is visiting another client in my area?
Where a therapist is travelling to provide services to more than one participant in a ‘region’ then the provider should apportion that travel time (including the return journey where applicable) between the participants, with the agreement in advance of each participant.
This means the total travel cost is split between all the clients they visit in that region on that date/time.
Additional travel costs
Your therapists can also charge for other travel costs associated with traveling to deliver Face-to-face supports, called non-labour travel costs. This is the cost associated with the runnings costs of the car including:
- Kilometres or distance travelled
- Other forms of transport or associated costs, such as road tolls, parking, public transport fares, up to the full amount.
How much can they charge for the non-labour travel?
To view the appropriate rates – search our easy price guide by entering the description ‘Provider travel – non labour costs‘.
How much can they charge for the kilometres travelled?
The NDIS allows capacity building therapist to charge up to $0.99/km charged, on top of the time travelled.
Top tips to reduce travel cost
There are a few ways you can avoid incurring large travel costs for your supports, and we have listed some recommendations below:
- Ask your provider BEFORE you start services: Confirm how much travel will cost for EACH session before you sign your Service Agreement. Your Service agreement will outline the terms of any travel costs.
- Find a therapist close to your location so you can get more therapy and spend less on their travel.
- Check your invoices: It is your responsibility to ensure you have been charged correctly. If you have a plan manager they may not know if that session was provided at home or in clinic so make sure to review your invoices regularly.
- Check the time billed on your invoices – with the new 10 minute intervals, this should be easier. Not all sessions will be 1 hour.
- Collaborate with people in your area to share the travel costs of a single therapist.
- Travel to the clinic or office when available – if suitable try do some sessions at the clinic so you don’t have to pay ANY travel costs.
- Consider Teletherapy if there are no therapists near you – give it ago, it’s not just a video call. Therapists use specific methods to engage with patients online.
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