NDIS Provider Travel Charges Explained

NDIS providers may be able to charge for the time and other costs involved in travelling to deliver support in person.

A travel charge is not automatically wrong, but it should not come as a surprise. The provider should explain what they intend to charge, why the travel is needed and how it will affect your funding before the service begins.

In Short

Provider travel may include travel time and separate costs such as kilometres, parking or tolls. Check what has been agreed, what the current rules allow and how the charge will appear on the invoice.

Provider travel is different from your own transport

Provider travel is the cost of a worker or therapist travelling to deliver support to you.

It is different from:

• A support worker driving you somewhere during a shift
• Transport funding paid to you
• A taxi or rideshare used by you
• Activity-based transport during community support

This article focuses on the provider travelling to or from an appointment, not the cost of transporting the participant.

That distinction matters because different pricing and claiming rules may apply.

A provider may charge for time and other travel costs

Provider travel can involve two different types of cost.

Travel time

This is the worker or therapist’s time spent travelling to deliver the support.

Depending on the support and current rules, a provider may be able to claim for travel to the participant and, in some situations, the return journey.

Non-labour travel costs

These are other costs connected with the journey, such as:

• Vehicle running costs or kilometres
• Parking
• Road tolls
• Public transport fares
• In some remote situations, flights or accommodation

These charges should be explained separately rather than hidden inside the appointment fee.

Current NDIA guidance on provider travel charges explains the travel rules and recent changes affecting therapy providers.

Travel must be agreed before it is charged

The provider should have your agreement in advance before claiming travel costs from your plan.

The service agreement should explain:

• Whether travel time will be charged
• The travel-time rate
• Whether return travel may be charged
• The kilometre or vehicle-cost arrangement
• Whether parking or tolls may be passed on
• How shared travel will be divided
• Which budget is expected to pay

Current NDIA service agreement guidance says the agreement should include the cost of provider travel and any other fees or charges.

If the agreement only says “travel may apply,” ask for more detail before signing.

NDIS Service Agreements: What to Check Before You Sign explains the wider costs and terms worth reviewing before support begins.

Therapy travel has specific current price limits

From 1 July 2025, therapy providers can claim up to half of the relevant therapy price limit for time spent travelling.

Current guidance allows therapy travel time up to:

• 30 minutes each way in metropolitan areas classified as MMM1–3
• 60 minutes each way in regional areas classified as MMM4–5

Different arrangements can apply in remote and very remote areas.

The travel-time amount should be shown separately from the time spent delivering therapy.

For example, if an occupational therapist provides a one-hour home visit, the invoice should make it possible to distinguish:

• The therapy session
• The provider’s travel time
• Any kilometres, parking or tolls

Do not assume the travel rate will be the same as the appointment rate.

The current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits contains the detailed provider-travel rules and examples.

Kilometre rates are not the whole travel charge

People often focus on the number of kilometres and miss the travel-time charge.

A provider may charge for:

• The worker’s time travelling
• A separately agreed contribution to vehicle costs
• Parking or tolls

The kilometre rate should be agreed rather than assumed.

A provider may use a particular rate in its service agreement, but you should be able to see:

• What the rate is
• Which distance is being charged
• Whether the journey is one way or return
• Whether other participants share the travel
• Whether parking or tolls are additional

In practice, I would ask for the likely total travel cost of a normal appointment, not only the kilometre rate.

Shared travel should be divided fairly

A provider may visit more than one participant during the same trip.

Where travel is shared, the provider may divide the allowable travel costs between the participants rather than charging each person for the full journey.

You could ask:

If this trip includes other participants, how will the travel time and other costs be divided?

This matters in regional areas, outreach services and situations where several participants are seen in the same location.

The invoice should still make your portion clear.

Provider travel can use funding quickly

A home visit may be the most useful and appropriate way to provide support. Seeing someone in their real environment can be important for understanding mobility, routines, equipment or safety.

But repeated travel charges can noticeably affect a budget.

Before agreeing to regular home visits, ask:

• What will an average appointment cost including travel?
• Is travel charged in one or both directions?
• Can appointments be coordinated to reduce travel?
• Could some suitable follow-up work happen by telehealth?
• Is there a closer provider who can meet the same need?
• Would a longer but less frequent visit offer better value?

The cheapest option is not automatically the right one. The goal is to understand the cost and decide whether the travel provides reasonable value for the support being delivered.

Check how travel appears on the invoice

Travel time and other travel costs should be clear enough for you to check.

Look for:

• The appointment date
• The support delivered
• The travel time charged
• The rate used for travel time
• The kilometres or other non-labour costs
• Parking or tolls
• Whether the amount matches the service agreement

If something is unclear, ask:

Can you please explain how the travel charge was calculated, including the time, distance, rate and whether the journey was shared with another participant?

How to Check an NDIS Invoice Before You Approve It gives you a wider process for checking support dates, rates, cancellations and other charges.

Watch for charges that are not provider travel

Current NDIA guidance says registered providers must not add separate gap fees, credit-card surcharges or other extra charges on top of an NDIS support.

Legitimate provider-travel costs are different because they are governed by specific travel rules and should be agreed with the participant.

A charge should not be renamed “travel” simply to add a general business or administration fee.

If you do not understand what a cost relates to, ask for the exact service, claiming basis and agreement term before it is paid.

Agree on the cost before the first visit

Before accepting provider travel charges, make sure you know:

1. Whether travel can be charged for that support
2. The rate for travel time
3. The maximum travel time that may be claimed
4. The kilometre or other non-labour costs
5. Whether return travel may apply
6. How shared travel will be divided
7. How the charges will appear on invoices
8. How the ongoing travel will affect your budget

The NDIS Funding Plan Guide helps you check provider travel, service agreements, invoices and other costs before they quietly use more of your funding than expected.