Starting an NDIS Therapy Practice (Allied Health): The Provider Playbook
How to set up as an NDIS therapy provider — registration, therapy price limits, wages vs margin, reports and cash flow under the 2026 reforms.
What counts as an NDIS therapy provider
Registered vs unregistered: what a therapist actually needs
Qualifications, AHPRA and worker screening
The money: what you charge vs what the work costs
Billable extras: travel, non-face-to-face and cancellations
Setting up the business
Reports, notes and the Code of Conduct
Cash flow under 'prove and pay' and the 90-day window
Worked example: a solo OT, first year
Reform watch: what commenced vs what is still a Bill
Getting discovered by participants and coordinators
Your next decision
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to register with the NDIS Commission to work as a therapist?
Not currently. Unregistered allied health providers can deliver therapy to self-managed and plan-managed participants, but cannot bill NDIA-managed (agency-managed) plans — that access is the main reason therapists register. Registration is expanding to more supports from 1 July 2027 and full by 2030, and a differentiated-pricing consultation is expected in H2 2026, so confirm whether your discipline stays optional before assuming it will.
How much can an NDIS therapy provider charge per hour?
You charge up to the therapy price limit in the current PAPL for your discipline — several times higher than support-work rates. Under the 2025-26 PAPL most allied health therapy sat around $193.99 per hour, with psychology higher; the 2026-27 PAPL applies from 1 July 2026, so confirm your exact line item. Remember the cap is a maximum, not take-home — it must absorb insurance, super, non-billable time and overhead.
Can I claim for writing reports and travel?
Yes, when it is agreed in the service agreement and within the PAPL rules. Report writing and case conferencing are claimable as non-face-to-face supports at your hourly rate, and provider travel is claimable subject to time limits and MMM-region caps. You cannot bill a participant for these after the fact if they were not agreed in advance.
What qualifications do I need to be an NDIS therapy provider?
The recognised qualification for your discipline plus, where regulated, current AHPRA registration — for example OTs, physios, psychologists and podiatrists. Self-regulated professions (speech pathology, dietetics, exercise physiology) evidence competency through their professional bodies. You also work under the NDIS Code of Conduct, and if registered you need Worker Screening Checks.
How do the 2026 payment reforms affect a therapy practice?
'Prove and pay' digital claiming begins from July 2026, so your notes and consent must be claim-ready in real time rather than reconstructed later. A 90-day claim window is also proposed from 1 December 2026 (bill-dependent), meaning unbilled sessions older than 90 days could become unclaimable — invoice weekly and keep a cash buffer for the payment lag.