Remote and very remote

Location categories recognising the higher cost of delivering supports in remote areas, which can affect pricing.

What it means

Remote and very remote are location categories that recognise the higher cost and difficulty of delivering supports in some parts of Australia. Distance, travel time, fewer local providers, and higher operating costs all make it harder and more expensive to deliver supports in these areas than in a city or large town.

To reflect this, the NDIS pricing rules allow higher price limits in remote and very remote areas. These higher limits are often called loadings. They mean a provider can charge more for the same support in a remote location than they could elsewhere, because the real cost of delivering it is higher.

In practice

If you live in a remote or very remote area, the loadings help make supports more available by making it viable for providers to travel to you or operate locally. Whether a loading applies depends on the location where the support is delivered and the pricing rules that cover that support.

For participants, this can mean the price limit for a support is higher than the standard rate, but it does not reduce your funding unfairly, because plans are built with your location in mind. If you are unsure whether a loading applies to your supports, ask your provider, plan manager, or support coordinator. They can check the current pricing rules and explain how the location category affects the price limits for your supports.

A real example

For example, Priya lives in a very remote community and needs regular support work. A provider from the nearest large town is willing to travel to her because the remote loading allows a higher price limit that covers the extra cost of the trip. This makes it viable for the provider to deliver the support that would otherwise be hard to arrange.

Remote and very remote — FAQs

What do remote and very remote mean in the NDIS?
They are location categories that recognise the higher cost and difficulty of delivering supports in remote and very remote parts of Australia. Because of distance, travel, and fewer local providers, delivering supports in these areas costs more. The NDIS pricing rules respond to this by allowing higher price limits, known as loadings, in these locations.
What is a remote loading?
A loading is a higher price limit that can apply to supports delivered in remote and very remote areas. It reflects the extra cost of delivering supports where distance and travel make it more expensive. The loading lets a provider charge more for the same support than they could in a city, helping make supports more available.
Will a loading reduce my funding?
No. Loadings raise the price limit for supports in remote areas, but plans are built with your location in mind, so the funding reflects the cost of delivering your supports where you live. A support may cost more per hour than the standard rate, but this is expected in remote areas and is accounted for when your plan is prepared.
How do I know if my area counts as remote or very remote?
Whether an area is classified as remote or very remote is based on official location categories used in the pricing rules. Your provider, plan manager, or support coordinator can check how your location is classified and whether a loading applies to your supports. The classification depends on where the support is actually delivered.
Why are supports more expensive in remote areas?
Delivering supports in remote areas costs more because of longer travel times, greater distances, higher operating costs, and fewer local providers. The higher price limits recognise these real costs. Without them, it would often not be viable for providers to travel to or operate in remote areas, which would leave participants with even fewer options.

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