NDIS support worker rates 2025-26
What a support worker costs across every shift type under the 2025-26 NDIS price limits — weekday, evening, night, Saturday, Sunday, public holiday and sleepover — plus travel, cancellation and how it all fits your Core budget.
The single most useful number to know is the standard weekday support-worker rate: $70.23 an hour. Almost every other support-worker price is that figure plus a loading for the time of day or day of the week. Once you can read the table below, your invoices stop being a mystery — you can check that what a provider charged matches what the NDIS actually allows.
Every figure on this page is a maximum price limit set by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). A provider can charge less, but not more. The rates are the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL) for 2025–26 — the version in effect from 24 November 2025 — for the standard geographic area (most of metropolitan and regional Australia).
NDIS support worker rates 2025-26 (standard intensity, per hour)
| When the support happens | Max price (per hour) |
|---|---|
| Weekday daytime (6am–8pm) | $70.23 |
| Weekday evening (after 8pm) | $77.38 |
| Weekday night / active overnight | $78.81 |
| Saturday | $98.83 |
| Sunday | $127.43 |
| Public holiday | $156.03 |
| Sleepover (inactive overnight, flat per shift) | $297.60 |
National / standard-area price limits, 2025–26 PAPL. These are the limits for the most common line items — "assistance with self-care activities" and "assistance with social, economic and community participation" at standard intensity. Remote areas attract a 40% loading and very remote areas a 50% loading on these figures.
Two things trip people up. First, the rate is set by when the shift happens, not by your worker's seniority — the price limit is the same whether your worker has two months or twenty years of experience. Second, a single shift can cross rate bands: a worker who starts at 7pm and finishes at 9pm bills part of the shift at the weekday daytime rate and part at the evening rate.
Why weekends, evenings and public holidays cost more
Support-worker price limits are built on the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award — the industrial award that sets what disability support workers must legally be paid. The award adds penalty rates for unsociable hours, and the price limits move up with them (by a little less than the full wage penalty, because only part of the price is the worker's wage):
- Evening (after 8pm) adds about 10% — $70.23 becomes $77.38.
- Saturday runs about 40% above the weekday rate — $98.83.
- Sunday is around 80% higher — $127.43.
- Public holidays are about 120% higher — $156.03, the most expensive ordinary support hour there is.
This is worth planning around. If a regular Sunday outing could move to a Saturday, the same two-hour support drops from about $254.86 to $197.66 — nearly $60 saved, every week, without changing anything about the support itself. Over a year that is roughly $3,000 of Core budget freed up for more hours.
Sleepovers and overnight support
An overnight shift is priced one of two ways, and the difference matters for your budget.
A sleepover (the NDIS calls it an "inactive overnight" support) is for when a worker stays overnight and can sleep, but is on hand if you need them. It is a flat rate of about $297.60 for the night, which includes up to two hours of active support. If you need more than two hours of hands-on help during the night, those extra hours are claimed on top at the relevant night or weekend rate.
An active overnight shift is for when a worker is awake and supporting you for most of the night. That is billed by the hour at the night rate ($78.81 on a weekday), and it adds up far faster than a sleepover — an eight-hour active night is over $630, versus $297.60 for a sleepover.
High-intensity and complex support
If you have high or complex support needs — for example, you need a worker with specific training in areas like complex bowel care, ventilation, or severe dysphagia — the NDIS funds a high-intensity support-worker rate. It sits a few dollars above the standard rate, scaling up with the same evening, weekend and public-holiday loadings, and the worker must hold the relevant high-intensity skills descriptor.
High intensity is not a label you choose — it has to match the support actually being delivered, and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission sets out the high-intensity skills a worker needs. If you are being charged the higher rate, it is reasonable to ask which high-intensity support is being provided and what training the worker holds. For the exact high-intensity line-item limits, check the figure against the NDIS Support Catalogue (see "How to verify" below).
Travel, transport and the other costs on your invoice
The hourly rate is rarely the whole invoice. Three other charges are legitimate — and worth understanding so you can spot one that is not.
- Provider travel (worker travel time). A worker can claim for the time they spend travelling to you, up to a cap (generally 30 minutes in metro and regional areas, 60 minutes in remote areas), at the same hourly rate as the support. They can also claim vehicle running costs — a set rate per kilometre (around $0.99/km for an ordinary car, and a higher rate for a modified or wheelchair-accessible vehicle); confirm the current per-km amount in the Support Catalogue.
- Transporting you (activity-based transport). When a worker drives you somewhere as part of your support — to an appointment, the shops, an activity — that is claimed against your Core budget too.
- Short-notice cancellation. If you cancel with less than 7 clear days' notice, the provider may claim 100% of the agreed support price (subject to a yearly cap on how often). It pays to give as much notice as you can.
What a provider cannot do is charge you more than the price limit, add a separate "admin fee" on top of an hourly support, or bill you for travel time beyond the cap. If something on your invoice does not match this guide, the ProviderScout price guide tool lets you look up the limit for any support in seconds.
How these rates fit your plan
Support-worker hours are funded from your Core Supports budget, which is the most flexible part of an NDIS plan — you can generally move funding between support-worker hours, transport and consumables as your needs change across the year. Whether your plan is self-managed, plan-managed or NDIA-managed, the same price limits apply; the only difference is who pays the invoice and whether you can use unregistered providers.
Three practical next steps:
- Use the budget calculator to model how many weekly support hours your Core budget actually buys at these rates.
- Look up any specific support in the price guide tool to confirm the maximum before you sign a service agreement.
- When you are ready, find and compare NDIS support-worker providers in your area on ProviderScout — free, and always free for participants.
How to verify this information
Support-worker price limits change at least once a year (usually on 1 July) and sometimes mid-year, so always confirm a figure against the source before you rely on it:
- The official document is the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits on ndis.gov.au. The current version took effect on 24 November 2025; the NDIA's "updated prices now in effect" notice confirms the change.
- For a specific line item, download the NDIS Support Catalogue (a spreadsheet of every support and its exact price limit) from the same page and search the support name.
- The penalty-rate structure behind these prices is set by the SCHADS Award on fairwork.gov.au.
ProviderScout is an independent directory and is not affiliated with the NDIA. We publish these rates to help participants read their invoices; the NDIA's published documents are always the authority.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NDIS Sunday support worker rate for 2025-26?
The maximum a provider can charge for a standard support worker on a Sunday is $127.43 per hour (national / standard area), under the 2025-26 NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits in effect from 24 November 2025 — roughly 80% above the weekday daytime rate of $70.23, reflecting the Sunday penalty rates support workers are paid. Providers can charge less than this, but not more.
What is the standard NDIS support worker hourly rate?
For 2025-26 the standard weekday daytime support-worker rate is $70.23 per hour (national / standard area). This rose 3.95% from the previous $67.56, reflecting the increase in disability sector wages under the SCHADS Award. Evening, weekend, public-holiday and overnight shifts cost more.
How much does an NDIS sleepover cost?
A sleepover (inactive overnight support, where the worker can sleep but is on hand) is a flat rate of about $297.60 for the night in 2025-26, which includes up to two hours of active support. If more than two hours of hands-on help is needed overnight, the extra hours are claimed on top at the relevant night or weekend rate.
Do NDIS support workers charge more on public holidays?
Yes. A public holiday is the most expensive ordinary support hour, at about $156.03 per hour for a standard support worker in 2025-26 — roughly 120% above the weekday daytime rate. Saturdays are around $98.83 and Sundays $127.43 per hour.
When does the NDIS evening rate start?
The evening (after-8pm) loading applies to weekday support delivered after 8:00pm, lifting the standard rate from $70.23 to about $77.38 per hour. A shift that crosses 8pm is split, with the part before 8pm billed at the daytime rate and the part after at the evening rate.
Can an NDIS provider charge more than these rates?
No. These are maximum price limits set by the NDIA. A registered provider cannot charge above them. A provider can charge less, and agency-managed plans can only use registered providers who agree to the limits. If you have been charged above the limit, check the figure in the NDIS Support Catalogue and raise it with your provider or plan manager.