How much does an NDIS support worker cost?

This is the question people are most nervous about asking, and it has a clearer answer than most of the NDIS. Providers cannot simply set their own price.

The NDIA sets a maximum price

Every year the NDIA publishes the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. It lists a maximum price for each kind of support. A registered provider cannot charge you more than that limit.

They can charge less, and some do. But the limit is a ceiling, not a fixed price, so it is fair to ask a provider what they actually charge.

We have deliberately not printed dollar figures here. The price guide is updated at least once a year, and a number typed into a web page goes out of date quietly. Always check the current price guide on the NDIS website, or ask your provider for their rates in writing.

Four things change what you pay

1. Which support it is

Everyday personal care and household help sit at one price level. Supports that need more training cost more. Care the NDIS calls high intensity — things like tube feeding or seizure medication — has its own higher limit, because the worker must be trained and checked by a nurse. Nursing itself is different again.

2. What day and time

This is the one that surprises people. The price guide has separate limits for:

• Weekday daytime — the lowest
• Weekday evening
• Weekday night
• Saturday
• Sunday
• Public holidays — the highest

If your visit could happen on a Tuesday just as easily as a Sunday, moving it can stretch your budget a long way over a year.

3. On your own, or in a group

One worker helping one person is the most expensive way to be supported. If a worker supports two or three people at once, the cost is shared, and your budget goes further.

For personal care, one-to-one is usually the only sensible option. But for getting out, a group of three often means three times as many days out for the same money.

4. Travel and other charges

These are legitimate and allowed by the price guide, but they should never be a surprise. Ask a provider directly whether they charge for:

• Provider travel — the worker's time getting to you
• Non-face-to-face time — writing reports about your support
• Short shifts — some providers have a minimum
• Cancellations — how much notice you must give

What should be in writing

Before any support starts, your service agreement should tell you:

1. Which supports you are getting
2. How often, and for how long each time
3. The exact price for each one, at each time of day
4. Whether travel is charged, and how
5. How much notice you must give to cancel
6. How much notice they will give you

If a provider will not put the prices in writing before you sign, that tells you something important.

Three ways to make your budget go further

Book weekdays where you can. The same help costs less Monday to Friday during the day.

Combine visits. One worker doing personal care and the housework in one visit is cheaper than two separate trips.

Use a nurse to train your worker. If you need a clinical task done regularly, paying a nurse to train and sign off your usual support worker is often far cheaper than paying nursing rates for every single visit.

What we charge

VSG Home Care charges in line with the NDIA price guide. You get your exact rates in writing before anything starts, and nothing is charged to your plan until you have signed. If you would like to go through the numbers with someone, ask us for a free chat — there is no cost and no obligation.