Key points:
- Costs for transport are billed separately from the support services delivered by the provider.
- Costs may include travel time for the provider and other transport-related expenses.
- The participant must agree to these costs in advance.
- Costs must be split if there is more than one participant involved.
Travel costs for a provider delivering face-to-face support.
Sometimes, support providers need to travel to your home or a respite location to deliver supports. In these cases, they can charge your NDIS Plan for their travel costs if:
- You have agreed in advance, usually in a Service Agreement
- The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits allow travel costs for the support item
- The claim follows the Price Limits guide
- The activity is linked to delivering specific disability support
- The support is face-to-face (not online)
- The provider can show why it is a good use of NDIS funds
- Travel time can be claimed only if (a) the provider is being paid by their employer for travel time or (b) the provider is a sole trader.
How providers can charge for travel time.
The NDIS uses 7 zones determined by population and location to set prices for supports and services, including travel allowance for providers. Zone 1 includes major cities, while zone 7 covers very remote areas. All of the other zones sit in between. The amount of time providers can charge for travelling to a participant to deliver support services depends on the zone.
- Zones 1–3: up to 30 minutes
- Zones 4–5: up to 60 minutes
- Zones 6–7 (remote and very remote): as agreed, up to the hourly rate for that support.
You can find out which zone applies on page 27 of the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2024-25.
If a provider is delivering Core or Capacity Building supports, they can also charge for the time spent travelling from the last participant to their usual workplace (if the worker is being paid by their employer for travel time). The zone determines how much return travel time they can claim.
Other travel-related costs a provider can charge.
A provider might have other travel costs when delivering face-to-face support, like parking, tolls or running costs for their vehicle (petrol and maintenance). These can only be charged if the support item allows time for travel.
Under the NDIS, you may need to make a reasonable contribution from your NDIS Plan toward these costs, such as:
- Up to $0.99 per kilometre for a vehicle owned by the provider or worker
- Up to the full amount for other transport costs (tolls, parking, public transport).
What can providers charge for activity-based transport?
‘Activity-based transport’ is when you hire a provider to take you to and from activities covered by your NDIS Plan (for example, a community event).
Providers of Core Supports > Assistance with social, economic, and community participation and some Capacity Building supports can claim these transport costs. Remember, you need to agree in advance.
How this works and the agreed costs are usually included in your Service Agreement with the provider.
Not all Capacity Building supports can charge activity-based transport. The following are permitted:
- Finding and keeping a job > Employment support
- Improved learning > Transition through school and to further education
- Improved living arrangements > Assistance with accommodation and tenancy obligations
- Increased social and community participation > Life transition planning
- Support coordination > Psychosocial recovery coaching
- Increased social and community participation > Skills development and training
- Improved relationships > Individual social skills development.
Activity-based transport costs the NDIS may cover.
If a worker drives you to an activity and back, they can claim for travel time and related costs.
Activity-based transport: travel time.
The provider can charge for the time spent taking you to the activity and bringing you back. This can be charged at the hourly rate for the relevant support, if you agree.
Activity-based transport: other costs.
Similar to face-to-face support, delivering activity-based support might involve tolls, parking or car upkeep. Providers can ask you to pay a fair share from your NDIS Plan funds, typically:
- Up to $0.99 per kilometre for a regular vehicle
- Up to $2.76 per kilometre for a modified vehicle or bus
- Up to the full amount for tolls, parking and public transport
Providers can only charge these costs if they relate directly to the support and you have agreed to them beforehand.
Top tip: Activity-based transport costs are not subject to NDIS price limits. However, you may be able to negotiate a lower hourly rate in your Service Agreement.
An example of how activity-based transport costs work under the NDIS.
A provider is delivering Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation. They drive a participant to the local pool and back and help them in the pool:
- 25 minutes driving to the pool and setting up
- 40 minutes providing support in the pool
- 20 minutes driving the participant home
- Hourly rate: $50 (for both support and transport time)
- The participant also covers the car park fee ($4.50) and running costs at $0.85/km for 20 km.
The provider would charge:
- $33.33 for 40 minutes of direct support (at $50/hour)
- $37.50 for 45 minutes of transport time (at $50/hour)
- $21.50 for non-labour costs ($17 for mileage plus $4.50 parking).
Billing for activity-based provider transport costs.
- Costs should be claimed against the relevant activity-based transport support item.
- These support items can be delivered to individual participants and groups of participants subject to the rules set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
- Claims should be made using the relevant support item against your core budget.
- Providers must separate support costs and travel costs on invoices. In some cases, this means three separate costs will appear.
- If a worker incurs costs transporting more than one participant, travel costs can be split between the participants (called ‘apportioning’) if each participant agrees in advance.
Looking for information about how the NDIS funds transport costs for participants? Check out Travel and transport funding under the NDIS. Or check out Support categories for more details about recurring transport funding.
Originally published 5 January 2022, revised and updated 11 March 2024 and 25 March 2025.
Further reading.
Travel and transport funding under the NDIS.