Key points.
- Provider travel costs are billed separately from the support services delivered
- Costs may include travel time and other transport-related expenses
- You must agree to these costs in advance, usually in your Service Agreement
- Costs must be split if more than one participant is involved.
What are NDIS provider travel charges?
NDIS provider travel charges are the costs a provider can pass on to your NDIS Plan for travelling to deliver a support, such as driving time plus related expenses like fuel or tolls. These are separate from the cost of the support itself.
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 allows travel costs for the support item
- The claim follows the current pricing and claiming rules
- The activity is linked to delivering specific disability support
- The support is face-to-face, not online
- The provider can explain how it is a good use of NDIS funds.
Good to know. Travel time can be claimed only if the provider is being paid by their employer for travel time, or the provider is a sole trader.
How much can a provider charge for travel?
The NDIS uses seven zones, based on the Modified Monash Model, to set how much travel time providers can charge. Zone 1 includes major cities, while zone 7 covers very remote areas.
- Zones 1 to 3: up to 30 minutes each way
- Zones 4 to 5: up to 60 minutes each way
- Zones 6 to 7 (remote and very remote): as agreed, up to the hourly rate for that support.
You can find out more about the zones on page 30 of the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26.
If a provider is delivering Core or Capacity Building supports, they can also charge for the return time spent travelling from the last client to their usual workplace, if the worker is paid by their employer for travel time.
- For Core supports: Providers can charge for travel at the same hourly rate as the support they are delivering, or at a lower rate if agreed with you.
- For Capacity Building supports: Providers can charge up to 50% of their usual hourly price limit for travel time.
Other travel-related costs a provider can charge.
A provider might have other travel costs (non-labour costs) when delivering face-to-face support, such as parking, tolls or vehicle running costs. These can only be charged if the support item allows claims for provider travel time.
The NDIS allows providers to invoice for 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, such as tolls, parking or public transport.
What can providers charge for activity-based transport?
‘Activity-based transport’ is when a provider, who is supporting you in the community, takes you to and from the activity they are supporting you in.
Providers of Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation and some Capacity Building supports can claim these transport costs, if you agree in advance. This should be set out in your Service Agreement.
Activity-based transport costs the NDIS may cover.
If a worker drives you to an activity and back, they can charge for travel time at the hourly rate for the relevant support, plus related costs such as:
- 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
Top tip. The hourly rate for provider travel time is still subject to the relevant NDIS pricing rules. However, activity-based transport costs charged per kilometre are not subject to NDIS price limits, so you may be able to negotiate these costs.
An example of how activity-based transport costs work.
A provider drives a participant to the local pool, helps them in the pool, then drives them home:
- 25 minutes driving to the pool
- 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 $0.99 per km for 20 km
The provider would charge $33.33 for 40 minutes of direct support, $37.50 for 45 minutes of transport time, and $24.30 for non-labour costs ($19.80 mileage plus $4.50 parking).
How to bill for activity-based provider transport costs.
Claim activity-based transport costs against the relevant support item.
It can be tricky to choose the correct non-labour or activity-based transport support item. Make sure the travel line item matches the registration group used for the primary support, paying particular attention to the third section of the support item number.
For example, a support worker providing yard maintenance may use 01_019_0120_1_1 for the primary support and 01_799_0120_1_1 for the associated non-labour travel costs.
Providers should also:
- Separate support and travel costs on invoices
- Split travel costs between participants when transporting more than one participant, if everyone agrees in advance.
Looking for how the NDIS funds transport for you directly, rather than provider travel? Check out Travel and transport funding under the NDIS. If you’re a provider wanting detailed guidance on claiming and line items, read Claiming NDIS-funded travel for providers.
Originally published 5 January 2022, revised and updated 11 March 2024, 25 March 2025 and 11 August 2026.
