How to make your NDIS funding go further

Key takeaways:

• Online and clinic sessions cost the same under NDIS pricing, but in-home visits come with a travel surcharge.
• Leaning on online sessions can stretch a $15,000 budget by an extra 15-20 sessions a year.
• Check your budget mid-year, not just at review time, to help it stretch further.

Let’s be real: NDIS budgets rarely go as far as anyone would like. Every day, we’re talking to participants and their families, and are seeing NDIS plans continue to be cut.

Right now, getting the most out of your funding matters. The good news is that how you access therapy, whether online, in a clinic, or in-home, can change how long your funding lasts.

How your therapy delivery choice affects your NDIS budget

Let’s look at an example of Sarah. Sarah’s a hypothetical participant we’ve made up to help demonstrate this.

She has $15,000 for occupational therapy across her whole plan, which will be released in instalments as part of funding periods.

Now let’s say Sarah needs a 1-hour weekly session and chooses a mobile provider.

Under the current NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, occupational therapy tops out at $193.99 per hour, with in-home visits adding a $97 per hour charge. The travel charge increases to $135.80 for remote clients and $145.50 for very remote clients.

If Sarah can book in-clinic sessions and has the capacity to travel to the clinic, that's great.

However, in many cases, high demand means clinics have long waitlists, and a person’s disability can make travelling to a clinic difficult. This can also risk leaving funding unspent.

That is why online therapy can be a great solution for Sarah.

In-home visits are valuable when they're genuinely needed, but travel charges can quickly eat into a therapy budget. Using online therapy for regular, ongoing sessions and saving in-home visits for when they are really needed can help Sarah's $15,000 stretch to an extra 15-20 sessions a year compared with using mobile therapy for every session.

That's the difference between fortnightly support and something closer to weekly support.

Why this actually matters

More therapy sessions aren’t just a higher number on a spreadsheet. They can translate into real, practical benefits.

More frequent access can mean steadier progress, since skills and strategies are reinforced regularly instead of losing momentum between sessions.

It can also mean more time to build familiarity and consistency with your therapist, someone who understands your history, goals, and what works for you, rather than having to re-explain yourself every time.

And having enough funding for regular sessions can mean fewer gaps in support, since you’re less likely to run out of funding partway through the year.

Getting more out of your own budget

1. Ask MyCareSpace to connect you with a provider offering telehealth. It's now got its own claimable item under the 2026-27 pricing schedule.
2. Save in-home visits for when they actually earn their keep, such as an initial assessment.
3. Check in with your plan manager or support coordinator each funding period, not just at review time, so nothing sneaks up on you.
4. Always check the rate against NDIS published pricing. This can help you avoid paying more than the NDIS rate. If there’s room for negotiation, you can also ask the provider about their rates.