NDIS Physiotherapy: What's Covered, What It Costs and How to Make Your Funding Go Further
Your plan says Capacity Building. Your physio talks about functional goals. Here's what both mean for the sessions you can actually book.
NDIS physiotherapy can do a lot for strength, mobility and independence, but most participants have a more practical worry: will the funding last? This guide decodes the parts of your plan that pay for physio, what each session really draws from your budget and how to make it go further. It's written for participants, families and carers on the Gold Coast, in Logan and in Brisbane.
Does the NDIS Cover Physiotherapy?
Yes. The NDIS funds physiotherapy when it relates to your disability, supports goals in your plan and meets the "reasonable and necessary" criteria. It's usually paid from the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living budget. Physio for short-term injuries or conditions unrelated to your disability isn't covered.
Whether your sessions are funded comes down to that one test: is the support reasonable and necessary for you?
What "Reasonable and Necessary" Means in Practice
The wording sounds legal, but the questions behind it are fairly plain. When the NDIA looks at physiotherapy in your plan, it's asking:
Is it related to your disability? Physio for a stroke-related walking difficulty fits. Physio for a sprained ankle from netball usually doesn't.
Does it help you pursue a goal in your plan? "Walk to the shops on my own" gives physio a clear job. "Get fitter" on its own is harder to link.
Is it value for money? The NDIA weighs the cost against the benefit and against other ways of reaching the same goal.
Is it likely to work? Evidence-based therapy with measurable progress carries more weight.
Is the NDIS the right system to pay? Treatment the health system usually provides, such as hospital rehab after surgery, isn't an NDIS support.
In practice, your physio's job isn't only to treat you. It's to show, in writing, how each block of sessions connects to your disability and your goals.
When the NDIS Won't Fund Physiotherapy
Physio usually falls outside your NDIS plan when it's for:
a short-term injury, such as a sprain or strain, that isn't linked to your disability
a health condition unrelated to the disability in your plan
acute or post-surgical rehabilitation that the health system is responsible for
general fitness with no clear link to a disability-related goal
For these, Medicare, private health insurance or paying privately are the usual routes.
Which Part of Your NDIS Plan Pays for Physiotherapy
Physio is usually paid from your Capacity Building budget, in the category called Improved Daily Living. You may see it written as CB Daily Activity in your plan or your plan manager's portal. This is the part of your plan set aside for therapy and building skills.
Capacity Building funding can't be moved into other budgets. Within Improved Daily Living, though, the money is usually shared across therapies. If you also see an occupational therapist or speech pathologist, all of them may be drawing on the same amount.
Where to Find It in Your Plan
Look for the funded supports section and find Capacity Building. Unless your plan says otherwise, the Improved Daily Living amount covers the whole plan period, not a single year or month. Divide it by the number of months your plan runs to get a rough monthly figure to stay within.
Some newer plans release funding in set periods, such as every three months, rather than all at once. If yours does, budget your sessions period by period.
Equipment Your Physio Recommends
Your physio's time assessing for and recommending equipment comes from Improved Daily Living. The equipment itself is usually funded separately: low-cost items from your Core budget and higher-cost assistive technology from your Capital budget.
What's Changing From 1 October 2026
From 1 October 2026, the government began reducing funding for improved daily living skills supports, which is where most therapy sits, by 10 per cent. The change is applied plan by plan over 12 months as plans are created, reassessed or renewed. Some supports are excluded, and it doesn't apply to new framework plans.
You can keep using your current plan until it's reassessed or renewed. If your reassessment is coming up, it's one more reason to make sure every session is tied to a goal and backed by a progress report.
What NDIS Physiotherapy Can Include
NDIS physiotherapy is built around function: the everyday things your disability makes harder. Depending on your goals, it can include the following.
Neurological Rehabilitation
For participants living with stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury or cerebral palsy, neurological physiotherapy works on movement, balance, transfers and walking. It can also address spasticity and stiffness that get in the way of daily tasks. If you're recovering from a stroke, our stroke rehabilitation page explains how that work usually progresses.
In our clinic we use VALD force-plate testing to measure strength and balance, so progress shows up in the numbers as well as in how you feel. That data also gives your plan reassessment something concrete to work with.
Mobility, Balance and Falls Prevention
If moving around your home or community feels unsafe, physio can target the specific movements that worry you: getting up from a chair, managing steps, turning in tight spaces or walking on uneven ground. Falls prevention often pairs strength and balance training with practical changes at home.
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is physiotherapy in a warm pool. The water takes load off your joints and supports you while you practise standing, stepping and balance. It's delivered as physiotherapy, so it's usually claimed from Improved Daily Living, but pool entry is generally not covered by the NDIS. Our guide What Is Hydrotherapy, and Who Is It Actually For? covers who it suits and what a session involves.
Home Exercise Programs
A home program is the set of exercises you do between sessions, on your own or with help from family or support workers. It keeps the work going on days your physio isn't there, which can mean fewer billed sessions to reach the same goal.
Assistive Technology Input
Physios assess for and recommend mobility aids and equipment such as walking frames, wheelchairs, orthoses and bathroom aids. That can include custom orthoses, such as a Turtlebrace, to help manage spasticity. For higher-cost items, the NDIS usually needs a written assessment explaining why the item is needed.
Progress Reports for Plan Reassessments
Your physio can write reports showing what's changed, what still needs work and what support you'll need next. A clear report is often the strongest evidence you can bring to a plan reassessment. Report writing is billable time, so it's worth planning for.
What NDIS Physiotherapy Costs
This is where budgets quietly burn. The hourly session rate is only one part of what can be claimed from your plan.
The NDIS Physiotherapy Price Limit for 2026-27
Under the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, which took effect on 1 July 2026, the national price limit for physiotherapy is $183.99 per hour. That's unchanged from 2025-26.
Price limits are the most a provider can claim for agency-managed and plan-managed participants. Providers can charge less. If you self-manage, you're not bound by the price limit but are still expected to get value for money, so agree on rates in your service agreement before you start.
Travel Charges for Home Visits
Physios who come to you can claim travel time at up to half the hourly rate. For physiotherapy that's up to $92.00 per hour of travel, capped at 30 minutes each way in metro areas, which covers most of the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane.
Here's what that can look like. A one-hour home visit with the full 30 minutes of travel each way could draw up to about $276 from your budget. The same hour in the clinic draws up to $183.99.
Home visits are often worth it, especially when your goal is about moving safely in your own home. Just ask any provider, us included, how they charge travel before you book.
Reports and Non-Face-to-Face Time
Work your physio does on your behalf when you're not in the room can be claimed at the same hourly rate if it's in your service agreement. That includes writing reports, preparing your home program and talking with your support coordinator, GP or other therapists. Reports the NDIA requests directly have their own line item.
A detailed report can take a few hours to write, so ask for an estimate up front and plan it into your budget.
Short-Notice Cancellations
If you cancel at short notice or don't show up, the provider can claim up to the full session price from your plan. The notice period comes from the NDIS rules and should be set out in your service agreement. Give as much notice as you can, and ask whether your provider waives the fee in some situations.
What Can Be Claimed From Your Plan
Charge | What can be claimed | Usually paid from |
Physio session | Up to $183.99 per hour | Improved Daily Living |
Provider travel | Up to $92.00 per hour, capped at 30 minutes each way in metro areas | Improved Daily Living |
Reports and non-face-to-face work | Up to $183.99 per hour, if in your service agreement | Improved Daily Living |
Short-notice cancellation | Up to the full session price | Improved Daily Living |
Hydrotherapy pool entry | Generally not covered | Paid by you |
Equipment | Depends on the item and its cost | Core (low cost) or Capital (higher cost) |
Self, Plan or Agency Managed: Which NDIS Physio Providers Can You Use?
How your plan is managed decides who you can see, so it's worth knowing before you start looking for an NDIS physio provider.
Plan management | Registered providers | Unregistered providers | Price limit applies |
Self-managed | Yes | Yes | No, but value for money is expected |
Plan-managed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Agency-managed (NDIA-managed) | Yes | No | Yes |
Registered vs Unregistered Providers
Registered providers have been through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's registration process. Unregistered providers haven't, but physiotherapists are still registered health practitioners with AHPRA and must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct.
If you self-manage or use a plan manager, registration status doesn't limit your choice. If your plan is agency-managed, it does.
Can You See Pimpama Physiotherapy?
We work with self-managed and plan-managed participants. If your plan is agency-managed, get in touch and we'll talk through your options.
At Home or in the Clinic: Which Suits Your Goals?
We offer NDIS physiotherapy at our Pimpama clinic and through home visits across the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane. Neither is better across the board. The right setting depends on your goals and your budget.
In-Home Sessions
You practise in the places that matter: your stairs, your bathroom, your car.
There's no need to arrange transport or a support worker to get to a clinic.
They suit participants who tire quickly or find travel hard.
Travel time may be claimed from your plan.
Find out more about in-home physiotherapy.
Sessions at Our Pimpama Clinic
You have access to equipment and VALD force-plate testing for objective progress measures.
There's space for more intensive, equipment-based sessions.
There are no provider travel charges, so more of your budget goes on therapy.
We're at 29 Dixon Drive, Pimpama.
Many participants mix the two: clinic sessions for intensive work and testing, and home visits to put it into practice where they live. Our team works across both neurological and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, so if you're managing a neurological condition and an everyday sore back or knee, you don't need two providers. Read more about our NDIS physiotherapy on the Gold Coast.
How to Get Started With NDIS Physiotherapy
1. Check Your Plan and Talk to Your Support Team
Confirm you have Improved Daily Living funding and how your plan is managed. You don't need a GP referral for NDIS physiotherapy. If you have a support coordinator, they can help you choose a provider and send through details on our referral page.
2. Set Up a Service Agreement
A service agreement sets out what you'll receive, what it costs and how travel, reports and cancellations are charged. Read it closely. It's the document that protects your budget.
3. Your First Assessment and Goal Setting
Your first session is an assessment. Your physio will look at how you move, talk through what's hardest day to day and link it to the goals in your plan. You should leave knowing what you're working on, roughly how many sessions it may take and what it's likely to cost.
Checklist: What to Have Ready Before Your First Session
Your NDIS number and plan start and end dates
The goals page of your NDIS plan
How your plan is managed, plus your plan manager's details if you have one
Your support coordinator's details, if you have one
Recent reports from doctors, specialists or other therapists
A list of the equipment and mobility aids you use now
Two or three everyday tasks you'd most like to find easier
Who should receive copies of your reports
Getting the Most From Your NDIS Physiotherapy Funding
Tie Every Session to a Plan Goal
Ask your physio which goal each block of sessions is working towards. If a session can't be linked to a goal, it's fair to ask whether it belongs in your NDIS budget.
Do Your Home Program Between Sessions
Practice between visits is where much of the change happens. Ask for a program you can realistically fit into your week, and ask whether family or support workers can help.
Ask for a Budget Forecast Up Front
Ask your physio to map out sessions, travel and reports across your plan period. Check your spending with your plan manager every month or two so there are no surprises in the final months.
Mix Clinic and Home Visits
If travel charges are eating into your budget, ask whether some sessions could happen in the clinic instead.
Time Your Progress Report for Plan Reassessment
Ask for your progress report well before your reassessment date. A report that shows measured change and explains what you still need gives the NDIA something concrete to fund.
Talk to Us About Your NDIS Plan
Not sure how far your funding will stretch, or whether physio fits your goals? We'll give you an honest view of what physiotherapy can and can't help with, then build your sessions around your goals and your budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does NDIS physiotherapy cost per hour?
The 2026-27 national price limit for physiotherapy is $183.99 per hour, and providers can charge less. Travel, reports and short-notice cancellations can also be claimed from your plan, so ask for a full breakdown before you start.
Do I need a GP referral for NDIS physiotherapy?
No. You need therapy funding in your plan, usually in Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living. A support coordinator can refer you, or you can contact a physio directly.
Can I see an unregistered physio with NDIS funding?
Yes, if your plan is self-managed or plan-managed. Agency-managed participants must use NDIS-registered providers.
Does the NDIS pay for physio travel to my home?
It can. Physios can claim travel at up to half the hourly rate, which is $92.00 per hour for physiotherapy, capped at 30 minutes each way in metro areas. It comes from the same budget as your sessions.
Can I use NDIS funding for hydrotherapy?
Yes, when it's delivered by a physiotherapist and is reasonable and necessary for your goals. It's usually claimed from Improved Daily Living. Pool entry fees are generally not covered.
What happens if my physio funding runs out before my plan ends?
Your provider can't claim more than your budget holds. Talk to your support coordinator or the NDIA early. If your needs have changed, you can ask for a plan reassessment, ideally backed by a report from your physio.
Can I get five free physio sessions through Medicare instead?
Not free. With a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, you may get a Medicare rebate on up to five allied health sessions each calendar year, shared across all allied health services. You pay the fee and claim part of it back.
What is no longer covered by the NDIS?
The NDIS now publishes lists of what is and isn't an NDIS support. Day-to-day living costs and supports another system is responsible for, such as health care, aren't covered. From 1 October 2026, funding for improved daily living skills supports is also being reduced by 10 per cent as plans are reassessed or renewed.
This information is general and is not a substitute for an individual assessment. Please book an appointment for advice tailored to you.
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