Know Your Rights: NDIS Pricing Updates

With recent updates to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (formerly known as the price guide), it’s important to understand how these changes may affect services—and what your rights are as an NDIS participant.

Can providers raise their prices with the update ?

Not automatically. A provider can only change their rates due to a pricing update if:

• Your service agreement says they can.

  • e.g. it says prices may be updated when the NDIS price guide changes

OR

• You voluntarily agree to the updated pricing.

If neither of these apply, the provider is generally expected to honour the rates in your current service agreement until it is due for review or renewal.

If you're unsure whether your agreement includes such a clause, or you feel pressured into accepting new pricing, speak with your support coordinator, local area coordinator (LAC) or an advocate.

What about plan indexing?

In theory, the NDIA may index your plan budget to reflect price increases. However, recent trends suggest this might not always happen automatically or consistently.

You can request that your plan is indexed to ensure it is keeping up with the new price limits. That said, it’s important to be aware:

• The NDIA has discretion over when plans are reassessed. For participants with higher levels of psychology or other therapies—particularly in older or extended plans—there is anecdotal evidence that small requests (such as indexing) can sometimes result in unexpected changes or a plan reassessment, with limited time to produce supporting documentation.

  
  

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, and the outcomes can vary depending on your situation.

Need support?

If you’re unsure how these changes affect you, feel free to speak with your support coordinator, Local Area Coordinator (LAC), or an advocacy service. They can help you review your agreements, communicate with providers, and understand your options in a way that protects your rights and meets your needs.