The Heartbreaking Reality of NDIS Travel Fee Changes: What It Means for Clients Who Need In-Home Support

Allied Admin Partners
Jun 18
3 min read

The 2025–26 NDIS pricing changes have sparked intense concern among providers and support workers across Australia. One of the most significant and devastating adjustments is the reduction and capping of travel fees for service providers.

While this may appear as a cost-saving measure on paper, its real-world effect is already being felt, and it is profoundly impacting the lives of NDIS participants who rely on in-home services.

Clients Are Losing Access to Support at Home

For thousands of Australians living with disability, accessing therapy and support at home is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Whether due to mobility challenges, cognitive impairments, behavioural concerns, or mental health conditions, many NDIS participants cannot travel to clinics or community settings for their care. The ability for a practitioner to come to them is life-changing, and in many cases, life-sustaining.

But with the reduction in travel reimbursements, practitioners are being forced to make heartbreaking decisions. In some areas, providers have already begun to off-board clients, particularly those located further away or in regional and semi-rural locations. They will be losing thousands of dollars each week simply by continuing to support their current caseloads under the new capped travel pricing. It’s not sustainable, no matter how committed or compassionate the provider may be.

Who Is Affected?

The clients most at risk include:

Participants in rural and regional areas where providers must travel long distances
Clients with high needs who cannot leave their homes due to physical, intellectual or behavioural barriers
Children with complex developmental support requirements
Participants in shared accommodation or supported independent living (SIL) who require coordinated on-site services
Clients who previously built trusted therapeutic relationships with mobile practitioners

These individuals are now at risk of being left behind, simply because the financial model no longer supports mobile service delivery under NDIS funding.

The Emotional Toll

Beyond the logistics, there is a human cost to this change. Providers are having emotional conversations with families, explaining why they can no longer continue their service, not because they don’t want to, but because continuing to do so would mean running their businesses at a loss.

Clients who have formed strong therapeutic relationships are being told that their support must end. In some cases, there are no alternative options available locally, and the participant may have to go without care indefinitely.

This is more than an administrative issue, this is a disruption to trust, stability, progress, and wellbeing. For some clients, it may mean regression in behaviour, communication, mobility, or emotional regulation. For families, it may mean increased carer burden and heightened stress.

What Are the Alternatives?

The truth is, in many cases, there are no practical alternatives. Regional and remote areas already face workforce shortages. The providers who were willing to travel to homes, often at their own expense, will now be priced out of that work.

Telehealth may work for some clients, but certainly not all. Complex behavioural interventions, speech development for young children, or hands-on occupational therapy simply cannot be replicated through a screen, especially not in homes without strong internet or quiet, distraction-free environments.

A Call for Consideration

While the intent of the NDIS travel pricing change may have been to control excessive billing, the implementation has come at a significant cost to service access and client equity. It disproportionately affects those who are already disadvantaged, those who cannot leave home, who live remotely, or who require personalised, face-to-face support.

At Allied Admin Partners, we work with providers every day who are now grappling with these decisions. We hear the heartbreak. We see the impact. And we believe that a sustainable system should not come at the cost of human dignity and essential care.

We urge the NDIA and policymakers to re-evaluate the long-term consequences of these pricing adjustments. Because behind every hour lost, every kilometre unpaid, and every client off-boarded, there is a real person. A person who deserves better.

If you're a provider impacted by these changes or a participant who has lost access to care, please know you're not alone. We’re here to support you, advocate with you, and continue raising awareness of the challenges this sector faces.

Stay informed. Stay connected. And most importantly, stay vocal.