The new NDIS Pricing Schedule for 2026–27 has been released and applies from 1 July 2026. While pricing updates often sound like something only providers and finance teams need to worry about, they also matter for disability support workers.
Support workers are at the heart of the NDIS. They are the people who show up in participants’ homes, support daily routines, encourage independence, assist with personal care, help with community access, and build trusted relationships.
The new pricing schedule reflects the ongoing importance of disability support work and the need for providers to deliver safe, reliable, and high-quality services.
The 2026–27 schedule updates the pricing guidance across many NDIS support categories. For disability support workers, the most relevant areas include:
The schedule also reflects the Annual Pricing Review and Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review decision, which means pricing has been considered in the context of wages, workforce costs, and provider sustainability.
Your work continues to be recognised as essential
Disability support work is not just “helping someone out.” It is skilled, personal, and often complex work. Support workers assist people with daily living, personal care, social connection, independence, safety, communication, emotional wellbeing, and community inclusion.
The pricing schedule separates different support types and times because the nature of support can vary. A weekday daytime shift, a sleepover, a Sunday shift, and a high intensity support shift all have different requirements.
Correct rostering and shift details matter
Support workers should make sure their shift times, duties, and notes are accurate. Providers rely on this information to claim correctly.
For example, a shift delivered during weekday daytime hours may be claimed differently from an evening, night, weekend, or public holiday shift. High intensity support may also require different documentation and evidence.
Accurate shift notes protect the participant, the worker, and the provider.
High intensity support requires the right skills
High intensity support is not just a higher rate. It usually means the participant has more complex needs. This may include health-related supports, behaviour-related support needs, complex personal care, orhigher levels of risk.
Support workers should only deliver high intensity supports when they have the right training, confidence, supervision, and guidance.
Good providers should not simply place workers into complex shifts without preparation. They should provide proper onboarding, participant-specific training, clear care plans, and ongoing support.
Participants still need value and respect
NDIS pricing is connected to participant funding. Every hour of support comes from a participant’s plan. That means every shift should be meaningful.
Support workers can help create value by:
Small actions build trust.
Support workers should feel comfortable asking:
A good provider will welcome these questions.
The pricing update is a good reminder that quality support depends on strong systems and strong people.
Providers need to ensure their workers are trained, supported, and paid correctly. Workers need to deliver support professionally, safely, and respectfully. Participants need to feel that their funding is being used well and that their support team genuinely cares.
When all three come together, the result is better support and better outcomes.
The NDIS pricing schedule may look like a finance document, but it has a real impact on everyday support work.
It affects how shifts are structured, how supports are claimed, how services are explained to participants, and how providers plan their workforce.
For support workers, the key message is this: your role matters. The quality of your work, your notes, your reliability, and your connection with participants all contribute to better outcomes.
At Mission Ability, we believe support work is about more than completing tasks. It is about trust, dignity, safety, and helping people live with greater confidence and independence.
