NDIS funding basics
Which part of your NDIS plan pays for therapy?
Speech, occupational therapy, and psychology are usually funded from the Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living budget in your NDIS plan. Here's how that budget works, and how online sessions are claimed.
The budget that funds therapy
NDIS plans are split into three budget types — Core, Capacity Building, and Capital. Therapy comes out of Capacity Building, specifically the Improved Daily Living category.
Capacity Building is different from Core in one important way: the money is tied to its category. An Improved Daily Living allocation can only be spent on supports that build daily-living skills — like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and psychology — and can't be moved to, say, transport or consumables.
What that covers with us
- Assessment — the first session where your therapist works out where to start.
- Therapy sessions — ongoing one-to-one online sessions across speech, OT, and psychology.
- Therapy supports between sessions — writing reports, designing home programs, and the admin time the NDIS recognises as billable, all within the price limits.
Online sessions are funded the same way
The NDIS funds telehealth therapy on the same terms as in-person therapy. The support simply has to be in your plan and connected to your goals. For families outside the major cities — or anyone facing a long local wait list — that means you can start sooner without paying more.
How much of your budget a session uses
We bill at or below the price limit set in the annual NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Your therapist will be upfront about how many sessions they'd suggest and roughly how much of your Improved Daily Living budget that uses, so there are no surprises mid-plan.
Common questions
- Which NDIS budget pays for speech, OT, or psychology?
- Therapy is almost always funded from the Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living budget. Unlike Core funding, Capacity Building amounts are allocated to a category and can only be spent on that category's supports, such as therapy.
- Does the NDIS fund online (telehealth) therapy?
- Yes. The NDIS funds therapy delivered via telehealth the same way it funds in-person sessions, as long as the support is in your plan and helps you pursue your plan goals. The session rate is the same.
- Will I have any out-of-pocket cost?
- For most families, no. We bill at or under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements price limit and invoice your plan manager or the NDIA directly, or give self-managed participants a compliant invoice to claim. You don't pay a gap fee.
Sources
Last reviewed 2026-06-14. NDIS rules change — check the official source for the current detail.