When it comes to claiming for transportation and travel costs associated with providing services to your NDIS clients, it’s critical to know what you can claim and under what conditions so that your invoices comply with NDIS standards and so that you don’t end up out of pocket for client-related charges.
To summarise, support coordinators can only claim travel expenses directly relevant to providing an NDIS service. It can support workers charge for travel in advance by the participant.
We’ll look at how the NDIS handles transportation and travel so you can be confident you’re complying with the programme’s criteria.
Using a participant's plan to make a claim
Support coordinators can only claim travel costs for delivering a support item from a participant’s plan if the following conditions are met, according to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements:
- Support workers can claim travel in relation to a support item if the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits indicate that they can.
- The proposed activity costs are in accordance with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
- The community access activities are part of a face-to-face delivery of a specific disability support item.
- The provider explains to the participant the value of the activities and why they are the greatest use of their funds, particularly when travel supports community participation outcomes.
- The travel costs are agreed upon in advance by the participant.
When a support coordinator is eligible to claim travel costs
Travel expenses are deducted from your client’s NDIS Plan; therefore, keep in mind that the ‘reasonable and necessary’ standard applies. The cost must be relevant to the person’s disability, not include day-to-day living expenses, and be cost-effective.
Support coordinators can claim two types of travel expenses as long as they match the aforementioned criteria:
- Labour costs (the time it takes to travel to a location where the service will be delivered). The maximum rate varies depending on your location and your client’s.
- Non-labour travel costs include tolls, vehicle maintenance, parking, and public transportation tickets.
Labour costs (time)
Travel claims must be submitted independently from support claims, using the same line item as the support and the myplace portal’s “Provider travel” option.
Tips for claiming time:
- Each qualifying worker can claim a maximum of 30 minutes in zones 1-3 and 60 minutes in zones 4-5.
- Providers of capacity-building services may also be eligible to claim travel time from the last participant to their typical workplace (30 minutes in zones 1-3 and 60 minutes in zones 4-5).
- For primary support, use the same hourly rate that was agreed upon with the participant (unless a different rate has been agreed upon for travel).
- Travel costs should be split among the participants with their consent when visiting more than one participant in a region, especially where one journey involves multiple participants.
Non-labour costs
The support worker may work out a deal with the participant to cover other transportation-related expenditures.
Here are several examples:
- Up to $0.85 a kilometre for a vehicle not modified for accessibility (your own car or that of your employer).
- Other transportation-related charges, such as tolls, parking, and public transportation fares – up to the full sum.
- Providers must separate support costs and travel costs on invoices. Non-labour expenses should be claimed against the support item “Provider Travel – non-labour costs.”
Capacity building providers in remote and very remote areas may make special arrangements with participants to cover travel costs up to the relevant hourly rate for the support item. The NDIS asks providers to cut costs by sharing resources or providing non-face-to-face services if at all possible.
How is Provider NDIS Travel Calculated?
What Should A Service Agreement Include?
A clear service agreement might help to avoid misunderstandings and confusion.
It’s critical to establish agreed-upon hourly rates for care provision and travel. Depending on whether an agency manages the individual, a plan, or self-managed, these may vary. Travel time is sometimes less expensive than face-to-face time with some service providers.
Don’t forget to include any other non-labour costs linked with transportation in the agreement.
Breaking Down the NDIS Travel Allowance for Support Workers
An NDIS travel allowance, from a support worker point of view, consists of two main components: labour (time) and non-labour (expenses). Labour includes the time to travel to a participant and is typically charged at an hourly rate that is connected to the support item. Any non-labour-related costs, such as mileage, tolls, parking, or public transport fares, must be agreed upon with the participant in advance. Unlimited claims are not allowed, but any related cost incurred is billable when the cost is related to the provision of support and the consent is provided in accordance with the NDIS framework. Cost allocation also differs if one journey supports multiple participants and whether the participants agree with and are compliant with the guidelines.
Have more questions?
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are NDIS travel charges for support coordinators?
They are used to deliver a direct service on the ground. These charges need to be directly linked to the support and first agreed upon with the participant.
How can support coordinators charge for NDIS travel and transport?
Travel and transport can be charged if they are required to deliver face-to-face support and are specified in the service agreement for support worker. The participant should consent, and travel time and costs must be charged accordingly.
Are NDIS travel charges allowed under the NDIS price guide?
NDIS travel charges are allowed under the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (which used to be the price guide) when the travel is associated with an approved support item and the rates and conditions are within the permitted limits.
What travel costs can be claimed as NDIS travel charges?
Time for driving to/from a participant to provide support, as well as petrol, parking, tolls, and public transport costs, are generally claimable travelling costs when agreed to with the participant.
How are NDIS travel charges calculated for support coordination?
The cost of travel for support coordination, which separates this over-labour (travel time charged at an agreed hourly rate) and non-labour (vehicle costs) from the fee and separately bills them only when associated with the provision of the support in the care plan.
