Independent Support Worker Pay Rates 2026-27
Gemma Foxton
Customer Lead
I’m Gemma, Customer Lead at Carevo. When workers tell me they are going independent, the first question is always the same: “What can I actually charge?” The answer has two halves. The NDIS sets hard price limits for plan-managed clients, and self-managed clients can agree to anything reasonable. This guide covers both, plus the part most rate lists skip: what you keep after super, insurance, tax, and admin come out.
How Much Can You Charge in 2026-27?
Independent NDIS support workers can charge up to $70.23 per hour for standard weekday daytime support and up to $156.03 per hour on public holidays when invoicing plan-managed participants. Rates for self-managed participants are negotiable and not bound by the limits.
The NDIS held disability support worker price limits at their 2025-26 levels for 2026-27, so no hourly increase applied on 1 July 2026. The limits below come from the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026-27.
Key points:
- Plan-managed: you can work unregistered, but invoices must sit at or below the price limits
- Self-managed: rates are negotiable in writing; the limits are a useful anchor
- NDIA-managed (agency-managed): only registered providers can invoice, and the limits apply
- These are charge-out caps, not wages. Your take-home is what is left after business costs
Full 2026-27 Price Limit Table
These are the national hourly price limits for Assistance With Self-Care Activities, the line items most independent support workers bill against. Each row shows the NDIS support item number you put on your invoice.
Standard supports:
| Shift type | Item number | Price limit |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday daytime | 01_011_0107_1_1 | $70.23/hr |
| Weekday evening | 01_015_0107_1_1 | $77.38/hr |
| Weekday night | 01_002_0107_1_1 | $78.81/hr |
| Saturday | 01_013_0107_1_1 | $98.83/hr |
| Sunday | 01_014_0107_1_1 | $127.43/hr |
| Public holiday | 01_012_0107_1_1 | $156.03/hr |
| Night-time sleepover | 01_010_0107_1_1 | $297.60 per night |
High-intensity supports:
| Shift type | Item number | Price limit |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday daytime | 01_400_0104_1_1 | $75.98/hr |
| Weekday evening | 01_401_0104_1_1 | $83.72/hr |
| Weekday night | 01_405_0104_1_1 | $85.27/hr |
| Saturday | 01_402_0104_1_1 | $106.93/hr |
| Sunday | 01_403_0104_1_1 | $137.87/hr |
| Public holiday | 01_404_0104_1_1 | $168.81/hr |
High-intensity rates apply to supports that need additional skill, such as complex bowel care, enteral feeding, or supporting severe behaviours of concern. Charge them only when you genuinely deliver at that level; plan managers can and do query it.
Community access supports (item group 04_1xx_0125) share the same hourly limits as standard self-care. You can look up any item in the NDIS Price Guide tool.
Rates by Plan Management Type
How a participant’s plan is managed decides what you can charge and whether you need NDIS registration.
| Plan type | Can you work unregistered? | Rate rules |
|---|---|---|
| Self-managed | Yes | Negotiable, agreed in writing |
| Plan-managed | Yes | Must be at or below the price limits |
| NDIA-managed | No, registration required | Must be at or below the price limits |
Self-managed participants pay you directly and claim reimbursement from the NDIA. This is where rates are genuinely negotiable. Most independent workers still anchor to the price limits because participants know them, and a rate far above the cap is hard to justify under the NDIS Code of Conduct’s fair pricing requirement.
Plan-managed participants have a plan manager who pays your invoices from NDIS funds. You do not need registration, but every invoice is checked against the Pricing Arrangements, so the limits are effectively your ceiling. Around 60% of participants are self- or plan-managed, which is the addressable market for unregistered independents.
NDIA-managed funding can only be billed by registered providers. If most of your prospective clients are agency-managed, factor registration costs into your plan or focus elsewhere.
What You Keep After Costs
The charge-out rate is not your wage. Here is a worked example for a full-time independent worker charging $66 per hour for weekday support, 24 billable hours a week, 46 working weeks a year.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross income (24 hrs x 46 wks x $66) | $72,864 |
| Public liability and professional indemnity insurance | -$600 to -$1,500 |
| Accounting software and tax agent | -$800 to -$1,200 |
| Phone, internet, admin share | -$500 to -$1,000 |
| Profit before tax and super | roughly $69,000 to $71,000 |
From that profit you then cover:
- Income tax. Set aside 25 to 30 per cent as you invoice. As a sole trader you pay tax on profit at personal rates through the PAYG instalment system.
- Superannuation. Nobody pays it for you. Super is voluntary for sole traders, but employees currently receive a 12% super guarantee on top of wages, so matching that benchmark (about $8,300 on this example) keeps you level with employed workers at retirement. Voluntary contributions are generally tax-deductible.
- Unpaid time. Travel between clients beyond what you can claim, invoicing, notes, and finding new clients all happen outside billable hours. Most workers lose 10 to 20 per cent of their week to admin.
On this example, take-home after tax and a 12% super contribution lands roughly in the high $40,000s. That is still ahead of an employed Level 2 equivalent, but the gap is much smaller than the headline hourly rates suggest.
GST: you must register once turnover passes $75,000 a year. Most NDIS supports are GST-free when delivered under a compliant service agreement, so registration mainly means quarterly BAS lodgement rather than charging GST. Confirm your situation with the ATO or an accountant.
Run your own numbers with the Support Worker Income Calculator.
Sole Trader vs SCHADS Employee
Employed support workers are paid under the SCHADS Award. Independent workers charge against (or near) the NDIS price limits and cover their own costs. Side by side for a weekday hour:
| Employed (Level 2) | Independent sole trader | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday rate | $36.22/hr minimum | up to $70.23/hr (plan-managed cap) |
| Super | Employer pays 12% on top | Voluntary, self-funded |
| Insurance | Employer covers | You pay $600 to $1,500/yr |
| Paid leave | 4 weeks annual + sick leave | None |
| Cancelled shift | Usually still rostered/paid | Unpaid unless your agreement covers it |
| Admin | Employer handles | Your unpaid time |
A casual employee at Level 2 earns $45.28 per hour with the 25% loading and no leave, which narrows the gap further. The honest summary: independents earn meaningfully more per delivered hour, and carry all of the risk and admin in exchange.
For the full employee picture, including penalty rates by level and shift, see NDIS support worker pay rates under the SCHADS Award. For the business setup side, see the guide to becoming an independent support worker.
Build Your Rate Card
A one-page rate card makes negotiations easier and stops rate discussions happening shift by shift. Copy this structure and fill in your own numbers:
[Your name / business name] ABN: [your ABN]
Support worker rate card, effective [date]
Standard supports (per hour)
Weekday daytime (6am-8pm) $
Weekday evening (after 8pm) $
Saturday $
Sunday $
Public holiday $
Travel
Between clients $0.99/km
Travel time charged at hourly rate,
capped at 30 min metro / 60 min regional
Cancellations
Less than 7 days notice: 100% of the booked shift
(per the NDIS Pricing Arrangements short-notice rules)
Payment terms: 7 days from invoice. Most NDIS supports GST-free.Keep every rate at or below the price limit for plan-managed clients. Pair the rate card with a written service agreement; the NDIS Service Agreement Builder generates one with the pricing and cancellation clauses filled in, and you can invoice with the NDIS Invoice Template (DOCX) or the NDIS Invoice Generator.
Platform Fees: Mable and Hireup
Platforms take a cut, and the two big ones structure it very differently.
On Mable you stay an independent contractor, set your own rates, and the platform charges service fees on top of and out of the transaction. See the Mable support worker guide for the current fee structure and how it changes your effective hourly rate.
On Hireup you become a casual employee, so this whole page’s charging logic does not apply: Hireup sets the rates and pays your super and insurance. The Hireup rates guide breaks down what workers receive per shift type.
Rule of thumb: platforms trade 10 to 15 per cent of your rate for client flow and payment handling. Many workers start on a platform, then move regular clients to direct arrangements as trust builds, where the full rate is theirs (check platform terms first; some restrict taking clients off-platform).
When to Review Your Rates
The NDIS reviews price limits every 1 July, so that is the natural date to review yours. Three triggers justify a change:
- The limits move. They did not for 2026-27, which is exactly why reviewing matters: if your costs rose but the cap did not, your margin shrank. The NDIA has flagged a review of the disability support worker cost model during 2026-27, so watch next July closely.
- Your costs move. Insurance premiums, fuel, and software renew annually. Reprice when they do, not a year later.
- Your skills move. A completed Certificate IV, high-intensity competency, or two years of glowing reviews all support a higher rate at the next agreement renewal.
Give existing clients written notice before any change, update the service agreement, and never backdate. A rate change mid-agreement without consent is a Code of Conduct problem, not just bad manners.
FAQ: Charging Questions
How much can an independent support worker charge per hour?
For plan-managed participants, up to the NDIS price limits: $70.23 per hour for standard weekday daytime support, rising to $156.03 on public holidays. For self-managed participants, rates are negotiable, though most workers charge between $55 and $75 for weekday support.
Can I charge more than the NDIS price limit?
Only with self-managed participants, and only by written agreement. Plan-managed invoices are checked against the Pricing Arrangements, so anything above the limit will be rejected. Self-managed participants can agree to any rate, but the NDIS Code of Conduct still requires fair and reasonable pricing.
Do independent support workers charge GST?
Most NDIS supports are GST-free when delivered under a service agreement that meets ATO requirements. You must register for GST once annual turnover reaches $75,000, but registration does not make GST-free supports taxable; it mainly adds BAS reporting.
What should I charge self-managed participants?
There is no cap, but your rate needs to cover super, insurance, tax, and admin time. Many independent workers price 10 to 20 per cent below the NDIS limit for standard weekday support and apply weekend loadings that mirror the price limit structure.
Can I charge for travel time and kilometres?
Yes, if your service agreement allows it: up to 30 minutes of travel time per shift in metro areas (60 minutes regional) at your agreed rate, plus $0.99 per kilometre for vehicle costs. Full detail in the travel charges guide for support workers.
Can I charge a cancellation fee?
Yes, if your service agreement includes a cancellation clause. The NDIS rules allow charging 100% of the agreed fee for cancellations with less than 7 days notice (less than 2 clear business days for some supports).
Do high-intensity supports have higher price limits?
Yes. High-intensity supports have a weekday daytime limit of $75.98 per hour, rising to $168.81 on public holidays. Only charge high-intensity rates when you have the skills and experience to deliver those supports safely.
Sources
- NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (2026-27, effective 1 July 2026; support worker limits held at 2025-26 levels)
- Fair Work SCHADS pay guide (MA000100) (employee comparison rates)
- ATO: GST (registration threshold and GST-free supplies)
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: Code of Conduct (fair pricing obligation)
Next Steps
Charging well only matters if clients can find you. List your profile on Carevo: registered and unregistered independents are both welcome, your registration status is shown on your profile, and providers searching your area reach out to you directly.
Wondering whether your suburb has enough demand to sustain your rates? The NDIS Client Finder tool estimates participant numbers in your service area so you can size the market before you print the rate card.
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Customer Lead
Gemma is Carevo's Customer Lead. She spent several years working as a support worker before moving into concierge and partnerships roles, so she writes from the frontline of care.
