NDIS Support Worker Agencies in Australia: Rates, Checks and Cover

Where can I find support workers near me?

The ranked list above shows providers with support workers currently covering Australia, ordered using the methodology explained above it. The NDIS Commission’s provider register is the official national list of registered providers, but it cannot tell you who has capacity in your suburb this week, which is what the list above adds. Personal care support is the most requested service on Carevo, named in 1,593 of the 9,483 tracked inquiries.

What does a support worker do?

A support worker helps with personal care, daily tasks, community access and skill-building so a person with disability or an older Australian can live more independently at home. Under the NDIS, this support sits within Core Supports - Assistance with Daily Life, priced under the Assistance with Self-Care Activities item (NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27). Older Australians access the same kind of help through Support at Home.

In practice the role spans three areas. Daily living covers meal preparation, light household tasks, shopping and medication prompts. Personal care covers showering, dressing, grooming, toileting and transfers, described in more detail on the personal care page. Community access covers getting to appointments, social activities, study or work, sometimes alongside transport services. One worker often covers all three in a single shift, and the mix is set out in your service agreement.

How to choose a provider from the list above

The list above is ranked using the criteria explained in the methodology above it. Then check these points before you commit.

Registration. If your NDIS plan is NDIA-managed, you can only use a registered provider. Plan-managed and self-managed participants can also use unregistered providers, though many still prefer the added oversight of registration. Confirm status on the NDIS Commission register before you start.

Carevo measures whether a provider accepts an enquiry, not when care starts or a practitioner contacts you. Confirm current capacity and a start date directly. How Carevo measures enquiry acceptance.

Pricing transparency. Get the hourly rate in writing, including travel time, minimum booking length and any weekend or public holiday loading, before you agree to a start date.

Coverage. Confirm the provider actually rosters staff in your suburb on the days and times you need, not just the broader region it lists.

What are support worker rates?

Under the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, a standard weekday daytime hour of support is capped at $73.58, rising to $82.57 for weekday night support, with separate loadings for evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. A sleepover shift is billed at $311.79 per night, and provider travel can be claimed at an agreed rate where the service agreement allows it.

Registered providers cannot charge NDIA-managed or plan-managed participants above these caps. Private and self-managed arrangements are negotiated freely: independent workers often quote below the weekday cap, agencies at or near it. Get the full rate card, including loadings and minimum shift lengths, in writing before the first shift.

Which funding pays for a support worker, and who qualifies?

NDIS participants fund support workers under Core Supports - Assistance with Daily Life, billed against the Assistance with Self-Care Activities item at up to $73.58 per hour on a standard weekday or $79.60 per hour for high-intensity support (NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27). Anyone with an approved NDIS plan and a Core Supports budget that includes this support qualifies. Older Australians access equivalent help through Support at Home, following an assessment through the Single Assessment System (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025). Veterans can access support workers through Veterans’ Home Care: see DVA-funded home care. Anyone can also hire privately: see private funding options.

Agency or independent support worker: which should you choose?

An agency employs, insures and supervises its workers, runs the screening, sends a backup when your regular worker is sick, and handles payroll and superannuation. You pay more per hour for that scaffolding. An independent worker is often cheaper and gives you a direct say in exactly who walks through the door, but you carry the checks yourself: clearance, insurance, references, and backup when they are unavailable.

Plan management also narrows the choice. NDIA-managed participants can only use registered providers, which most independent workers are not. Plan-managed and self-managed participants can use either, and some families combine them: an agency for personal care shifts, an independent worker for community hours.

If you are a support worker rather than a family, the guide to becoming an independent support worker covers the setup, and you can register a free worker profile on Carevo so participants and families in your suburb can contact you directly.

A full support worker rate card, 2026-27

Every figure below is a maximum price limit from the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, not a typical charge. Registered providers cannot bill NDIA-managed or plan-managed participants above them.

High intensity applies where the support involves complex needs such as ventilation, tracheostomy care, enteral feeding or complex behaviour support, and the worker holds the relevant competency. Provider travel is billed separately at an agreed rate where the service agreement allows it.

Aged care is priced differently. Support at Home price caps were deferred in May 2026, so providers set their own hourly rates and written price lists are the only way to compare (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2026).

How to hire a support worker, step by step

1. Confirm what your funding allows. NDIA-managed plans can only use registered providers. Plan-managed and self-managed participants can use either an agency or an independent worker. Check this first, because it removes about half the options.

2. Write down the shifts before you talk to anyone. Days, times, length and the specific tasks. Providers quote and roster against this, and vague requests get vague answers.

3. Shortlist on coverage, not marketing. A provider that covers your city may not roster staff in your suburb on the days you need. Ask which workers are currently available for your exact schedule.

4. Check the clearance. Ask for the NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance number and confirm it rather than accepting a claim (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, 2025).

5. Get the rate card in writing. Hourly rate against the cap, travel, minimum shift length, cancellation terms and weekend loadings. Cancellation rules are where unexpected costs usually appear.

6. Ask for a meet and greet. Most providers offer one before the first rostered shift. Fit decides whether the arrangement lasts.

7. Put continuity in the service agreement. How often the same worker attends, and what happens when they are away.

What the platform data shows about finding one

Carevo lists 22,105 providers offering support work across 8,918 suburbs, which is 63.9 per cent of the 34,600 providers on the platform. Of those, 19,761 accept NDIS funding, 3,654 accept aged care package funding and 4,565 accept private payment.

Supply is not evenly spread. NSW has 7,206 and Victoria 6,719, against 282 in Tasmania and 362 in the Northern Territory. In thinner markets, widening the radius or accepting a different day usually matters more than comparing rates.

Carevo measures whether a provider accepts an enquiry, not when care starts or a practitioner contacts you. Confirm current capacity and a start date directly. How Carevo measures enquiry acceptance.

What screening checks should a support worker have?

The NDIS Worker Screening Check is the national clearance for people in risk-assessed roles with registered providers; it is valid for five years and checked against a national database (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, 2025). Workers should also have completed the NDIS Worker Orientation Module, hold current first aid where the role calls for it, and be able to give references from previous clients. Aged care providers carry their own police certificate obligations for staff.

Ask to see the clearance number rather than accepting “fully screened” on trust. Independent workers can hold an NDIS Worker Screening Check too, so a lower hourly rate never has to mean no screening.

How do I find a support worker who is the right fit?

Skills come first: manual transfers, dementia experience or complex behaviour support are not interchangeable. After that, fit decides whether the arrangement lasts. A shared language matters where English is a second language, cultural background matters for food, faith and family routines, and a worker who shares an interest turns a shift into company rather than supervision. Gender preference for personal care is a reasonable ask, not a special request.

Ask the provider for a meet-and-greet before the first rostered shift; most offer one. Ask how they keep the same worker on your roster, since consistency is half the value. And if the match is wrong, say so. A good provider treats a swap as routine.

Availability

Carevo lists 34,600 providers across 8,918 suburbs nationally, including support worker services funded through the NDIS, Support at Home and DVA, with records updated 2026-08-26. Many families pair a support worker with personal care for daily living tasks, respite care so a family carer can take a scheduled break, or overnight care when support is needed through the night.

How this page is compiled

The provider rankings and figures on this page come from Carevo platform records, including provider registrations, measured response times and coverage, together with the cited official sources. Carevo is an Australian platform that connects families with NDIS and aged care providers. Carevo does not deliver care itself.

Funding sources and checks

Check the current NDIA pricing arrangements and Support at Home program rules for the proposed service. Funding depends on the approved support and available budget; a Carevo listing is not approval. Confirm availability and a start date directly with the provider.