What an ADE is
Supported employment means jobs where people with disability who have high support needs get extra help while they work. Services that provide it have traditionally been called Australian Disability Enterprises. They run real businesses that sell goods and services, and the people who work there are employees, not program attendees.
The Disability Royal Commission reported that around 160 ADEs, registered as NDIS providers, provided supported employment for about 16,000 people with disability.
How ADEs are funded
Under the NDIS, the support part of supported employment has been funded through participants' plans. In your plan this is supports in employment, part of the Core budget for social, economic and community participation. Providers claim for the hours and ratio of support they actually deliver, matched to your hours of work.
The standard weekday daytime price limit for supports in employment is $73.58 an hour in most of Australia in 2026/27, with higher limits for evenings, weekends and remote areas. When the support is delivered at the provider's site, they can also claim a centre capital cost of up to $2.71 an hour.
People in supported employment who are not eligible for the NDIS may get help through the Disability Employment Continuity of Support program.
How wages work
Most supported employees are covered by the Supported Employment Services Award 2020, set by the Fair Work Commission. Changes from 30 June 2023 made the Supported Wage System the only wage assessment tool under the award, with a 3 year transition for services to move across.
Under the Supported Wage System, an independent assessor measures how productive you are in your job compared with other workers, and your wage is a percentage of the full rate. Pay rates change each year, so check current rates with the Fair Work Ombudsman. Working in an ADE can also affect Centrelink payments, so report your income as required.
You can use your funding anywhere
Your supports in employment funding is not tied to an ADE. You can use it in any workplace you choose, including:
- Supported employment services, including ADEs
- Social enterprises
- Open employment with a private, public or community employer
- Micro businesses and self employment
Finding an ADE or supported employment service
The BuyAbility website, run by National Disability Services, lists supported employment services by location and business type. You can also search the NDIA's list of registered providers and filter by the specialised supported employment registration group. Visit the workplace, try some shifts and ask about pay, training and how they help people move into other jobs if they want to.
Where supported employment is heading
Disability ministers endorsed a national Supported Employment Plan in November 2023, focused on informed choice and genuine opportunities to work in a range of settings, from ADEs and social enterprises to open employment and your own business. The Disability Royal Commission recommended ending segregated employment by 2034, and governments are reporting progress on their response.
Supports in employment are protected from the October 2026 funding reset, so the 50% reduction to community participation budgets does not apply to them.
Other employment support
If you want help to find a job in open employment, Inclusive Employment Australia replaced Disability Employment Services on 1 November 2025. The NDIS can also fund capacity building supports to find and keep a job, and school leaver employment supports for young people moving from school to work.