What the establishment fee is for
Starting support with a new participant takes work that is not billable as an hour of support: meeting the person and their family, writing the service agreement and support plan, risk assessments, matching and introducing workers, and setting up rosters. The establishment fee recognises those otherwise non claimable costs.
It is a specific support item in the NDIS pricing, called Establishment Fee for Personal Care/Participation. It is not a general sign up fee that any provider can charge.
When a provider can claim it
Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, a provider can claim the fee when it helps a participant implement their plan and has an agreement with the participant to supply at least 20 hours a month, for three or more consecutive months, of:
- Personal care supports: supports in the Assistance with Daily Life category delivered under the registration groups Daily Personal Activities (0107) or High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (0104)
- Participation supports: supports in the social, economic and community participation category delivered under Participation in Community, Social and Civic Activities (0125), Group and Centre Based Activities (0136), High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (0104) for community access or group supports, or Specialised Supported Employment (0133)
Once per participant
Each provider can only claim the establishment fee once for a participant, across all of that participant's plans. If you deliver both personal care and community participation to the same person, you still only claim one fee.
More than one provider can claim an establishment fee against the same plan, as long as each one separately meets the conditions.
The 2026/27 price limit
The NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026/27, effective 24 September 2026, sets the maximum for the establishment fee at:
- $735.80 in most of Australia
- $1,030.12 in remote areas
- $1,103.70 in very remote areas
What participants should know
The fee comes out of your plan, from the same budget as the support it relates to, so it reduces the funding left for actual hours of support. A provider should explain it before you sign the service agreement, and it should be written in the agreement.
If you are only getting a few hours a month, a short term arrangement, or the provider is not delivering personal care or community participation, the fee should not apply. If you see it on an invoice and you did not agree to it, ask your provider or plan manager to check it.
Good practice for providers
- Only claim the fee when the agreement genuinely covers at least 20 hours a month for three or more consecutive months
- Write the fee, the hours and the period into the service agreement, and talk it through with the participant
- Check your records so you never claim it twice for the same participant
- Make sure the participant's budget can cover the fee and the agreed hours, especially with shorter funding periods
- From 1 December 2026, claims must be made within 90 days of the support, so claim promptly
- Check the current Pricing Arrangements each year, as the rules and price limits can change