Two programs, one rule: no double funding
Hearing support in Australia comes mainly through the Hearing Services Program (HSP), run by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The NDIS fills the gaps for participants who cannot get what they need from the HSP.
The NDIS Supports Transitional Rules list hearing services or supports provided by the Hearing Services Program, and surgery for hearing, as things that are not NDIS supports. You can use both programs, but not for the same support at the same time.
Under 26: the Hearing Services Program
NDIS participants under 26 are eligible for the HSP. Hearing Australia is the provider for children and young people under 26 through the program's Community Service Obligations, which cover hearing assessments, hearing aids and related services.
The NDIS can still fund hearing related supports that the HSP does not provide, such as specialist equipment or therapy to build communication skills.
26 and over: which program pays
- If you are eligible for the HSP, for example through its voucher scheme for certain pensioners and veterans or its Community Service Obligations, the HSP keeps funding your hearing services, and the NDIS may fund other hearing supports it does not cover
- If you are not eligible for the HSP, the NDIS can fund all reasonable and necessary hearing supports related to your hearing impairment
- Participants who already hold an HSP voucher can generally keep using it until it expires
- NDIS funding can include upgraded or replacement speech processors for cochlear implants, which the HSP does not fund for people over 26. The implant surgery itself is a health system service
What the NDIS can fund
The Rules list hearing equipment directly related to a permanent hearing impairment that is not provided through the HSP, and specialised hearing services for people with complex needs, such as assessing hearing impairment and prescribing audiological aids and equipment.
Other common NDIS supports for people who are deaf or hard of hearing include assistive listening devices, visual and vibrating alert systems, speech pathology and interpreting for disability related needs.
Price limits for 2026/27
The NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026/27, effective 24 September 2026, sets hourly limits for hearing professionals in most of Australia, with higher limits in remote and very remote areas:
- Audiologist: $193.99 an hour. Audiologists must be accredited by Audiology Australia or full members of the Australian College of Audiology
- Audiometrist: $166.83 an hour. Audiometrists must be full members of the Hearing Aid Audiometrist Society of Australia or of the Australian College of Audiology
- Hearing aids and other devices are assistive technology, funded under the usual low, mid or high cost rules
Protected from the 2026 funding reset
Since 1 October 2026 a support determination reduces social, economic and community participation budgets by 50% and improved daily living skills budgets by 10%, when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed. Hearing services and customised or wearable technology are among the supports the government has protected from that reduction, so the NDIA leaves them out automatically when payments have been made for them.
Getting hearing supports in your plan
- Check first whether you are eligible for the HSP, and tell your planner if you are
- Ask your audiologist for a report that explains your hearing loss, what you need and why the HSP does not cover it
- Include costs for batteries, repairs and maintenance, which are easy to forget
- Think about everyday settings such as work, study and group conversations, where extra technology may help