What a therapy assistant does
Therapy often works best with regular practice. A therapist assesses you, sets goals and designs a program, and a therapy assistant can then help you practise it more often and at a lower cost per hour than seeing the therapist every time.
Typical work includes running a home exercise or movement program set by a physiotherapist, practising communication activities set by a speech pathologist, or working on daily living routines such as cooking or dressing with an occupational therapist's plan. The therapist stays responsible for the program and reviews progress.
Level 1 and level 2
The 2026/27 NDIS pricing schedule describes a therapy assistant as someone working in one of the listed allied health disciplines who is not fully qualified in that discipline. It sets two levels:
- Level 1: must work under the direct supervision of a therapist at all times
- Level 2: works under the supervision of a therapist, or independently without direct supervision where the therapist is satisfied the assistant is able to
Price limits for 2026/27
The NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026/27, effective 24 September 2026, sets these hourly limits:
- Level 1: $56.16 in most of Australia, $78.62 in remote areas and $84.24 in very remote areas
- Level 2: $86.79 in most of Australia, $121.51 in remote areas and $130.19 in very remote areas
- Provider travel: up to half the hourly limit, $28.08 for level 1 and $43.40 for level 2 in most of Australia
- Telehealth, non face to face, cancellation and NDIA requested report lines at the same limit as the direct service
Supervision and handover
The pricing arrangements recognise that a therapist may need to train the assistant in your specific needs before handing over part of your therapy. When the therapist and assistant work with you together for supervision or training, the provider can bill for both people's time. This can still be good value compared with every session being delivered by the therapist.
Where a therapy assistant delivers your support, they must be covered by the professional indemnity insurance of the supervising therapist or the provider that employs them. Ask how often the therapist will review your program and see you directly.
Which budget pays
Therapy assistants are claimed from the same part of your plan as the therapy they support, usually the improved daily living skills part of Capacity Building. Children younger than 9 usually use early childhood therapy assistant items. Since 1 October 2026 improved daily living skills funding is reduced by 10% when a plan is created, reassessed or renewed, so using an assistant for routine practice can help your therapy budget last.
For providers
- Claim the level that matches the supervision actually in place, not the assistant's job title
- Record the delegation, the program and supervision sessions in the participant's notes
- Explain in the service agreement who will deliver which sessions and at what price
- Check your insurance covers assistants working under your delegation