2026-27 NDIS PAPL Changes — What Families Need to Know
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits update every July. Here is a plain-English summary of the 2026-27 changes, which supports are affected, and how the changes flow through into participant plans.
NDIS PAPL 2026-27 — What Changes
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL) updates every year on 1 July. The update sets the maximum hourly rates a registered provider can charge for every line item in the scheme. For participants, the practical question is: what has changed, and does your current plan cover the supports you need at the new rates?
Here is the plain-English rundown of the 2026-27 update.
The Headline Changes
- Core supports hourly rates — adjusted to reflect SCHADS Award increases and cost-of-delivery changes. Weekday daytime rates increased by roughly the annual wage indexation; weekend and overnight rates increased proportionally.
- Travel — travel claiming rules tightened in metropolitan areas, with a firmer cap on billable travel time per shift.
- Therapy supports — hourly caps adjusted for occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology and psychology. The caps remain the same for most allied-health lines but with minor increases in the higher-complexity therapy rates.
- SIL rates — updated to reflect the mandatory registration reform and new SIL Practice Standards. Some SIL quote templates now include explicit clinical-oversight line items.
- High-intensity support — Module 1 line items adjusted with a modest premium increase, reflecting the training and oversight cost of delivering complex clinical supports at home.
- Cancellation rules — unchanged (still up to 100% for less than 7 clear days' notice, but subject to the provider's practice).
How the Rate Change Affects Your Plan
Your plan's funding envelope was calculated based on the rates in force at the time of your last approval. When rates go up, your plan does not automatically get more funding — it just means your existing funding buys slightly fewer hours.
For most participants, the effect is small: a roughly 2-4% reduction in the hours your current budget supports. For participants whose supports are mostly weekend-heavy, overnight-heavy or high-intensity, the effect can be slightly larger.
At your next plan review, your support coordinator (and your provider) can help you demonstrate to the NDIA that the adjusted rates warrant a proportionate increase in your funding envelope. This isn't automatic — it's evidence-based.
What We Recommend
- Run your plan through the NDIS Funding Estimator. Our Funding Estimator reflects the 2026-27 rates and shows you how many hours your current budget covers.
- If you are approaching plan review, prepare evidence of your actual support needs (not just the previous plan's allocation) so you can make the case for a proportionate funding adjustment.
- If your plan runs longer than 12 months, watch your utilisation against the new rates. You may hit the envelope faster than expected.
- Ask your provider to confirm in writing that invoicing has moved to the 2026-27 rates from 1 July, so there are no surprises.
A Note on Transparency
InLife invoices at the published PAPL rate — no admin fees, no out-of-pocket charges for participants using NDIS funding, no double-billing on cancellations. The PAPL update flows through into our invoicing on 1 July each year without renegotiation. Our full NDIS Pricing Guide walks through how the pricing works in plain English.
If you want a line-by-line walk-through of your current plan at the 2026-27 rates, our free Plan Health Check is 15 minutes and has no obligation.
Source: NDIA, ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-arrangements · captured 2026-04-20.
Umar Khan
Managing Director
Umar is a co-founder and Managing Director of InLife, a multilingual NDIS disability support team serving Melbourne, Geelong and the Gold Coast. He is also a Monash Law student with a particular interest in disability and regulatory reform.
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