The NDIS still funds some psychology supports in 2026. Learn the difference between disability-related functional capacity building, clinical treatment, assessments, reports and pricing.
Yes. The NDIS still funds some psychology supports in 2026.
Psychology has not been removed from the Scheme. The current pricing schedule includes psychologist items for direct services, telehealth, non-face-to-face support, provider travel and NDIA-requested reports.
That does not mean every appointment with a psychologist is an NDIS support. The important question is the purpose of the particular work: is it directed to disability-related functional capacity, consistent with the participant's plan and within the NDIS funding rules?
Information current at 3 October 2026. This article is general information, not individual NDIS, legal, financial or clinical advice. Check the current plan, pricing schedule and NDIA guidance before making or submitting a claim.
The NDIS may fund psychology that:
The NDIS generally does not fund psychology where the main purpose is diagnosing, assessing, monitoring or clinically treating a mental-health condition. Those services are generally the responsibility of the health system, including Medicare where available.
The same psychologist may provide both types of work. What changes is the purpose, goals, documentation and funding responsibility for that support.
The NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27 includes psychologist items for direct service, telehealth, non-face-to-face support, provider travel, cancellations, NDIA-requested reports, employment supports and early-childhood supports.
For the standard direct service, telehealth, cancellation, non-face-to-face and NDIA-requested report items, the hourly maximums are:
| Location | Maximum hourly amount |
|---|---|
| National | $252.99 |
| Remote | $354.19 |
| Very remote | $379.49 |
Provider travel has lower maximums: $126.50 nationally, $177.10 remotely and $189.75 in very remote areas.
The schedule requires current psychologist registration through Ahpra. It includes paid provisionally registered psychologists operating under supervision. A paid provisional psychologist working unsupervised uses the lower counselling items instead.
The maximums apply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed funding, not self-managed plans. On 24 September 2026, the Minister's first pricing determination set the 2026-27 limits. It aligns with the previously published schedule and took effect immediately.
The pricing schedule tells providers which items exist, who may deliver them and the applicable limits. It does not determine whether a particular service is fundable for a particular participant.
The participant must still be using funding for an NDIS support that relates to their disability and is in line with their plan. A listed item is not blanket permission to invoice the NDIS.
The NDIA's Would We Fund It? Psychology Supports and Mental Health guide distinguishes clinical mental-health services from NDIS psychology supports.
Clinical services focus on assessing, diagnosing, monitoring or treating a mental-health condition. Their main purpose may be symptom reduction, rehabilitation, recovery or resolving a condition.
NDIS psychology supports focus on building or maintaining functional capacity: what someone can do in day-to-day life at home, in the community, at school or at work. They should have specific goals and outcomes, with an appropriate timeframe.
| Clinical mental-health treatment | NDIS psychology support |
|---|---|
| Main purpose is diagnosis, symptom reduction, monitoring or treatment | Main purpose is building or maintaining disability-related functional capacity |
| Usually a health or Medicare responsibility | May be an NDIS support if it meets the criteria and plan requirements |
| Goals may centre on anxiety, depression, trauma symptoms or relapse | Goals centre on daily activities, independence, relationships, study, work or participation |
| A diagnosis or clinical formulation guides treatment | Functional difficulties and measurable participation outcomes guide the support |
This is not always a neat clinical divide. Symptoms and functioning affect one another. For NDIS purposes, however, the provider needs to explain the primary purpose of the funded work and how it relates to disability-related functioning.
The NDIA guide gives examples of psychology supports that may be funded where they have a functional purpose:
In the first example, the participant separately receives clinical treatment through the health system. The planner considers the psychology support because it targets functional organisation and motivation, relates to the disability and is likely to increase independence over time.
Other individual supports might focus on routines, decision-making, communication, social participation, disability-related emotional regulation or working with family so practical strategies carry over into daily life. These examples are not automatic approvals.
The NDIS generally will not fund clinical mental-health treatment just because the person is an NDIS participant. The guide says clinical mental-health supports, including psychology, psychiatry, medication and counselling, sit with the health system.
It also identifies work that belongs to other systems, including clinical early intervention for mental-health or developmental needs, residential care primarily for inpatient treatment or clinical rehabilitation, and treatment for co-occurring conditions such as drug or alcohol dependency.
This does not mean anxiety, distress or emotional regulation can never be addressed in NDIS-funded work. It means the actual purpose should be disability-related functional outcomes, not a substitute for ordinary clinical treatment.
A diagnosis alone does not decide the funding answer. An autistic participant might receive psychology for transitions, routines, self-advocacy or participation; they might also see the same psychologist for treatment of a depressive episode. Those supports can fall on different sides of the funding boundary.
For psychosocial disability, the distinction can be especially difficult. The NDIS may fund psychology directed to the functional impact of the disability, while the health system remains responsible for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
A useful rationale connects:
For practical evidence structure, see the reasonable and necessary NDIS funding criteria guide and the NDIS report template checklist.
Sometimes, but the purpose matters. Diagnostic assessments and clinical assessment of mental-health conditions are generally health-system responsibilities. A functional assessment may be considered differently when it identifies disability-related support needs, guides a current NDIS support, measures progress towards a functional outcome or informs an NDIA-requested report.
The current schedule includes non-face-to-face psychology and NDIA-requested report items. It does not follow that every administrative task is separately claimable. Before charging for progress reports, functional assessments, case consultation or communication with others, check the relevant item, service agreement, plan and current claiming guidance.
Participants should understand the purpose, likely time and cost before substantial report work begins. Routine provider administration should not be relabelled as capacity-building work.
Yes, a person may receive NDIS supports alongside Medicare-funded, health-system or privately funded psychology. The services must not be billed twice for the same support. The NDIA guidance also says NDIS funding cannot be used to cover Medicare gap payments.
For example, Medicare-funded sessions may address clinical treatment of anxiety, depression or trauma, while NDIS-funded sessions address disability-related functioning, independence and participation. The difference should be real in the goals and delivery, not only in the invoice wording.
This is a practical framework, not an NDIA tool or a guarantee of funding.
If the answer is only "psychology is covered by the NDIS", more detail is needed.
The clearest change for psychologists is pricing. The national psychology maximum rose from $232.99 to $252.99 an hour from 1 July 2026, and the Minister's first pricing determination took effect on 24 September. The clinical-versus-functional boundary is not new; the newer NDIA guide restates it with worked examples.
Budgets are changing too. From 1 October 2026, Improved Daily Living Skills allocations are being reduced progressively for affected plans. That can change how much funding is available, but it does not change the test for whether a particular psychology support is an eligible NDIS support.
For the separate budget question, read NDIS Improved Daily Living Funding Changes: What Participants and Psychology Providers Need to Know.
Ask this of any psychology support:
What disability-related functional capacity is this support intended to build or maintain?
If that cannot be answered clearly, the service may belong in the health system, under Medicare or as privately funded work. If it can, the support must still align with the plan and satisfy the applicable NDIS rules.
This article provides general information and is not legal, financial, clinical or individual NDIS advice. Participants and providers should check current NDIS guidance before making or submitting a claim.
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