NDIS Travel Allowance: Guide for Support Workers

How to Claim NDIS Travel Allowances: A Guide for Support Workers

Some NDIS participants need a little extra assistance when it comes to transportation and community access in general. As an NDIS support worker, if you provide transport assistance, you may be able to claim travel costs.

Here’s how provider travel costs work.

What is the NDIS travel allowance?

The NDIS travel allowance is a type of funding provided under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to cover transportation-related costs for both participants and service providers. This allowance is designed to ensure that participants can access necessary supports and services while enjoying social and community participation without facing undue financial barriers related to travel.

There are two main types of travel allowances to be aware of:

• Participant transport allowance: This funding is for participants who have difficulty using public transport due to their disability. The allowance helps cover the costs of taxis, rideshares, community transport or mileage for personal vehicles to attend medical appointments, social activities or other services. The NDIS may fund transport supports in three levels depending on individual needs.
• Provider travel allowance: NDIS support workers can claim provider travel costs when they need to travel to deliver services to participants. This allowance covers the time and costs of travelling to the participant’s location. The provider can claim for the time they spend travelling as well as other related expenses, but it is usually subject to a distance or time limit and should be discussed in advance with the participant.

Ultimately, the travel allowance plays a key role in ensuring both NDIS participants and providers can connect without accessibility or cost barriers affecting the quality of care or support. Download our guide on NDIS Travel Allowances for Support Workers and learn how to claim NDIS travel costs correctly.

How does the NDIS travel allowance work for support workers?

When it comes to claiming the travel allowance, NDIS support workers can claim for travel costs and travel time.

Provider travel costs

Travel costs, also known as non-labour costs, refer to the expenses incurred during travel, including fuel, tolls, parking, running costs or kilometres driven in the worker’s own vehicle. It may also include public transport costs if applicable. Under the 2024–2025 NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, support workers can claim:

• Petrol costs up to $0.99 a kilometre for a vehicle owned by the provider or the worker, and
• Other forms of transport or related costs, including road tolls, parking and public transport fares up to the total amount.

Provider travel time

Travel time refers to the amount of time a support worker spends travelling to a participant’s location to deliver a service. This includes time spent driving, on public transport or otherwise getting to the participant.

The NDIS uses the Modified Monash Model (MMM) to determine the maximum worker travel time that can be claimed. For MMM1-3 areas, support workers can claim up to 30 minutes travel time and up to 60 minutes travel time in MMM4-5 areas.

In instances when a support worker is travelling between multiple participants within a region, travel costs should be split between participants. That said, you’ll need to negotiate the specific travel costs with each participant ahead of time as part of the service agreement. Additionally, if you’re delivering core and capacity-building supports, you can claim worker travel time for the time spent travelling from your last participant back to your usual place of work.

Travel time should be charged at the same hourly rate as the relevant support item against the participant’s core budget. This rate should be agreed upon by the participant.

When can NDIS support workers claim travel costs?

To claim travel costs as a support worker, the following conditions must be met:

• The participant has agreed to it in advance,
• The travel charges align with the latest NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits,
• The support is delivered face-to-face, and
• The provider compensates the worker for the time spent travelling to deliver the service, or, if the provider is a sole trader, they can claim travel costs when travelling from their regular place of work to the participant or between participants.

How to claim a travel allowance

Follow these steps to claim NDIS provider travel costs.

Step 1: Confirm NDIS plan covers travel allowance

Before providing services to participants, ensure their NDIS plan has adequate funding to cover the agreed-upon travel expenses. Travel costs are typically included under “Core Supports” or “Capacity Building” funding.

Participants will fall into one of three transport support levels:

• Level 1: The NDIS offers up to $1,606 per year for participants who are not employed, studying or attending day programs but are looking to improve their community access.
• Level 2: The NDIS provides up to $2,472 per year for participants who are working or studying part-time (up to 15 hours per week), attending day programs, or social and community participation.
• Level 3: The NDIS provides up to $3,456 per year for participants who are working, seeking employment, or studying at least 15 hours a week and are unable to use public transport due to their disability.

There may be exceptional circumstances when some participants have a higher transport budget to allow them to get to and from work.

Step 2: Ensure travel costs are agreed in advance

Take the time to ensure the participant agrees to the transport costs ahead of time. These costs must be clearly outlined in the service agreement, including travel time and any other associated costs such as kilometres driven, road tolls or parking fees.

Step 3: Maintain accurate records

It’s essential to keep a detailed log of the time spent travelling to the participant’s location. Not only do records help to maintain accuracy, but they’re also essential if you need to provide documentation for an audit. Your log should include:

• Date of service,
• Time spent travelling to the participant,
• Distance travelled (if claiming kilometres),
• Receipts for any tolls or parking fees, and
• Service delivered upon arrival.

It can be a good idea to use a travel management app, like CareMaster, to track distance and other travel-related expenses.

Step 4: Calculate travel allowance for each session

Add up the total time spent travelling to the participant. If you’re in a metropolitan area or regional centre (MMM1-3), the maximum claimable travel time is 30 minutes. In regional areas (MMM4-5), it’s 60 minutes.

Calculate the total kilometres driven multiplied by the NDIS-approved rate per kilometre. For example, if you drove 10 kilometres at the NDIS-approved rate of $0.99/km, it would work out as $9.90. Don’t forget to add any additional costs like tolls or parking fees.

If you also provided support to your participant, you’ll need to calculate your support costs based on your agreed hourly rate.

Depending on the transport supports you provided, your invoice could include up to three separate costs for the support item, labour charge and non-labour costs.

Step 5: Submit your travel claim

Most NDIS service providers have a system for submitting claims, such as the NDIS myplace Provider Portal.

To input your travel time and costs into the portal, you’ll also need:

• The participant’s details (NDIS number),
• Date and type of service delivered,
• Time or kilometres claimed for travel, and
• Any other relevant receipts (uploaded or saved for records).

Be sure to double-check that the information is correct before submitting your claim. Find out more about how to claim NDIS travel costs with our complete step by step guide.

CareMaster’s NDIS Software provides comprehensive vehicle management capabilities, so you can easily track your fleet and manage travel allowances. Book a free demonstration to see how CareMaster can help to streamline your business.

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