How to Access In-Home Allied Health Under the NDIS in Victoria

Published by SESI Care Services · Updated August 2026 · 2-minute summary

Quick answer: If your NDIS plan has Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living funding, you can book an occupational therapist or physiotherapist to come to your home in Victoria. You do not need a GP referral. Choose a provider, sign a service agreement, and the first visit is usually an assessment in your own home. In 2026–27 the NDIS price limit is $193.99 per hour for occupational therapy and $183.99 per hour for physiotherapy, and travel is itemised separately on your invoice.

Key takeaways

• In-home OT and physio are paid from Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living, not from your Core budget.
• No GP referral is needed. You, your family, your support coordinator or your GP can all make the referral.
• Your therapist works in the rooms where you actually live — which is why home visits often lead to more practical recommendations than clinic visits.
• Since 1 July 2026, therapy invoices list direct therapy, travel, report writing and non-face-to-face work as separate lines.
• If your plan has no therapy funding, ask for a plan variation or reassessment with evidence of the functional need.
• Registration matters: the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regulates providers, and OTs and physios must be registered with their Ahpra boards.

Who can get allied health at home under the NDIS?

Any NDIS participant whose plan includes therapy funding can ask for it to be delivered at home. The NDIS does not have a separate “home visit” category — home delivery is simply a choice you make with your provider.

To be an NDIS participant you need to have met the access criteria when you applied: under 65 at the time of your access request, living in Australia as a citizen, permanent resident or Protected Special Category Visa holder, and with a permanent and significant disability (or meeting the early intervention requirements). The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) sets these rules out in the NDIS eligibility checklist. If you are over 65 and not already on the NDIS, in-home allied health is arranged through aged care instead — see our guide to community nursing and Support at Home.

Children are included. The NDIS early childhood approach covers children under 9, and home-based therapy is common for young children because the goals are about everyday routines at home.

Which NDIS budget pays for occupational therapy and physiotherapy?

Therapy is funded under Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living. This is the budget the NDIA uses for assessments, therapy and training that help you build skills and independence. It is separate from your Core budget (support workers, domestic assistance, community access) and from Capital (assistive technology and home modifications).

A few things families often get wrong:

• Core funding cannot be moved into Capacity Building. Core is flexible within itself, but it will not pay for a physiotherapist.
• Equipment the therapist recommends is funded separately. A shower chair or a grab rail comes from Capital – Assistive Technology or Home Modifications, usually after the OT writes a report. The OT assessment itself comes from Improved Daily Living.
• Newer plans release funding in instalments called funding periods. If your plan shows a smaller amount than you expected, check whether it is a three-monthly period rather than the annual total.

If there is no Improved Daily Living line in your plan at all, skip to the plan variation section below.

How much does in-home therapy cost in 2026–27?

The NDIS sets price limits — the most a registered provider can charge. They are not a bill you pay yourself; the provider claims from your plan. The 2026–27 limits that apply from 1 July 2026 are:

Support	2026–27 price limit (per hour)
Occupational therapy	$193.99
Physiotherapy	$183.99
Speech pathology	$193.99
Psychology	$252.99

Source: NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026–27. For the full list of what moved this year, read our guide to the 2026–27 NDIS prices.

Since July 2026 therapy invoices are itemised. A home visit will typically show the direct therapy time, the therapist’s travel to you, and any report writing or non-face-to-face planning as separate lines. Travel is capped and must be agreed with you in advance, so ask your provider how they charge travel before the first visit. A good provider will also tell you how long a typical assessment takes and what reports are included.

How long does it take to start?

There is no NDIA approval step once funding is in your plan. The timeline is set by the provider’s capacity:

1. Referral (same day). You, a family member, your support coordinator or your GP contact the provider. A GP referral is not required by the NDIS.
2. Service agreement (days). The provider confirms your goals, the funding line they will claim against, their cancellation terms and how travel is charged. Read it before you sign.
3. Initial assessment at home (first visit). The therapist looks at the tasks you want to do — showering, cooking, getting out to the shops — in the rooms where you do them.
4. Plan and report. You receive a written plan with goals, frequency and any equipment or home modification recommendations.

If a provider has a waiting list, ask about telehealth for the first conversation so the assessment visit is booked sooner. SESI Care Services delivers occupational therapy and physiotherapy in homes across Victoria.

What happens at the first in-home visit?

The first appointment is an assessment, not treatment. Expect the therapist to:

• Ask what you want to be able to do, and what gets in the way.
• Watch you do some everyday tasks in your own space — transfers, walking between rooms, using the kitchen or bathroom.
• Check the home environment: steps, rails, lighting, floor surfaces, the height of the bed and chairs.
• Talk with the people who support you day to day, with your permission.
• Agree on goals that can be written into your plan and measured at your next reassessment.

Have your NDIS plan, a medication list and any recent hospital or specialist letters nearby. If you use a support worker, it helps for them to be there for part of the visit so the therapist’s strategies carry into everyday support. We cover what to bring in more detail on our occupational therapy and physiotherapy service pages.

What if my plan has no therapy funding?

You can ask the NDIA for a plan variation (a change to the current plan) or a plan reassessment (a full new plan). The evidence that carries weight is functional — what you cannot do, how often, and what help you need — rather than the diagnosis alone. An occupational therapy functional assessment is often the piece of evidence that unlocks therapy funding, and a GP letter describing the functional impact helps.

If the NDIA refuses, you can request an internal review within three months, and after that apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal. The NDIA explains the steps in reviewing our decisions. A support coordinator can prepare the request with you; SESI’s Support Coordination is available Australia-wide by phone and video.

One timing note: from 1 October 2026 the NDIA is tightening some Capacity Building budgets, including Improved Daily Living, as part of the 2026 NDIS changes. Requests backed by a clear functional assessment are in a stronger position than general requests for “more therapy”.

How do I check a provider is legitimate?

• Ahpra registration. Occupational therapists and physiotherapists must be registered with their national boards. Search the Ahpra register by name.
• NDIS registration. Registered providers are audited against the NDIS Practice Standards by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. If your plan is agency-managed you must use a registered provider; plan-managed and self-managed participants can also use unregistered providers, who are still bound by the NDIS Code of Conduct.
• Worker screening. Every worker in a risk-assessed role needs an NDIS Worker Screening Check.
• Transparent pricing. The service agreement should name the price limit, the travel arrangement and the cancellation policy.

SESI Care Services is a registered NDIS provider (provider number 4050144347).

Frequently asked questions

Talk to SESI

If you want an occupational therapist or physiotherapist to come to you anywhere in Victoria, tell us what is going on and we will call you back.

Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374

This guide is general information based on the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026–27 and NDIA guidance current at August 2026. It is not advice about your individual plan. For help with your own plan, speak with your support coordinator or contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110.