NDIS Art Therapy
What NDIS art therapy involves, the current hourly price limits, and how sessions are claimed.
Art therapy pairs a qualified therapist with art making - drawing, painting, clay, collage - as the medium for working on communication, self-expression, and emotional processing. No art skill is expected; the making is the method, not the point. Sessions are structured around goals in your plan rather than around producing artwork.
The Support Catalogue lists art therapy as an hourly item at the same price limit as counselling and music therapy, with an early-childhood item alongside. Practitioner credentialling sits with the profession's own registration body, which is the marker to check when choosing a provider.
Does the NDIS fund art therapy?
The NDIS funds supports it decides are reasonable and necessary for your goals. The same item can be approved for one participant and not another, so no list or website can tell you what your plan will include.
Art Therapy appears under Improved Daily Living (Capacity Building) in the current NDIS Support Catalogue. Whether art therapy supports can be claimed depends on your individual plan, your goals, and how your funding is managed. Your plan manager or support coordinator can confirm what applies to you.
If you intend to claim, check with your plan manager or support coordinator before purchasing.
NDIS art therapy rates: current price limits
Each price limit below is the most a provider can charge for that item under managed arrangements. The agreed price in your service agreement can sit anywhere up to it.
| Item code | Support item | Unit | National limit | Remote (MMM 6) | Very remote (MMM 7) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15_610_0128_1_3 | Therapy - Art Therapist - Direct Service | per hour | $156.16 | $218.62 | $234.24 |
15_610_0118_1_3 | ECI Professional - Art Therapist - Direct Service | per hour | $156.16 | $218.62 | $234.24 |
Source: NDIS Support Catalogue, effective . Price limits are GST-exclusive per the Pricing Arrangements.
How art therapy is claimed
Supports are billed against the item codes above, at or below the price limit, under a service agreement that records the agreed price, how provider travel is charged, and the cancellation terms. Invoices quote the item code, the date, the quantity, and the rate - which is what plan managers check before paying.
How your plan is managed - self-managed, plan-managed, or agency-managed - changes who you can buy from and how invoices are paid. Your plan documents state which applies to you. Agency-managed participants generally need to purchase through registered NDIS providers. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can buy from any suitable supplier.
| Claiming rule | What the Pricing Arrangements say |
|---|---|
| Provider travel time | Up to 30 minutes each way per worker in MMM 1-3 areas; up to 60 minutes in MMM 4-5; no time limit in Remote (MMM 6) and Very Remote (MMM 7) areas. |
| Travel price limit | Travel time is claimable at up to 50% of the item's hourly price limit, plus non-labour costs (e.g. per-kilometre vehicle costs) per the PAPL worked examples. |
| Short-notice cancellation | Notice window: 7 days for disability support worker supports; 2 clear business days for other supports. A late cancellation or no-show can be billed at up to 100% of the agreed fee if the provider could not find other billable work (and pays the worker); providers may waive the fee. Terms must be documented in the service agreement. |
| Remote loadings | National price limits carry a 40% loading in Remote (MMM 6) areas and a 50% loading in Very Remote (MMM 7) areas, as the loaded columns in the rates table show. |
Source: NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (claiming rules narrative, published ), via ndis.gov.au pricing arrangements. Read .
Provider registration
The item codes above carry registration group 0128 in their item numbers - the group a provider registers for with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to deliver this service. The Commission's public register records who holds it.
Invoices and agreements for art therapy
Two documents carry the admin: the service agreement sets the price, travel billing, and cancellation terms before supports start, and the invoice quotes the item code and rate so the claim goes through first time.
Find art therapy providers
The provider directory is where our provider coverage lives, organised by service and state. Whoever you shortlist, verify their registration status on the NDIS Commission's public register before signing an agreement.
NDIS art therapy FAQs
What is the NDIS rate for art therapy?
Art therapy bills hourly against the Support Catalogue item in the table above, at the same price limit as counselling and music therapy. Remote and very remote areas carry loaded limits, also tabled. Your service agreement records the actual rate the provider charges within that ceiling.
Does the NDIS fund art therapy?
The NDIS funds supports it decides are reasonable and necessary for your goals. The same item can be approved for one participant and not another, so no list or website can tell you what your plan will include. If you intend to claim, check with your plan manager or support coordinator before purchasing.
Do I need to be good at art?
No. Art therapy uses making as its working method - the therapist structures the session so the materials do the talking, whatever your skill level. What matters when choosing a provider is qualification and registration with the profession's credentialling body, plus a clear link between sessions and the goals in your plan.
How is art therapy different from an art class?
An art class teaches technique; art therapy is a goal-directed session run by a credentialled therapist and billed against the hourly Support Catalogue item above. The distinction matters at claim time - recreation and tuition sit outside the therapy item, so keep the service agreement specific about what is being delivered.