Every year, the NDIA updates its Pricing Schedule, and every year, we take the time to understand the changes so we can share the important facts with you. Our role is to break it down into clear, practical information to provide clarity on what it means for you. 

The 2026–27 NDIS Pricing Schedule is now in effect, bringing several important changes for participants accessing disability day programs and School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES). We’ve broken down the key updates, what they mean for you, and how the Blue Tongue Adventure team is here to support you every step of the way. 

A quick note about the terminology 

You might hear two different terms used throughout this article: Core Supports and Social, Community and Civic Participation (SCCP). 

For most participants, Blue Tongue Adventure day programs are funded through your Core Supports budget, under Assistance with Social and Community Participation. In the NDIA’s Annual Pricing Review (APR), these same supports are grouped under the technical pricing category Social, Community and Civic Participation (SCCP).

Throughout this blog, we’ll mostly refer to Core Supports, while using SCCP when we’re explaining the specific pricing changes introduced by the NDIA. 

First Up: What Funding Covers Day Programs and SLES in the NDIS? 

Most of what we do at Blue Tongue Adventure sits under two NDIS support categories: 

Social, Community and Civic Participation (SCCP) covers disability day programs, group activities, community access and centre-based supports – adventure days, art, cooking, ceramics, woodwork, urban outings and everything in between. 

Capacity Building – Employment covers School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) – the funding that helps school leavers build the independence skills, job skills and work experience they need to take their next big steps. 

Both categories have updates for 2026–27. Here’s what you need to know. 

What’s Changed for Day Programs (SCCP)? 

Support Worker Rates Have Increased 

The hourly rates for SCCP supports have increased from 1 July 2026, reflecting the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review and updates to the SCHADS Award. Support workers deserve fair pay, and this year’s review has delivered that. It does mean, though, that if your plan was calculated on 2025–26 rates, your funding may not stretch quite as far. 

The new maximum hourly rates for community access and group activities (national rates) are: 

Standard Supports: 

High Intensity Supports: 

Group Programs Are Great Value 

One thing worth understanding is how shared support pricing works in your favour. In shared support arrangements, such as 1:2 or 1:3 support ratios, the hourly NDIS rate remains the same, but the cost of the support worker is shared across participants according to the level of support being delivered. This means your individual cost is lower than receiving the same number of hours of one-to-one support. Our programs are designed to maximise this approach, allowing participants to enjoy engaging, social days of adventure and skill building while making their NDIS funding go further than it would with individual support alone. 

The Bigger Shift: Different Pricing for Registered and Unregistered Providers from January 2027 

One of the most significant changes announced in the 2026–27 NDIS Annual Pricing Review comes into effect from 1 January 2027. 

Currently, registered and unregistered providers delivering Supports in a Community Setting (SCCP) can charge the same maximum NDIS price. 

The NDIA has announced that: 

• Registered providers (like Blue Tongue Adventure) will continue to charge the current maximum price limits, with annual indexation to reflect rising wages and operating costs. 
• Unregistered providers will have their maximum price limits reduced by 10%, and these prices will no longer receive annual indexation. 

Why is the NDIA making this change? 

The NDIA recognised that registered providers operate under a very different cost structure to unregistered providers. 

As a registered NDIS provider, Blue Tongue Adventure meets strict quality and safeguarding requirements, including regular NDIS Commission audits, worker screening, staff training, governance, quality assurance systems, award wages, and ongoing compliance obligations. These measures are in place to help ensure participants receive safe, high-quality supports from skilled and accountable providers. 

Many unregistered providers operate as sole traders or very small businesses with fewer regulatory requirements and lower overheads. The NDIA determined that the previous pricing model did not adequately reflect these differences, and the new pricing aims to create a fairer and more sustainable system across the sector. 

What does this mean for Blue Tongue Adventure participants? 

The good news is that very little changes if you’re already attending Blue Tongue Adventure.

As a registered provider, our pricing remains aligned with the NDIA’s published price limits and will continue to receive annual indexation. These changes help ensure providers like Blue Tongue Adventure can continue investing in experienced support workers, engaging community programs, participant safety, and high-quality services for years to come. 

The changes also create a more level playing field between registered and unregistered providers by recognising the additional standards and protections that registered providers deliver. This means families can have greater confidence that registered providers are being appropriately funded to maintain the quality, consistency and safeguards participants rely on. 

What About SLES? Here’s the Good News 

SLES is funded under Capacity Building – Employment, and the Annual Pricing Review data tells a genuinely encouraging story about this category. 

Capacity Building – Employment was one of the fastest-growing support categories in the NDIS in the six months to December 2025, with payments increasing by 36.2% compared to the same period the previous year. That growth reflects more young people accessing employment pathway supports, exactly the kind of meaningful investment in futures that SLES is designed to enable. 

SLES funding is annualised (rather than a set hourly rate), which means it offers flexibility in how it’s used across a program year. This suits the way Blue Tongue Pathways works, with workshop mornings, hands-on afternoons, work experience placements, travel training and industry exploration all building toward your goals over up to two years. 

There are no major structural changes to SLES pricing or eligibility in 2026–27, but the strong growth in take-up signals that more school leavers are discovering what SLES can do. If you or a loved one is finishing school soon and hasn’t explored SLES funding yet, this is a great time to ask your NDIS Plan Manager or Support Coordinator about it.  

What These NDIS Pricing Changes Mean for Your Plan 

The most important practical point across all of these changes is this: your NDIS plan funding doesn’t automatically increase when prices go up. If your plan was approved under 2025–26 rates, your budget may not stretch as far under the new rates, and it’s worth checking before you run short. 

Here’s what we’d encourage you to do: 

Talk to your support coordinator. Ask them to model what your supports cost at the new rates and whether your current plan is going to cover you through to your next review. 

Think about how you’re using your Core Supports funding. Group programs like Blue Tongue Adventure offer excellent value because the hourly cost of support is shared. If your plan currently funds a large amount of individual support, it may be worth talking to your Support Coordinator about whether adding small group-based programs could help your Core Supports funding stretch further. 

Ask about a plan review if you need one. If your funding looks like it won’t cover your supports, you can request an unscheduled review. The NDIA has processes for this when costs or circumstances have materially changed. Don’t wait until you run out – act early. 

Why Being a Registered Provider Matters More Than Ever 

The NDIS Pricing Changes 2026–27 are beginning to price registration appropriately, and we think that’s the right direction of travel. 

Being a registered NDIS provider isn’t just a compliance badge. It means our team is qualified and screened, our practices are subject to ongoing review and audit, our participants have access to formal safeguards, and we carry the governance and quality infrastructure needed to deliver programs you can genuinely trust – day in, day out. 

At Blue Tongue Adventure, that’s always been how we’ve operated. Thorough staff induction and training, formal quality systems, and a genuine, consistent commitment to the adventurers who walk through our doors. The new pricing framework is starting to reflect that distinction – and for young people navigating the transition from school to adulthood, the assurance that comes with a registered provider really matters. 

We’re Here to Help You Figure It Out 

We know pricing changes can feel a bit overwhelming, especially when your NDIS plan is tied to something as important as building skills, making friends, and finding your way after school. You shouldn’t have to work through that on your own. 

Whether you’re a current Blue Tongue crew member wanting to understand how these changes affect your program, a family member planning ahead for the year, or a school leaver who is looking to transition – we’d love to have a chat. 

Our programs run across Brisbane’s Bayside and Toowoomba, with flexible options to suit a range of goals and funding types, including Core Supports day programs and Blue Tongue Pathways SLES. 

Visit us at bluetongue-adventure.com.au, or get in touch with our Blue Tongue Adventure coordinators – we’re always happy to help!