What Line Item Does NDIS Counselling Come Under?

If you fund counselling through your NDIS plan, you have probably seen a long code on an invoice and wondered what it means. This post explains which line item NDIS counselling comes under, which budget it draws from, and how it gets claimed. I have kept it in plain terms so you can check your own plan without second-guessing.

The short answer

Counselling is funded under Capacity Building. The exact part is called Improved Daily Living. In the NDIS system this is Support Category 15. Capacity Building is money set aside to build skills and reduce the impact of disability over time. Counselling fits here because it is a therapeutic support, not day-to-day assistance. So when you look at your plan, counselling comes out of your Improved Daily Living budget. It does not come out of Core Supports. That one fact clears up most of the confusion I hear about.

The exact NDIS counselling line item

The NDIS counselling line item is 15_043_0128_1_3. Its full name is Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy or Training - Counsellor.

Here is what the parts mean. The 15 is the support category, Improved Daily Living. The 0128 is the registration group, called Therapeutic Supports. You do not need to memorise the numbers, but it helps to recognise the code when you see it on an invoice or quote.

The name of the item is broader than the word counselling on its own. It covers the counselling session, plus any assessment, recommendation or training that goes with it. In practice, for most people, that just means the talking side of counselling. The wider name is there because the same item can be used in a few different ways depending on your goals.

For the 2026 to 2027 financial year, the price limit for this item is $156.16 per hour across most of Australia. That is the most a registered provider can charge. A provider can charge less, and if you are self-managed you can agree on a rate directly. Rates are higher in remote and very remote areas. You can confirm the current figure on the NDIS pricing arrangements page, which the NDIA updates each July.

One more thing worth knowing. Counsellors who deliver under this item are expected to hold recognised professional accreditation with a counselling body. If you are plan-managed, your plan manager will check that side of things before paying an invoice.

Why counselling is not a Core Support

People often assume counselling comes out of Core Supports, because Core is the biggest and most flexible part of a plan. That is not how it works.

Core Supports pay for everyday help. Think personal care, help around the house, and getting out into the community. Counselling is a therapy, so it sits in Capacity Building instead.

This matters because you cannot freely move money from Core into Capacity Building. The budgets are kept apart. If your Improved Daily Living funding is running low, counselling has to come from that amount, not from your Core budget. Knowing this before you book saves a lot of awkward surprises later.

If you want to read more about how this works locally, I go into detail on my NDIS counselling in Cairns page.

What changed in the July 2026 pricing

The NDIS updates its prices every July. From 1 July 2026, a few things about therapy billing changed, and counselling was part of that.

The biggest change is called unbundling. In the past, some extra costs were built into the hourly rate. Now, provider travel, time spent on notes and preparation away from the session, and reports the NDIA asks for are claimed as separate line items.

For you, that means an invoice might show more than one line. The counselling session is one line. Any travel or report time sits on its own. It can look like more paperwork than before, but it does make it easier to see exactly what you are paying for.

The counselling hourly rate itself held steady in this update. So the code and the price you claim against your Improved Daily Living budget have not jumped around, even though the layout of the invoice may look a little different.

Can you use Core Supports for counselling?

No, not in most cases. Counselling is a therapeutic support, so it is claimed against Improved Daily Living in your Capacity Building budget.

There are narrow situations where flexible funding changes things, and the way plans are written is shifting under newer plan types. If you are unsure, your plan manager or support coordinator can tell you exactly what your plan allows. It is worth asking before you book a first session.

What this means if you are self-managed or plan-managed

If you are self-managed, you hold the funds and pay providers yourself. You can see a counsellor who is not registered with the NDIS, as long as the support meets your plan goals and you keep your records. You claim the cost back against your Improved Daily Living budget.

If you are plan-managed, a plan manager pays your invoices for you. They apply the counselling line item and check the amount sits within the price limit. You still choose your own counsellor.

Either way, the line item is the same. The only difference is who handles the claim. If you want to see how sessions run week to week, my individual counselling in Cairns page walks through what to expect.

Do you need a referral to use this line item?

You do not need a GP referral to use your NDIS funding for counselling. That is different from Medicare, where a referral and a mental health plan are usually part of the picture. With the NDIS, the funding is already yours to use on supports that match your plan goals.

What does matter is that counselling lines up with the goals written into your plan. If your plan mentions building your mental health, managing the effects of your disability, or coping with a change in your life, counselling usually fits. If you are not sure it fits, that is a good question for your plan manager or support coordinator before you book.

How to find the counselling budget in your plan

Open your plan and look for the Capacity Building section. Inside it, find the heading Improved Daily Living. The dollar amount listed there is what you have to spend on therapies, and counselling is one of them.

If you use the NDIS app or the myplace portal, the same budget shows up as CB Daily Activity. It is the same pot of money, just a different label on the screen. If the numbers do not make sense, a plan manager or support coordinator can read it with you.

What I notice working with clients

A lot of people come to me worried they have picked the wrong budget or booked something their plan will not cover. Nearly every time we look at the plan together, counselling was always meant to sit in Improved Daily Living, and the funding was already there. The confusion was about the code, not the money.

I am a counsellor, so I cannot make decisions about your plan or your funding. What I can do is point you to the right people and keep the admin side simple, so the sessions themselves stay easy to turn up to.

If you are thinking about counselling

Counselling through the NDIS is there if you want it, and the line item side of it is more straightforward than it first looks. If you would like to book a session or ask about your plan, you can reach me through the contact page on my website.

Written by Allan Bunyan, CPCA - counsellor at Strong Foundation Support, Cairns. Allan works with adults and young people aged 14 and over, in person in Cairns and via telehealth across Australia.