NDIS Funding Guide · Early childhood · Table 39

Early childhood art therapy uses guided creative activities to address a young child's development, emotional expression, engagement and disability-related functional goals. It is not simply a paid art class.

Based on the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026–27, effective 24 September 2026, Table 39, page 68. Reviewed 20 October 2026. All prices are maximum amounts in AUD and subject to change.

What is this NDIS support?

Early childhood art therapy uses guided creative activities to address a young child's development, emotional expression, engagement and disability-related functional goals. It is not simply a paid art class.

Early childhood context: Appendix 5 of the schedule covers evidence-based early childhood intervention for children aged 0–9 years, including children aged 0–6 with developmental delay, and their families. Services should build participation and capabilities through the child's ordinary routines and the people around them. Where a professional also appears in the general therapy appendix, use the ECI-specific family only when it matches the child, support and funding purpose.

Good early intervention records describe a meaningful everyday task, what the child can do now, the strategies used in the session, how the family or educators will practise them, and what change will be reviewed. Simply listing activities is not a sufficient explanation of functional progress.

When is it appropriate to use this support?

When a child has funded early childhood supports and a qualified art therapist delivers a planned intervention that involves the child and relevant family members.

When it is not appropriate

Arts-and-crafts entertainment, childcare and art materials should not automatically be billed as therapy. A support worker leading a painting activity is not, by that fact, an art therapist.

Who can deliver it?

The therapist must be a Professional Member of the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapy Association.

Confirm the practitioner's actual registration, accreditation, membership or experience requirements for the service, not just the provider's business name. They must be capable of delivering the work safely and within any applicable NDIS practice standards.

Every listed 2026–27 code and maximum price

6 support code entries are listed in Table 39. The national, remote and very remote amounts apply according to the location of the support. The support item unit shown in the table matters. Fractional hourly fees follow the actual time spent on eligible support; do not charge for a full hour where only a shorter service was supplied.

Travel, indirect time, telehealth and cancellation

The table lists provider travel time under 15_610_0118_1_3_PT at $78.08/hour nationally ($109.31 remote; $117.12 very remote). This is a distinct billing purpose from direct service at $156.16/hour nationally. The presence of a travel code does not guarantee the travel is eligible or pre-agreed; confirm the current 2026 claiming conditions and actual journey.

For ECI professional items, the suffixes identify different claim purposes: _NF for eligible non-face-to-face work, _TH for telehealth, _RR for NDIA-requested reports and _CA for cancellations when the relevant rules permit. They do not mean ordinary paperwork, a missed session or a routine report can automatically be billed.

The attached September 2026 pricing schedule does not contain every non-labour travel code or all the detailed conditions for adding kilometres, tolls, parking or other charges. Providers and participants should consult the official current NDIS support catalogue and published claiming guidance rather than assuming the rate used in a previous year remains valid.

The NDIS has separate national, remote and very remote maximums where listed. Geography is based on where the support is delivered, accounting for the schedule's isolated-town modification. The 2026–27 schedule's maximums already include any GST.

Practical example

For a child who struggles to communicate distress, an art therapist works alongside carers to develop expression strategies that carry over into everyday routines.

The provider's records should explain the activity, the plan-related objective, who delivered it, the time and location and the item used. Where a separate indirect activity or travel charge is proposed, the participant should understand and agree to the relevant arrangement in advance.

Common questions

Original source and current guidance

NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026–27 · NDIS support catalogue · Complete NDIS price guide overview.

Beyond Health Services publishes this independent educational guide. The schedules and official rules take precedence, and future updates can change the price.