The short answer
Many independent support workers can charge for travel and kilometres, but whether it is claimable depends on the participant's plan and current NDIS pricing rules, so check official guidance before setting a rate. Once you have an agreed rate, log every trip and add travel as its own line on the invoice.
Short answer: yes, travel often can be charged separately from your support rate, but whether it is claimable and how much depends on the participant's NDIS plan and the current pricing rules, not on what feels fair. Agree the travel terms with the participant or their plan manager before the first shift, keep a clean record of every trip, and add travel to the invoice as its own line rather than folding it into your hourly rate.
Can independent support workers charge for travel?
In many cases, yes. Travel time and kilometres between supports can sometimes be billed on top of your support rate, separate from the question of what to charge per hour. But this is governed by the participant's plan and the NDIS pricing arrangements, which set out when travel is claimable and how it should be calculated. Those rules change and vary by support type, so this is one to confirm with the participant's plan manager, support coordinator, or the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document rather than guessing.
What's the difference between travel time and kilometres?
Two different things usually get bundled under travel. Travel time is the minutes you spend driving between one support and the next. Kilometres are the actual distance covered, often billed at a per-kilometre rate to cover fuel and wear on your car. Some arrangements include both, some only one. Get this spelled out in writing with the participant before you start, so nobody is guessing at invoice time.
How do you agree a travel rate with a participant?
This conversation belongs in the service agreement, not worked out after the fact. A few things worth nailing down early:
- Whether travel time is paid, kilometres are paid, or both
- The per-kilometre rate you'll use, and how it was decided
- Whether travel between back-to-back shifts for the same participant counts
- What happens with travel to the first shift of the day, since this is often not claimable
- How travel will appear on the invoice, as a separate line with distance shown
If you are still working out your core hourly rate as well, our companion guide on what to charge as an independent support worker covers that groundwork, and it's worth reading alongside this one since the two usually get sorted together.
How do you log travel for invoicing and tax time?
Whatever you use, the habit matters more than the tool. Note the date, the client, the distance, and a short description, at the time you drive it, not three weeks later when you're trying to reconstruct a month from memory. If you use Sparks Scribe, you enter the kilometres yourself against a shift or as a manual trip, there's no GPS tracking running in the background. On the Vault and Safeguards plans, Receipt Vault includes a full kilometre log, including work travel you did not end up billing to a client, which is handy for your own tax records. What you can personally claim at tax time is a question for your accountant, since that depends on your own circumstances, not just the NDIS side.
How do you add travel to an invoice?
Once a trip is logged against a shift, it should flow onto the invoice as its own line, with the distance and rate shown clearly, not buried inside the support hours. In Sparks Scribe, kilometres entered against a shift can be added to the invoice with the Add Travel option, and once invoiced, that travel copies into the kilometre log automatically. Standard support item codes and rates in Scribe are a fixed catalogue set when the app was built, so they are not automatically updated when NDIS pricing changes. If your agreed travel rate differs from what's listed, you can create a custom support code with your own rate and use that instead.
A note on what's actually claimable
None of the above is a substitute for checking the rules that actually govern claiming. Whether travel is payable, and how much, sits with the participant's plan, their plan manager or support coordinator, and the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements. Treat this article as a guide to the practical side, agreeing terms, logging trips and putting them on an invoice properly, not as the final word on what you're entitled to charge.
Frequently asked questions
Can I charge for travel to my first shift of the day?
Usually not. Travel to your very first support of the day and from your last one home is commonly excluded, with claimable travel being the distance between supports during the day. Confirm this with the participant's plan manager since arrangements can differ.
Do I need the participant's agreement before charging for travel?
Yes. Travel terms, whether it's time, kilometres, or both, should be set out in the service agreement before you start, not added to an invoice as a surprise. This protects both you and the participant.
What rate should I charge per kilometre?
There isn't one fixed figure that applies everywhere, since this depends on the agreement you reach and any limits that apply under the participant's plan. This is worth confirming with the plan manager or support coordinator rather than copying a rate from somewhere else.
Does Sparks Scribe track my driving automatically?
No. Scribe does not use GPS and does not track driving in the background. You enter the distance yourself, either against a shift or as a manual trip in Receipt Vault, and it keeps the record tidy from there.
How is this different from just setting my hourly rate?
Your hourly rate covers the support you deliver. Travel is a separate cost, for the time and distance getting between supports, and it's negotiated and invoiced separately. If you're still working out your hourly rate, our guide on what to charge as an independent support worker covers that part.