NDIS Group Activities: Centre-Based Supports, 2026-27 Prices and October Changes

Last updated: 22 October 2026

NDIS group activities are supports that help you take part in social, community and recreational activities alongside other people, either at a centre or out in the community. Think art and music sessions, sport, cooking groups or regular outings. They are funded from your Core budget, priced differently from one-to-one support, and from 1 October 2026 the budget they sit in is being reduced as plans are created, reassessed or renewed. This guide explains how group and centre-based activities are funded, what they cost in 2026-27, and what to check before you sign up.

Contents

• What are NDIS group and centre-based activities?
• Where group activities sit in your plan
• 2026-27 price limits for group activities
• How group pricing works: a worked example
• Programs of support and cancellations
• The 1 October 2026 funding changes
• What to check before you join a group
• Group activities with Skillwise in Western Sydney
• Frequently asked questions

What are NDIS group and centre-based activities?

The NDIA lists group and centre based activities as one of the categories of NDIS supports. It describes them as “supports for participants to access and participate in community, social, cultural and recreational activities that are provided in a group setting, either in the community or in a centre” (NDIS: Supports that are NDIS supports).

In practice, that can be a weekly art class at a provider’s centre, a social group that meets at a local library, a fitness or sport session, or a group outing with support workers. The NDIS funds the disability-related support that helps you take part. It does not usually pay the everyday costs anyone would pay, such as a club membership, venue entry or standard sports gear (NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26).

Group activities vs one-to-one community participation

Where group activities sit in your plan

Group and centre-based activities are claimed from the Core support category called Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation. The standard weekday daytime line item is 04_102_0136_6_1 (Group Activities – Standard – Weekday Daytime). There is also a high intensity version, 04_600_0104_6_1, for participants who need a more skilled or experienced worker during the activity.

Under the Pricing Arrangements, group activity line items can be used for direct support, plus non-face-to-face support, provider travel and short notice cancellations. Providers can also claim activity based transport and, when the support happens in a centre, a Centre Capital Cost to help cover the cost of running the facility (NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26).

Non-face-to-face time is not a general admin fee. The Pricing Arrangements say it must be needed to deliver the group support, not tasks such as enrolment, administration or staff rostering, and the provider has to explain it to you.

2026-27 price limits for group activities

These are the national price limits in the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, which took effect on 24 September 2026. National prices apply in Sydney and most of NSW; remote and very remote areas have higher limits. They are the most a provider can charge for one hour of support delivered to one person. In a group, they are divided by the number of people in the group.

Source: NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 (national price limits, per hour). Providers can charge less than these limits, so always check the rates in your service agreement.

How group pricing works: a worked example

The Pricing Schedule says the amount a provider may claim from each participant is “calculated by dividing the applicable maximum amount … by the number of people in the group” (NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27, rule 2.5). The provider makes a separate claim for each person, for the total time of the session.

Here is how the maximum charge works out for a three-hour weekday daytime art session with one support worker and four participants, held at a centre:

This is a simplified example using maximum prices. Your provider may charge less, and agreed non-face-to-face time, provider travel or transport can add to the total. If more than one worker supports the group, the Pricing Arrangements say a provider should only claim for an extra worker’s time against your plan if that worker was directly supporting you for the time claimed.

Programs of support and cancellations

The Pricing Arrangements allow providers of group-based supports to agree a “program of support” with you. The main rules are:

• A program of support can be no longer than six months. If it runs longer than 12 weeks, you must get regular chances to review it.
• You can leave without cost, with no more than two weeks’ notice.
• The provider can claim for sessions you agreed to attend, even if you miss one, as long as they could deliver it. Short notice cancellation rules don’t apply to these sessions.
• If you stop attending without telling the provider, they can only keep claiming for four consecutive weeks.
• The provider can’t claim in advance. Each session must be delivered before it is claimed.

If your group sessions are not part of a program of support, the usual short notice cancellation rule for these line items is seven days. Our guide to the NDIS service agreement covers what else to check.

The 1 October 2026 funding changes

From 1 October 2026, the NDIA is reducing participant budgets for two support categories: Social, Economic and Community Participation, and Improved Daily Living Skills (NDIS: Changes to support budgets from 1 October). The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing says plans will have 50% less for social, economic and community participation supports and 10% less for improved daily living skills supports (Funding changes for NDIS supports).

Which group supports are affected?

Some supports are excluded, including supports in employment, high intensity supports and intensive and complex behaviour supports. The NDIA’s list of supports not affected by the budget reductions includes the high intensity group activity items (04_600 to 04_604) and their Centre Capital Cost item (04_599_0104_6_1), plus the intensive and complex behaviour support items for group activities. Standard group activity items (04_102 to 04_106 under registration group 0136) are not on that list, so they fall within the reduced budget.

When will it reach your plan?

• From 1 October 2026: the reduction applies when a plan is created or reassessed.
• From 1 February 2027: it also applies when plans are renewed. The NDIA will contact you 60 days before your renewal.
• By 30 September 2027: all affected plans are expected to have been renewed.

The impact depends on how much of your budget you use now. The department’s example is a participant with $50,000 a year for these supports who only uses $30,000. After the change they have $25,000, so their actual spending drops by $5,000. You can’t request a review of the change itself, but you can still ask for a plan variation or reassessment if your circumstances change significantly (NDIS: Guide to changing your plan).

Because group pricing shares the hourly cost, group sessions can help a smaller budget go further. That only works if the group suits your goals, so talk it through with your provider or support coordinator when your new plan arrives.

What to check before you join a group

• Group size and staffing: how many participants and workers there are, because this sets your hourly share.
• Which line item: standard or high intensity, and whether a Centre Capital Cost will be charged.
• Extras: any non-face-to-face time, provider travel or transport, and what they cover.
• Activity costs: entry fees, materials or meals you may need to pay yourself.
• Program or casual: whether you’re signing up to a program of support, and the exit notice period.
• Your goals: how the group links to the goals in your plan.

The NDIA’s guide on how to find and choose a provider has more questions to ask. If a provider says they are registered, you can check the NDIS Commission provider register.

Group activities with Skillwise in Western Sydney

Skillwise runs centre-based group activities and community programs at our Rooty Hill centre and at community venues across Blacktown and Western Sydney. Programs include creative workshops, life skills sessions, recreational activities and social outings, with small groups and weekday and weekend sessions. If you’re nervous about joining, we offer a meet-and-greet and a trial session first.

If you’d prefer one-to-one support to get out and about, see our community participation and social support service. Need help getting to sessions? Ask about accessible travel and transport support.

Not sure how group activities fit your plan after the October changes? Call us on 0474 151 264 or send us a message to book a consultation about your goals.

Frequently asked questions

Does the NDIS pay for group activities?

Yes, if they are reasonable and necessary for you. Group and centre-based activities are funded from the Core Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation budget. The NDIS pays for the disability-related support, not everyday costs such as entry fees or memberships.

How much do NDIS group activities cost per hour?

The 2026-27 national price limit for standard group activities on a weekday daytime is $73.58 an hour, shared between everyone in the group. In a group of four, your share is up to about $18.40 an hour, plus up to $2.71 an hour if the session runs in a centre.

What is a Centre Capital Cost?

It is an extra amount a provider can claim when the activity is delivered in a centre, to help cover the cost of running and maintaining the facility. For 2026-27 the national limit is $2.71 per participant per hour.

Will the October 2026 changes cut my group activities funding?

Possibly. Standard group activities are in the social, economic and community participation budget, which is reduced by 50% when plans are created, reassessed or renewed from 1 October 2026. High intensity group activities are on the NDIA’s list of supports that are not affected.

Can I stop a program of support early?

Yes. Under the Pricing Arrangements you must be able to leave a program of support without cost, with a notice period of no more than two weeks.