Who pays for OT, speech pathology and physio in Australia? One map of the funding streams

Written by Callum Trevorrow. Last checked 28 October 2026 against official sources.

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Allied health in Australia is paid for by a mix of funding streams, and each one sets its own rules on referral, reports and limits: a Medicare chronic condition client, for example, gets at most 5 allied health services a calendar year across all professions, on a GP referral. Which streams your caseload draws on shapes your referrals, reports and limits.

This page is the map. Where we already have a detailed page on one stream, I link to it rather than repeat it. I run a multi-site paediatric allied health practice in South East Queensland, where several of our clinicians came to us from overseas.

The map

Stream	Who pays	How a client gets there	Paperwork for you	OT	Speech	Physio
Medicare chronic condition items	Medicare rebate to the client	GP referral under a GP chronic condition management plan	At least 20 minutes, face to face, individual; 5 services a calendar year across all allied health	Item 10958	Item 10970	Item 10960
Medicare speech items for under-25s (from 1 March 2026)	Medicare rebate	Referral from a GP, consultant physician or specialist	—	—	Up to 8 assessment and 20 treatment services before 25, for stuttering, speech sound disorders or cleft lip and/or palate	—
Better Access (mental health)	Medicare rebate	GP Mental Health Treatment Plan, or a psychiatrist or paediatrician referral (from 1 November 2025, from the patient’s MyMedicare practice or usual medical practitioner)	Report to the referrer after each course	OTs with OTA mental health endorsement only. See mental health OT	—	—
NDIS	The participant’s plan	NDIA-managed, plan-managed or self-managed	Depends on whether the provider is registered. See the NDIS for overseas therapists	Yes	Yes; registered providers need you to hold CPSP	Yes
Private health extras	The client’s insurer pays a benefit	The client’s policy	Depends on the insurer	Check the policy	Check the policy; SPA says CPSP status is what insurers look for	Named as an example of extras cover
Queensland Health	Queensland Government	Through the public health system	Your Hospital and Health Service’s systems	Salaried on HP grades. See working for Queensland Health	Same	Same
Aged care: Support at Home	Australian Government	An older person approved for Support at Home	Set by the provider	Clinical support, no client contribution	Clinical support, no client contribution. Speech pathologist is one of the professions named under allied health in the service list (August 2025 version)	Clinical support, no client contribution
Aged care: residential (AN-ACC)	Australian Government, to the provider	Living in residential care	Provider’s systems	Funded within AN-ACC, not per treatment	Same	Same
WorkCover Queensland	The workers’ compensation insurer	An accepted claim	For OT: first 5 consultations pre-approved for a new injury, then a Provider Management Plan	Fees set by WorkCover. See OT in workers’ compensation	Check WorkCover’s tables	Check WorkCover’s tables
DVA	Department of Veterans’ Affairs	Referral; the first from a GP, specialist or hospital	End-of-cycle report to the GP	Yes	Yes	Yes

Medicare chronic condition items

Each service needs a GP referral under a GP chronic condition management plan, and must be at least 20 minutes, face to face and individual. A patient gets at most 5 allied health services a calendar year across all allied health types, so a client seeing a physio and an OT shares those 5. Patients with plans made before 1 July 2025 can use them until 30 June 2027.

From 1 July 2026, the OT item (10958), the speech pathology item (10970) and the physio item (10960) each have a schedule fee of A$74.55 and a Medicare benefit of A$63.40 (85%), according to MBS Online.

A schedule fee isn’t your pay. It’s what Medicare sets for the service. The practice may charge more, and your pay comes from your contract.

The new Medicare speech items

From 1 March 2026, the speech pathology M10 items (assessment 82005, 93033, 93041; treatment 82020, 93036, 93044) were expanded to people under 25 with stuttering, speech sound disorders, or cleft lip and/or palate. That’s up to 8 assessment and 20 treatment services before age 25, on referral from a GP, consultant physician or specialist. We haven’t put a rebate figure here because we couldn’t confirm it on a government page.

Who can bill Medicare

OTs and physios: current general or limited registration with their Ahpra board.
Speech pathologists: Certified Practising (CPSP) status with SPA.

You also need a Medicare provider number for each practice location. See starting a private practice for how that works.

Speech pathology in the other streams

SPA says Certified Practising status lets a speech pathologist provide services funded by Medicare, the NDIS, private health insurers and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). CHSP is due to move into Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.

Aged care in one paragraph

Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care on 1 November 2025. Allied health sits under clinical supports, which carry no participant contribution, and the service list (August 2025 version) names occupational therapist, physiotherapist and speech pathologist among the professions covered. In residential care, AN-ACC funds providers to make allied health available but doesn’t link funding to specific treatments. The detail is on aged care and home modifications for OTs and aged care physio.

DVA in one paragraph

DVA referrals last up to 12 sessions or 1 year, whichever ends first. All allied health except dental and optical needs a referral: the first from a GP, specialist or hospital, then from the veteran’s usual GP. You send an end-of-cycle report to the GP. Gold Card holders are covered for all clinically necessary treatment; White Card holders for accepted conditions only.

What it means for you

In a salaried role, the funding mix usually shows up in your admin and caseload targets rather than your award-based pay; ask the employer.
On a percentage or contract, the mix affects what you earn, because each stream pays differently. See contractor or employee.
Ask any employer which streams make up their caseload, and who does the reports and plans.

Your next step

OTs: check which OT Board route your qualification is on, because Medicare and WorkCover work both need Ahpra registration (see the OT guides).
Speech pathologists: check whether you can use SPA’s MRA or need the OSQCA, because Medicare, the NDIS at registered providers and private health insurers all look for Certified Practising status (see the speech pathology guides).
Physios: check which Australian Physiotherapy Council route applies to you (see the physiotherapy guides).

The pathway check below asks those questions in a few minutes and shows which route applies, so you know when you’ll be able to work in each of these streams.

Related guides

Aged care and home modifications for occupational therapists in Australia: Support at Home and the AT-HM schemeUnder Support at Home, OT has no client contribution and home modifications are funded up to A$15,000 at the high tier. What it means for overseas OTs.
Aged care physiotherapy in Australia: what AN-ACC and Support at Home mean for physio rolesAN-ACC funds allied health in residential care but not per treatment, and it doesn't count in care minutes. Support at Home physio has no client contribution.
Mental health occupational therapy in Australia: OTA endorsement, Better Access and what overseas OTs needBetter Access OT work needs OTA mental health endorsement, with 2 years' FTE supervised mental health experience. The criteria, MBS items and the 80135 fee.
The NDIS for overseas OTs, speech pathologists and physios: registration, worker screening and pricingEmployees don't need their own NDIS registration, but a practice must be registered to see NDIA-managed participants. Qld worker screening is A$147.
Starting a private practice in Australia after you move: ABN, provider numbers, NDIS and insurance for OTs, speech pathologists and physiosAn ABN, a Medicare provider number per location, NDIS registration only if needed, and insurance: what OTs, speech and physios need, plus the visa question.
Occupational therapy in workers' compensation and workplace rehabilitation: WorkCover Queensland and ComcareWorkCover Queensland's OT fee is A$137 for an initial consult from 1 July 2026. How the fee table, the return to work panel and Comcare approval work for OTs.
Working for Queensland Health as an overseas OT, speech pathologist or physio: grades, HHSs, sponsorship and applyingQueensland Health HP grades (HP3 from A$83,824), the 16 HHSs, sponsorship case by case, talent pools and graduate work-rights rules for overseas clinicians.

Sources

Written by Callum Trevorrow, Physiotherapist and founder
Callum Trevorrow is a physiotherapist with experience across public, private and community settings, across the lifespan. He has led a hospital, and now leads a multi-site allied health company that employs overseas staff.
Last checked 28 October 2026. Sources are listed below. How we check.

General information only, not migration or legal advice. Visa advice should come from a registered migration agent (we work alongside them). Registration decisions are made by Ahpra and the professional bodies, not by us. Fees and rules change: check the linked official source before you rely on a figure.