A participant's family wants to know how many support hours per week they can realistically book without blowing the plan before the next review — a quick, defensible number beats a guess.
NDIS Support Hours Estimator
NDIS
Max weekly hours = Core supports budget ÷ (hourly rate × weeks remaining)
This divides the remaining Core Supports budget evenly across the remaining weeks of the plan, at the quoted hourly rate — giving the maximum weekly hours the budget can sustain without running out early.
Reference: NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits
Estimate only — verify against your current NDIS plan and pricing arrangements with your plan manager or the NDIA. AHPRA-registered practitioners should confirm scope against practice standards.
1 What this calculator does
Converts a Core Supports dollar budget into a maximum sustainable number of support worker hours per week (and per day), based on the hourly rate charged and the number of weeks left in the plan. Helps participants, families and support coordinators set realistic rosters.
2 Formula & professional reasoning
Max weekly hours = Core supports budget / (Hourly rate x Weeks remaining)
Max daily hours = Max weekly hours / 7
NDIS Core Supports funding for support work is consumed at the provider's hourly rate (up to the NDIS Price Limit for that support item and region). Dividing the remaining budget by the product of rate and weeks remaining spreads the funding evenly across the rest of the plan. This is a planning estimate, not an entitlement calculation — actual rosters also need to account for public holiday loading, travel time/costs, cancellation policies and non-labour charges which can all reduce the effective hours the budget stretches to.
3 Worked examples
⚠️ Illustrative example only — not clinical or professional instruction.
Basic
Weekly check-in support
Given: Core supports budget $10,400, hourly rate $68.50, 26 weeks remaining
Working:
10400/(68.50x26) = 10400/1781 = 5.84 hrs/weekAnswer: 5.8 hrs/week sustainable (~0.83 hrs/day)
💡 Enough for roughly one 6-hour community access shift per week for the rest of the plan.
Standard
Daily living support
Given: Core supports budget $36,000, hourly rate $72.00, 52 weeks remaining
Working:
36000/(72x52) = 36000/3744 = 9.62 hrs/weekAnswer: 9.6 hrs/week sustainable (~1.37 hrs/day)
💡 Could support a daily ~1.5 hour visit, or fewer, longer visits a few times a week.
Advanced
High-intensity support, mid-plan
Given: Core supports budget $58,000, hourly rate $85.00 (high-intensity rate), 20 weeks remaining
Working:
58000/(85x20) = 58000/1700 = 34.1 hrs/weekAnswer: 34.1 hrs/week sustainable (~4.9 hrs/day)
💡 At high-intensity rates, hours drop fast for the same budget — confirm the correct price limit item is being used before rostering.
4 Sanity check
Typical standard weekday rate (2024-25 range)
Roughly $65-75/hr for standard weekday Core Supports (varies by state/region and support item)
Always confirm the current NDIS Price Limit for the specific support item and time of day
Weekend/public holiday loading
Saturday, Sunday and public holiday rates are higher than weekday rates — often 1.5x-2.5x
Budget for mixed rates if support is needed outside standard weekday hours, not just the weekday rate
Realistic daily hours
Most individual support arrangements fall well under 8 hrs/day unless higher needs/complex support is funded
A result above 8-10 hrs/day usually means the input budget or rate needs double-checking
Non-labour costs
Travel time, cancellation charges (up to 100% for late cancellations) and non-labour costs reduce the effective hours a budget stretches to
This calculator assumes 100% of the budget goes to direct support hours — real-world hours will typically be somewhat lower
5 Common errors
| Error | Cause | Consequence | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using the wrong price limit item | Applying a standard weekday rate when most support will be delivered on weekends or public holidays | Overestimates sustainable hours since actual invoices will be higher | Check the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document for the correct item number and time-of-day rate |
| Forgetting travel and non-labour costs | Assuming 100% of the Core Supports budget converts directly to face-to-face hours | Real sustainable hours are lower than calculated, especially in regional areas with more travel | Reduce the effective budget by an estimated travel/non-labour allowance before calculating, or treat the result as an upper bound |
| Not separating Core Supports sub-categories | Entering the whole Core Supports budget when some of it may already be committed to consumables or transport | Overstates hours available for support worker time specifically | Check how much of Core Supports is already allocated elsewhere before running the calculation |
| Ignoring cancellation policy exposure | Not accounting for the possibility of short-notice cancellations being charged at up to 100% | Actual spend can run ahead of the calculated sustainable rate if cancellations occur | Build a small buffer into the weekly hours estimate to absorb occasional cancellation charges |
6 Reference & regulatory links
7 Professional workflow
Common tools used alongside this one:
NDIS Plan Budget Calculator
Check overall plan pacing before locking in a fixed weekly hours roster
→
Allied Health Caseload Calculator
For providers, cross-check rostered hours against your own available clinical/support capacity
→
Assistive Technology Funding Estimator
If reducing support hours by increasing independence via AT, check the funding pathway for relevant equipment
→