Occupational Therapy

How Much Does a Functional Capacity Assessment Cost? (NDIS Guide)

Wellness Experts · August 2026

Short answer: most NDIS Functional Capacity Assessments cost somewhere between $1,500 and $3,500, depending on complexity. That's not a price plucked from the air — it's hours multiplied by the NDIS price cap, and understanding that maths puts you in control.

How the cost is actually calculated

Occupational therapy is billed under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements at a capped hourly rate (around $194 an hour at recent rates — always check the current Pricing Arrangements, as caps change each July). At Wellness Experts the structure of an FCA is clear and quoted upfront: 2 hours of assessment, 9 hours of report writing — the largest chunk, because the report is what the NDIA actually bases decisions on — and 0.5 hours of travel: 11.5 hours in total. Multiply the hours by the cap and you have your quote, before we start.

What this looks like in your service agreement

Before any FCA begins, you sign a service agreement that sets out exactly what you're consenting to — no work starts, and nothing is billed, without it. Here's the breakdown it will show:

Two things we hold ourselves to: competitive pricing — you get experienced clinicians (we don't hire new graduates) at the same price-guide caps every provider works under, so seniority costs you nothing extra — and consent first, always: the signed service agreement is where every hour is agreed before it's delivered.

What makes an FCA cost more (or less)

Occasionally a complex presentation needs an additional standardised assessment — that adds around 1.5–2 hours, and we'll always tell you before doing it, never after. A review of a recent FCA costs less than a first-ever assessment. Beware quotes that seem too cheap: a thin report that the NDIA sends back for more evidence costs you twice — once in dollars, once in a delayed plan review.

Which budget pays

FCAs are funded from Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living. They can't come out of your Core budget. If you're plan-managed or self-managed you can use any provider; NDIA-managed participants need a registered provider (we're registered: 4050169749).

Questions to ask before you book

Ask for the estimated hours and hourly rate in writing; whether report-writing time is included (it should be); the clinician's experience with your disability type; and whether the report will be written to NDIA evidence expectations. Our detailed guide on what happens during an FCA covers the process step by step.

The bottom line

A good FCA usually pays for itself — it's the single most influential document in a plan review. At Wellness Experts, FCAs are completed only by experienced OTs, quoted transparently in hours before we start, and written to meet NDIA expectations the first time. Check our current capacity or make a referral below.