Locum occupational therapists, sorted.
NDIS sub-provider splits hide half your take-home. Sessional tracks gross bill against net retention so the next provider agreement is one you can actually price.
Occupational therapists in Australia, 2025 to 2026
The market you actually work in
Verified figures for locum occupational therapists, so you can sense-check a rate card before you sign it.
- Around 30,000+ (171% growth past decade)
- AU OTs on the register
- $193.99/hr (60 to 70% of OTs have NDIS caseload)
- NDIS 2025-26 cap
- $150 to $220/hr invoiced, clinician retains $90 to $130
- Home-mod consulting
- 50% rate, 30 min MM1-3, 60 min MM4-5
- Travel cap from 1 Jul 2025
How Sessional helps
Built for how locum occupational therapists actually work
The admin, compliance, and earnings platform for AHPRA-registered locums and independent contractors. Every agency, every direct clinic, every public pool, source-agnostic.
Gross vs net retention visible
NDIS registered providers invoice the 2025-26 cap of $193.99/hr. Most contractor OTs retain 50 to 70% of that after provider overhead. Sessional logs gross bill and net retention separately so you can see whether the next provider agreement actually pays you more.
Travel rules from 1 July 2025 enforced
NDIS travel is billable at 50% of rate. One-way time cap: 30 min in MMM 1 to 3, 60 min in MMM 4 to 5. Sessional applies the cap against each workplace postcode automatically. Rural and outer-metro OTs hit this the hardest; Sessional surfaces when an NDIS session is not actually paying for the travel.
Home-mod and capacity assessments priced per report
Aged-care home-modification assessments and SEN capacity assessments are priced per report ($900 to $2,200), not per hour. Sessional lets you log fixed-fee work separately so you can see hourly realisation across report work and clinic contact sessions.
Sub-specialty tracking with no AHPRA endorsement
OT has no formal AHPRA endorsement system. Driving assessment (state road-authority accreditation), hand therapy (AHTA), mental health (OTA-accredited), and paediatric work are all practice-based. Sessional stores your accreditations against your profile so workplaces that require them can verify.
GST threshold and PSI awareness
Most OTs tip over the $75k GST threshold within a year. Sessional flags the registration deadline, handles GST on NDIS invoices correctly, and warns where a provider agreement looks PSI-triggered under ATO rules.
State by state
AHPRA is national. Your secondary credentials are not.
OT has no AHPRA-level endorsement, but driving-assessment accreditation is administered by state road authorities (VicRoads, Transport for NSW, TMR, etc.) and is not reciprocal. WorkCover accreditation follows the same split as physio (VIC TAC, NSW icare, QLD WorkCover, SA RTWSA, WA WorkCover). WWCC labels vary per state for paediatric NDIS work. Sessional uses your current state to apply the correct labels to document reminders.
AHPRA verified
Your AHPRA number on your profile
Your AHPRA number appears on every invoice you generate and on your public profile. Workplaces verify your AHPRA, Occupational Therapy Board of Australia registration at a glance. No back-and-forth emails, no chasing paperwork.
Sessional Australia is source-agnostic. Track every channel in one place.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
How much does Sessional Australia cost for locum occupational therapists?
Sessional Australia offers three tiers (AUD). Free ($0) covers shift tracking, a public profile, and basic invoicing. Plus ($29.99/month) adds unlimited shifts, invoicing, expenses, documents, and tax planning. Pro ($39.99/month) adds API access, Xero sync, and advanced reporting. No commission on any plan.
What does Sessional Australia track for occupational therapists?
Every shift with date, rate type (hourly, daily, per-session, or percentage of billings), and workplace. Invoices, expenses with ATO cents-per-km, professional documents including your AHPRA registration, and tax planning for sole trader, Pty Ltd, or Trust structures. All income streams (agency, direct, public, NDIS) in one place.
Is Sessional Australia a locum marketplace?
No. Sessional Australia is the admin, compliance, and earnings platform. We do not compete as a marketplace and we do not take a commission on your work. Keep using Wavelength, Medrecruit, Ochre, HealthCare Australia, direct clinic relationships, and any other source that works for you. Sessional unifies the admin side across all of them.
Does Sessional Australia work with AHPRA registration?
Yes. Sessional Australia understands AHPRA registration and your AHPRA number. It appears on every invoice you generate and on your public profile, so workplaces can verify your AHPRA, Occupational Therapy Board of Australia registration at a glance.
Does Sessional Australia handle percentage-of-billings arrangements?
Yes. Each shift is logged with a rate type: hourly, daily, per-session, or percentage of billings. Percentage-of-billings shifts skip the invoice step because the workplace bills Medicare or the patient and pays you a net share. Sessional handles the split automatically on the earnings dashboard and tax planner.
Plans (AUD)
Start free. Upgrade when the admin demands it.
Free
Shift diary, public profile, and basic invoicing. Free forever.
Plus
Most popularEarly-access price for the first 3 months, then $29.99/mo. Unlimited shifts, invoicing, expenses, documents, and ATO tax planning.
Pro
Everything in Plus plus API access, Xero sync, and advanced reporting.
Ready when you are
Set up your profile
Manage every locum income stream in one place. Agencies, direct clinics, public pools, NDIS, all source-agnostic. No commission, no marketplace fee, no pressure to take a particular shift.
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Free tools, guides, and help
Working in a specific city?
City-level guides for locum occupational therapists across Australia.
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Free to start. No card required. No commission.