NDIS provider travel: logging travel time and km per participant

Blog10 November 2026

If you are an NDIS provider or support worker, travel is part of the job and part of the paperwork. Whether you can claim it, and how much, depends on the support you delivered and what you agreed with the participant. What does not change is that you need a record for each trip. This post covers the record, not the rates.

What to write down for every trip

• The participant, or whatever reference you use for them.
• The date, and the times you left and arrived.
• Where you travelled from and to.
• Travel time in minutes and distance in kilometres.
• What the trip was for, for example a session or a pickup.
• Whether you were travelling from your base or between two participants.

Why per participant matters

Service agreements and claims are per participant. A day with five visits needs five sets of numbers, and travel between visits has to be assigned to someone. If you drive from one participant straight to another, decide how that leg is split or charged, and apply the same method every time. Check the current NDIS pricing arrangements for what is allowed, and agree it in the service agreement so nobody is surprised at invoice time.

Where logs go wrong

Most gaps come from writing it up days later. By Friday you remember the visits and forget the drive between two of them. Odometer notes and calendar entries help, but they only cover what you thought to write down. Recording as you go, or having your phone record it, closes most of the gap.

Keep the records

You may be asked to back up a claim after the fact. A log with dates, times, distances and the reason for each trip is much easier to defend than a monthly total with nothing behind it.

How Tarry fits

Tarry records time on each site and the travel time and kilometres of each drive between them, on your phone. Afterwards you add a job and notes to each visit, so the trips are already separated when you sit down to claim. The data stays on the phone and there is no account, which suits records about the people you support.

It is on Android now and records only during the hours you schedule, so check the day looks complete before you rely on it. See how Tarry works for NDIS support workers.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Confirm what you can claim with the NDIA or your accountant.