Psychologist fees and Medicare rebates

Most people who see a psychologist here pay between about $166 and $214 per session after their Medicare rebate.

Practitioner type	You pay after the Medicare rebate ($)	Standard session fee ($)	Medicare Rebate ($)
Clinical Psychologist	166 – 201	315 – 350	149.05
Registered Psychologist	179 – 214	280 – 315	101.55

Standard session of 50 minutes or longer. Medicare rebates as at 1 July 2026, with a valid referral and Mental Health Treatment Plan (MBS items 80010 and 80110).

How the Medicare rebate works

with a Mental Health Treatment Plan

See your GP

Book an appointment with your GP and ask about a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Your GP will assess whether you are eligible and provide a referral.

Rebated sessions

Medicare covers up to 10 individual sessions each calendar year. Your GP reviews your progress after the first six sessions and provides a new referral if further sessions are appropriate.

Easy claims

You pay the full session fee on the day. We submit the Medicare claim for you, and the rebate is paid into your nominated bank account usually within 24 hours.

A Mental Health Treatment Plan does not expire. You do not need a new plan each year, but you do need a new referral each course of sessions. You can also see a psychologist without a referral. In that case you pay the full fee and no Medicare rebate applies.

Other ways to fund your sessions

In Australia, several options are available to permanent residents, overseas visitors, and students to receive funding or partial reimbursement of psychologist session fees. Some of them include:

Other Medicare funding

Most people are referred under a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Two other referral types apply in specific circumstances, and both change the number of sessions and the rebate you receive:

Eating Disorder Management Plan (EDMP)
Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDMP)

Your GP decides which referral applies. If you are unsure which you have, your GP referral letter will confirm that.

Private health insurance

If you have extras cover, you may be able to claim a rebate on your sessions.

Cover typically includes individual therapy, couples counselling and family therapy, delivered in person or online.

The rebate amount, the number of sessions covered and any waiting periods depend on your fund and your level of extras cover.

You cannot claim Medicare and private health for the same session. You claim one or the other.

Before you book

Call your fund and ask three things: whether psychology is covered under your policy, how many sessions you can claim in a year, and the rebate amount per session.

Your fund may ask for the item code that appears on your invoice.

Code	Service
100	Initial individual therapy, in person
200	Follow-up individual therapy, in person
300	Couples therapy, in person, initial and follow-up
400	Family therapy, in person
701	Initial individual therapy, online
801	Follow-up individual therapy, online
901	Couples therapy, online, initial and follow-up

How you claim

We can process the claim at the end of your appointment. You pay the gap on the day.

Overseas student or visitor health cover

If you hold Overseas Student Health Cover or Overseas Visitor Health Cover, you may be able to claim a rebate on your sessions.

Most health funds above provide insured students with a rebate similar to what Medicare offers Australian residents eligible to claim Medicare rebates. You may need a Mental Health Care Plan from a GP to access up to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year.

Rebates are per session of 50 minutes or longer.

These amounts come from the insurers and can change without notice. Confirm your rebate, your annual limit and any waiting period with your fund before you book. Your fund may also ask for the item code on your invoice, which is listed in the private health section above.

If your policy requires a referral

Book an appointment with a GP and ask about a Mental Health Treatment Plan. With a plan and referral, most funds cover up to 10 sessions per calendar year.

If you are not sure what your policy covers

Tell us when you get in touch. We can explain how the claim works and match you with a psychologist whose fee suits your level of cover.

General information about health cover for overseas students and visitors is available at privatehealth.gov.au.

Find your psychologist’s exact fees

Each psychologist sets their own fee. Fees vary according to:

Registration type, either Registered Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist
Years of experience
Areas of expertise
Session type, length and format, including individual, couples and family sessions.

Every psychologist’s fees and Medicare rebate is listed on their profile.

FIND A PSYCHOLOGIST

Common questions

How much does a psychologist cost in Brisbane?

At Brisbane City Psychologists, a standard session of 50 minutes or longer is $280 to $350. After the Medicare rebate, you pay $166 to $213. Each psychologist sets their own fee. Their exact fee is on their profile.

What is the Medicare rebate for a psychologist?

With a Mental Health Treatment Plan, the rebate is $149.05 for a session with a Clinical Psychologist and $101.55 for a session with a Registered Psychologist. These amounts are set by the Medicare Benefits Schedule and were last updated on 1 July 2026.

What is a gap fee?

The gap is the difference between the psychologist’s fee and the Medicare (or other) rebate. It is the out-of pocket amount you pay.

Do I need a doctor’s referral to see a psychologist?

Only if you want a Medicare rebate. You can book without a referral and pay the full fee or claim private health rebates if applicable.

How many sessions can I claim through Medicare?

It depends on your referral type.

A Mental Health Treatment Plan under Better Access covers up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year, with a GP review after the first six.

An Eating Disorder Plan covers more sessions, with reviews at set intervals.

A Chronic Disease Management referral covers fewer sessions, shared across all allied health services, and pays a lower rebate.

Your GP decides which referral applies.

Do I pay the session fee on the day?

Yes, but what you pay depends on how you are claiming.

With a Medicare rebate: you pay the full fee at the end of your appointment. We can submit the Medicare claim for you and the rebate is paid into your nominated bank account typically within 24 hours.

With private health insurance: you can swipe your health fund card on our terminal and pay only the gap. Or you can pay the full fee and claim from your fund yourself, and they deposit the rebate into your nominated bank account.

Without a rebate: you pay the full fee.

Does the rebate change if my session is shorter?

Yes. Sessions of 30 to 50 minutes attract a lower rebate under different Medicare item numbers. Most sessions here run 50 minutes or longer.

Are online sessions rebated?

Yes. Online sessions attract the same rebate as in-person sessions, from both Medicare and private health funds.

The only difference is the item code on your invoice. Your psychologist applies the correct one.

Can I use Medicare and private health insurance together?

Not for the same session. You claim one or the other.

What happens if I cancel an appointment?

Plans change, and appointments sometimes need to be moved. Tell us as early as you can and we will find you another time.

Your psychologist sets that hour aside for you. When notice is short, it is difficult or rarely possible to offer the time to someone else who is waiting, and the hour goes unused.

Each psychologist sets their own cancellation policy. You receive your psychologist’s policy on the consent form before your first session. Most psychologists follow a policy similar to the one below:

Notice given	Fee
More than 48 hours	No fee
24 to 48 hours	50% of the session fee
Less than 24 hours, or non-attendance	Full session fee

Rescheduling counts as notice. If you move your appointment with more than 48 hours notice, no fee applies.

Cancellation fees are calculated on the full session fee, not the gap. No Medicare or private health rebate applies to them.

Do fees go up each year?

Fees are typically reviewed once a year from 1 July. Your psychologist will let you know three to four weeks beforehand.

Medicare rebates are also indexed by the Australian Government on 1 July, so a fee increase is often partly offset by a higher rebate.

Make an appointment

Send a request to a Psychologist in Brisbane by completing the form below.