Medicare rebates for psychology
Medicare pays part of the cost of seeing a psychologist through a program called Better Access. With a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, our $230 session fee attracts a $101.55 rebate, so you pay $128.45. This page explains the item numbers, how the 10 sessions a year work, the GP steps and how the rebate reaches you.
How much is the Medicare rebate for a psychologist?
Our standard session fee is $230 (GST-free). Medicare pays a rebate of $101.55 for a video session under MBS item 91170 (schedule fee $119.45, rebate 85%), which leaves $128.45 out of pocket. Item 80110 is the same service in consulting rooms and pays the same rebate. The rebate applies only when you have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan and referral from your GP. Both of our psychologists are registered psychologists, and this is the registered-psychologist rate.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Session fee (50 minutes, GST-free) | $230.00 |
| Medicare rebate (MBS item 91170, video) | $101.55 |
| Out of pocket per session | $128.45 |
| Item | What it covers | Rebate |
|---|---|---|
| 91170 | Focussed psychological strategies by video, at least 50 minutes, with a registered psychologist. The item we bill, because every session with us is by video. Schedule fee $119.45. | $101.55 |
| 80110 | The same service in consulting rooms (in person), shown for comparison. Schedule fee $119.45. | $101.55 |
Rebate figures are set by Medicare (the Medicare Benefits Schedule), are current at the time of writing (1 July 2026), and can change. The rebate applies only when you have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan and referral from your GP.
What is Better Access
Better Access is a Medicare program that subsidises a set number of psychology sessions each calendar year. It is designed to make mental health care more affordable for eligible people.
The plan is a Mental Health Treatment Plan (many people still call it a Mental Health Care Plan): a short document your GP completes with you. It identifies your concerns and sets out the support you will receive. Without a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, Medicare rebates for psychology sessions do not apply.
Since 1 November 2025, the plan and referral need to come from your regular GP: a GP at the practice you are enrolled with in MyMedicare, or the GP or practice that has provided most of your care over the past 12 months (or will over the next 12). A direct referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician is not affected.
To access the subsidy, two things are needed
- A referral from your regular GP: a short written, signed and dated referral letter (the plan on its own is not a referral).
- A Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) prepared by your regular GP.
Telehealth Psychology Australia (THPA) is a telehealth-only practice serving clients across Australia.
Three steps to a rebated session
You can contact us at any point if you have questions about how the referral works. Our email is admin@thpa.au.
- 01
See your regular GP
Book an appointment with your regular GP, at the practice you are enrolled with in MyMedicare or the one that provides most of your care, and explain that you would like support with your mental health.
- 02
Ask about a Mental Health Treatment Plan
If your GP considers it appropriate, they will prepare the plan and write a referral. A first referral usually covers up to 6 sessions.
- 03
Bring the referral and plan to us
Bring the referral and plan to your first session with us, or send them to us beforehand.
How the 10 sessions work
Under Better Access, you may be eligible for up to 10 rebated psychology sessions per calendar year. The number resets at the start of each calendar year.
Rebated is not the same as free. Medicare pays $101.55 towards each of those sessions, and unless a session is bulk-billed, you pay the rest of the fee. With our $230 fee, that is $128.45 per session.
Your GP’s first referral usually covers up to 6 sessions. After those, you go back to your GP for a review, and if more support is needed they can refer you for further sessions, up to 10 in the calendar year. Unused sessions do not carry over: the count resets on 1 January. These arrangements are set out by Services Australia and are current at the time of writing.
How the rebate reaches you
Our sessions are not bulk-billed. This means you pay the full session fee, and Medicare then pays the rebate to you, provided you have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP.
- You pay the full fee of $230 at the time of your session.
- Medicare pays the rebate of $101.55 into the bank account you have registered with Medicare, leaving a typical out-of-pocket cost of $128.45.
- We lodge your Medicare claim after each session, so the rebate is paid to you usually within a few days, with no paperwork from you.
For the rebate to apply, you must have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP.
Telehealth sessions are eligible at the same rebate
Telehealth psychology sessions are eligible for Medicare rebates at the same rebate as in-person sessions, provided you have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP. The video item (91170) carries the same rebate as the in-rooms item (80110). You need to be in Australia at the time of the session: Medicare does not pay a rebate for a session you attend from overseas. We work by secure video through Halaxy Telehealth. It runs in your web browser, so there is nothing to install. Sessions run for 50 minutes and are not recorded.
Read about telehealthMedicare, answered
A few things people often ask about rebates. If your question is not here, send us a message at admin@thpa.au.
Yes. The Medicare rebate for psychology applies only when you have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, along with a referral.
Book an appointment with your regular GP and ask about a Mental Health Treatment Plan (some people call it a Mental Health Care Plan). If your GP considers it appropriate, they will prepare the plan and provide a referral.
Not since 1 November 2025. For the rebate to apply, the plan and referral need to come from a GP at the practice you are enrolled with in MyMedicare, or from your usual GP: the GP or practice that has provided most of your care over the past 12 months, or will over the next 12. If you are not sure whether your GP counts, ask the practice when you book. A direct referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician is not affected.
Not usually. Better Access is a rebate, not free therapy. With a Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) from your regular GP, Medicare pays $101.55 towards each of up to 10 sessions per calendar year. A session costs you nothing only when the psychologist bulk-bills it, accepting the rebate as full payment. Our sessions are not bulk-billed: you pay the $230 fee, Medicare pays $101.55 back to you, and your out-of-pocket cost is $128.45 per session.
No. You pay the full session fee of $230, and Medicare pays the rebate of $101.55 to you when you have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP. The typical out-of-pocket cost is $128.45.
Under Better Access, you may be eligible for up to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year. The number resets each calendar year.
Yes. Telehealth sessions are eligible at the same rebate as in-person sessions, provided you have a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP. The video item is 91170.
You pay the full fee at the time of your session. Halaxy is our primary billing system, and card payments are processed by Halaxy’s payment partners (payment information only, never clinical information).
Mental Health Treatment Plans are reviewed by your GP. If you are unsure whether your plan or referral is current, speak with your GP, or contact us at admin@thpa.au.
MBS item 91170: focussed psychological strategies by video, at least 50 minutes, with a registered psychologist. Its schedule fee is $119.45 and the rebate is 85% of that, $101.55. Item 80110 is the same service in consulting rooms and pays the same rebate. We bill 91170 because every session with us is by video.
Your GP’s first referral usually covers up to 6 sessions. After those you return to your GP for a review, and if more support is clinically appropriate your GP can refer you for further sessions, up to 10 individual sessions in the calendar year. The count resets on 1 January and unused sessions do not carry over.
Yes. A referral can come from your regular GP with a Mental Health Treatment Plan, or directly from a psychiatrist or paediatrician. The 1 November 2025 regular-GP rule applies to GP referrals; a psychiatrist’s or paediatrician’s referral is not affected.
No. Medicare pays benefits only for services provided while you are in Australia, so a session you attend from outside Australia cannot be rebated. If you will be overseas, contact us before booking so we can talk through your options.
You can still see us. Without a Mental Health Treatment Plan and referral there is no Medicare rebate, so a session is private at $230 (GST-free) and no referral is needed. If you would prefer the rebate, start with an appointment with your regular GP; rebated sessions begin once the plan and referral are in place.
We work across Medicare Better Access, NDIS (self-managed and plan-managed), WorkCover Queensland, DVA, and private funding. Bookings are handled securely through Halaxy.
Ready when you are
If you have a referral and a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, you can get in touch to arrange a session. If you do not yet have a plan, your first step is an appointment with your GP.
A 2-minute enquiry · a reply usually within one to two business days · no health details needed