Industry guide for buyers
Payer mix, NDIS pricing, practitioner costs, equipment and working capital — the lines your financial plan needs before you buy a clinic.
Private, health funds, NDIS, insurers and aged care behave differently.
The national physio price limit was held for 2026–27 while wages rose.
Test key-practitioner risk and who replaces the owner's hours.
Equipment finance may help keep cash for working capital.
Quick answer: A financial plan for buying a physiotherapy clinic should cover the purchase price and what it includes, revenue by payer type (private, health funds, NDIS, workers' compensation, aged care), practitioner costs and retention, equipment and fit-out, the lease, working capital for slower-paying funders, and a buffer for the handover. Each line affects how the purchase may be financed.
Physiotherapy clinics on the market in October 2026 often advertise a mix of funding streams — NDIS registration, workers' compensation provider status and aged-care revenue alongside private patients. That mix can make a clinic resilient. It also means total revenue tells you very little on its own. A useful financial plan breaks the business into the parts that behave differently, then tests each one.
Confirm whether you are buying the business assets or the company itself. Some clinics are sold as a company so that provider registrations and contracts stay with the entity. That has legal, tax and liability implications — you inherit the company's history as well as its registrations — so your solicitor and accountant should review it.
List exactly what is included: goodwill, equipment, vehicles, stock, patient records and any leases. Listing figures can change between versions of the same sale, so always work from current, verified financial statements rather than an advertisement.
Break revenue down by source: private patients, health-fund rebated consults, NDIS, workers' compensation and other insurers, aged care and Medicare-referred services. Each has different pricing, paperwork and payment timing.
For NDIS work, the national maximum hourly price limit for physiotherapy was held at $183.99 for 2026–27, with higher limits for remote and very remote areas, under the NDIS Pricing Schedule. Wage costs, meanwhile, continue to rise. Model what happens to margin if funded work stays flat-priced while costs increase — and compare that with your private-fee assumptions, which you can review yourself.
| Payer stream | What to test |
|---|---|
| Private and health-fund patients | Fee schedule, last fee review, rebooking rates |
| NDIS | Share of revenue, pricing against the price limit, claiming process |
| Workers' compensation and insurers | Provider status, approval process, payment timing |
| Aged care and Medicare-referred | Contract terms, volumes, administrative workload |
Practitioners are the business. Check:
Payroll tax treatment of contractor practitioners varies by state and has been an active issue for health practices. Get specific advice for the clinic you are buying rather than relying on the seller's current approach.
GPs, surgeons, sporting clubs, insurers and NDIS support coordinators may drive a large share of new patients. Find out which relationships are personal to the seller and how they will be introduced. A clinic whose referrals depend on one practitioner's reputation needs a longer handover than one with diversified referral sources.
Rehab gyms, reformer equipment, treatment tables and diagnostic tools wear out. Ask for an asset register with ages and condition, and build a replacement schedule into your plan. Equipment purchases may be funded separately through equipment finance, which can help preserve cash for working capital, subject to lender assessment.
Review the remaining lease term, options, rent reviews, make-good obligations and whether the landlord must consent to assignment. Clinics often have specific fit-out needs, so a short remaining term can mean relocation cost sooner than expected. If you are thinking about buying the premises too, see buying a business and its premises.
Insurers, schemes and some funders pay on their own timelines. Combined with wages and super paid each pay cycle under Payday Super, that gap needs cash. Include it in your plan — see our working capital explainer.
Practitioners must hold current AHPRA registration. Provider registrations and contracts — for example NDIS registration or insurer provider status — may not transfer automatically in an asset sale. Confirm the transfer position for each before settlement, and allow for any period where funded work cannot be billed under your entity.
Patient numbers can dip while patients get to know a new owner. A cash buffer for the first months gives you room to manage that without pressure on wages or repayments.
A plan built on the seller's best year is a plan for things going right. Before you commit, run the numbers three ways:
If the clinic can still meet wages, rent and repayments in the harder scenarios, the plan has room. If it can't, that is something to resolve in the price, the structure or the handover terms before you sign — not after.
| Line | Own cash or may be fundable? |
|---|---|
| Goodwill / business purchase | May be fundable via acquisition finance, subject to assessment |
| Equipment and vehicles | May be fundable via equipment finance |
| Fit-out upgrades | Depends on lender and structure |
| Professional fees (legal, accounting, valuation) | Usually own cash |
| Working capital for funder payment timing | May be supported by a working-capital facility |
| Handover buffer | Usually own cash |
For the broader cash picture beyond the purchase price, see our guide to how much cash you really need to buy a business. For what lenders look at, see our due-diligence guide.
We look at the deal structure early, so finance is considered before you commit to a price or settlement date.
Acquisition, equipment and working-capital options laid out side by side, so you can see how each part of the purchase could be funded.
Our founder's background on the lending side of major Australian banks shapes how we help you prepare the evidence lenders look for.
Include the purchase price and inclusions, revenue by payer type, practitioner wages and on-costs, equipment replacement, lease costs, working capital for slower-paying funders, professional fees and a buffer for the handover. Modelling each line separately shows how much is your own cash and what may be financed.
NDIS physiotherapy supports have a maximum hourly price limit — nationally held at $183.99 for 2026–27, with higher limits in remote areas — while wages have continued to rise. A clinic with a large share of NDIS revenue may see margins tighten, so model its funded and private revenue separately before agreeing a price.
Not always. In an asset sale, provider registrations and contracts may need to be applied for or re-approved by the buyer. Some clinics are sold as a company sale so registrations stay with the entity, which has its own legal and tax implications. Confirm the position before settlement.
Often, yes. Rehab and treatment equipment may be financed through equipment finance, subject to lender assessment, which can help keep more of your own cash available for working capital. Whether this suits you depends on the deal structure and your circumstances.
Losing key practitioners, dependence on the seller's own patient load or referrers, a high share of fixed-price funded work while costs rise, equipment needing replacement, unfavourable lease terms and registrations that don't transfer. Due diligence on each helps you price the risk.
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This information is general in nature only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider your circumstances and seek appropriate professional advice before making a financial decision.
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