Payment Methods

Talking Matters accepts payment by cash, EFTPOS, direct deposit, and money orders. We also offer automatic health fund rebates via HICAPS* which enables families to claim instantly and pay only the gap. When students are being seen at schools a direct deposit system will be set up for these sessions.  A $5 discount per half-hour applies to self-funded clients with a current health care card.

*Not all health funds provide rebates via HICAPS for speech pathology. Please check with your health fund. If your health fund does not provide HICAPS, you will need to pay in full and take your reciept to your health fund to recieve your rebate.

A number of funding options may be available to help you pay for the services we provide. See our Funding Options page for details.

Talking Matters requires accounts be paid on the day. 

Assessment Deposit

All initial assessments require a $50 deposit to be paid within 7 days of making a booking, and at least 3 days before the appointment. This deposit will be deducted from your fees when you attend your appointment or cancel or reschedule with a minimum of 48 hours notice. If you are unable to attend and do not give 48 hours notice your deposit will be used to cover the late cancellation fee.

Unable to Attend?

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please ensure you call to reschedule with at least 48 hours notice for assessments, and 24 hours for therapy sessions. This allows us to make sure we can keep our waiting lists short and offer appointments to people waiting to be seen. Please note that failing to give adequate notice will incur a $50 late cancellation fee.  Individual therapists may be able to waive this fee when children are unable to attend due to illness however they are only able to do this twice for any client in a calendar year. Additional missed sessions may be able to be waived only were late notice was unavoidable and a medical certificate is provided.

* Please note that when necessary Talking Matters uses a debt collection agency to recover unpaid debts.  Administration charges and debt collection costs are added to the account.  Please pay promptly for the services you request.