How Supported Independent Living (SIL) Funding Works
The NDIA works out SIL funding from your support needs in an ordinary week: the hours you need support at home, the ratio of workers to residents, whether you need standard or high intensity support, what you need overnight, and irregular support for unexpected days. It prices that using the NDIS pricing schedule and puts the total in the home and living part of your plan.
What Goes Into the SIL Amount?
Five things, which together describe your support in a typical week.
| Part | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Hours of support | What days and times you need support at home in an ordinary week, leaving out time at work, study or other activities |
| Ratio of support | How many support workers, shared between how many residents, for example 1 worker to 2 people or 2 workers to 4 |
| Intensity | Standard, or high intensity if you need workers with extra qualifications and experience |
| Overnight support | A sleepover, or active overnight support if you regularly need more than 2 hours of awake help |
| Irregular support | Extra days for things like being sick at home, generally up to 10 days a year at standard or 15 at high intensity |
SIL funding also includes an average of 12 public holidays a year. Provider costs like management, staff training and shadow shifts are built into the price, not funded separately.
What Does SIL Cost?
SIL is paid at hourly rates that depend on the time of day, the day of the week, the intensity and where you live. The NDIS pricing schedule sets the maximum a provider can charge.
The pricing schedule lists separate SIL items for weekday daytime, evening and night, Saturday, Sunday, public holidays and night-time sleepovers, at standard and high intensity, with higher limits in remote and very remote areas. The 2026-27 schedule took effect on 24 September 2026. Prices change each year, so we link to the current schedule rather than print figures here.
The total for one person varies a lot, because it depends on the hours, the ratio and the overnight support they need. The NDIA's figure is in the plan.
Looking for SIL Support?
We'll connect you with a registered SIL provider who may have support or a vacancy that suits.
Standard or High Intensity?
Most people need standard intensity. High intensity is for people who need continual active support from workers with extra skills.
That might be because of complex behaviours of concern, or high intensity daily personal activities. The intensity changes the hourly price limit, not the hours.
How Does Overnight Support Work?
If you need up to 2 hours of awake help a night, the NDIA funds a sleepover. If you regularly need more, it funds active overnight support.
When a sleepover worker occasionally has to be awake longer, the provider can claim extra hours, at the daytime weekend or public holiday rate on those nights or the Saturday rate on weeknights, if you've agreed to it. If that becomes regular, ask the NDIA to look at your plan again.
Can SIL Funding Be Used Flexibly?
Yes, within the SIL budget. You can make minor changes to your weekly routine without telling the NDIA, as long as it fits the funding.
You can only use SIL funding for SIL, but you can agree with your provider on the mix of support they deliver. If your needs change significantly, ask for a plan reassessment. You also have to tell the NDIA about changes that may affect your plan, like more hours at work.
What Happens to Funding When a Housemate Moves Out?
Nothing. The NDIA doesn't fund vacancies, and your provider shouldn't charge you more to cover an empty room.
SIL is funded on your support needs, not on who else lives in the house. Your service agreement and tenancy agreement should say how the provider will manage vacancies.
Questions People Ask
Which budget is SIL in?
SIL is a home and living support. The NDIA's plan shows the approved SIL amount and explains the hours and ratios it's based on.
Is there a SIL quote?
The NDIA works out SIL funding itself, using evidence of your needs and the pricing schedule. Providers often prepare a roster of care, but the NDIA says it isn't required and isn't submitted to them.
Can SIL be self-managed?
SIL can be in a self-managed or plan-managed plan, but the provider still has to be registered. Mandatory registration depends on the support delivered, not how the plan is managed.
Does SIL funding change if I go on holiday?
Your service agreement should say how your SIL support is used when you go on holiday. Travel and holiday costs themselves aren't covered.
Keep Reading
- The SIL roster of careWhat a SIL roster of care is, what goes in it, who writes it, whether the NDIA needs it, and how it relates to SIL funding and so-called SIL quotes.
- SIL eligibilityWho is eligible for supported independent living (SIL) under the NDIS: the support needs the NDIA looks for, the age rule, the evidence used and if it's a no.
- Rent and costs in SILWhat people living with SIL pay themselves: rent, food, utilities and household items.
- How to get SIL fundingHow to ask for supported independent living (SIL) in an NDIS plan: the three steps, the evidence that helps, where to send it, and what to do if it's a no.
- What is SIL?Supported independent living (SIL) under the NDIS explained: who it's for, what support workers help with, what it doesn't pay for, and how shared SIL works.
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