The short answer
- You ask, not the provider. You, or someone helping you, ask the NDIA for SIL with evidence about the support you need at home.
- The NDIA sets the amount. It decides your hours, your support ratio, the intensity and the overnight support, then prices it using the NDIS pricing schedule.
- A roster of care is optional. A provider can draft one with you to show what a typical week looks like, but it doesn't decide your funding.
- SIL pays for support, not living costs. Rent, board, groceries and bills are paid in other ways.
What changed in 2026
A lot of older advice online says the NDIA decides SIL from "a quote submitted by your provider". That isn't how it works now. In 2026:
- you send the NDIA evidence, by asking for home and living supports or at a plan reassessment;
- a provider's roster of care is optional, and the provider gives it to you and your support coordinator to include with your request;
- the NDIA works out the amount itself using the NDIS pricing schedule 2026-27, which has set maximum prices since 24 September 2026;
- SIL has new support item numbers, and providers can claim SIL weekly from 1 July 2026 under a service agreement;
- Since 1 July 2026, SIL providers must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Providers already delivering SIL before then had until 1 October 2026 to apply, and can keep going while the Commission decides.
How to ask for SIL, step by step
- Gather evidence. The NDIA wants evidence about the support you need at home, usually reports from the professionals who have assessed your needs. Your support coordinator can help you work out what's needed.
- Ask the NDIA. Send your request for home and living supports and your evidence, or raise it at your plan reassessment. The NDIA accepts requests through its service channels, by mail or in person.
- Add a roster of care if it helps. If a provider has drafted a roster with you, include it so the NDIA can see what a typical week looks like.
- The NDIA decides. If SIL is approved, your plan shows the approved SIL funding.
- If you disagree. You can ask for an internal review within 3 months of getting your plan.
Starting a SIL request?
We can help you put together a roster of care.
What a roster of care shows
A roster of care is a picture of a typical week in your home. The NDIA's provider roster tool sets it out in 30-minute blocks and shows:
- the support ratio for each block of time, such as 1:1 or 1:3;
- everyone who lives in the home, including housemates who aren't on the NDIS;
- time spent on community activities or at work, marked separately because it's funded differently;
- overnight support, as a sleepover or active overnight;
- irregular days when you need extra support at home, public holidays and staff handovers.
Public holidays are priced well above a normal weekday; see NDIS public holiday rates in Queensland.
Here's a simplified example for one weekday, made up to show the idea:
| Time | Support | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am to 9:00 am | Getting up, personal care, breakfast | 1:1 |
| 9:00 am to 3:00 pm | At home or out at activities (community time is shown separately) | 1:3 |
| 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Cooking, chores, evening routine | 1:2 |
| 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Evening support | 1:3 |
| 10:00 pm to 7:00 am | Overnight support (sleepover or active overnight) | 1:3 |
The NDIA is clear that a roster of care doesn't decide the amount or type of supports in your plan. It's a way of showing your needs, not a bill.
Prefer paper? Print our free roster of care template, and compare providers with our SIL quote checklist.
Support ratios in plain English
A ratio shows how many people one support worker is supporting at a time. 1:1 means one worker just for you. 1:2 means one worker shared between two people, and 1:3 between three.
Most shared homes mix ratios across the day: more one-to-one help at busy times like mornings, and shared support when everyone is settled. The NDIA decides the ratios that are reasonable and necessary for you, and also whether your support is standard or high intensity.
Overnight support: sleepover or active overnight
There are two kinds of overnight support in SIL. At a sleepover, a worker sleeps at the home for an 8-hour shift and can be woken to give up to two hours of support.
With active overnight support, a worker stays awake and works through the night, for people who need help or checks regularly. Which one you get depends on your needs and your plan. We provide both, as part of our Supported Independent Living.
SIL prices for 2026-27
These are the maximum prices for SIL in the NDIS pricing schedule 2026-27, set by the Minister and effective from 24 September 2026. They're the national rates, which apply across Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and the Gold Coast. Providers can't charge more than these for NDIA-managed and plan-managed participants.
| When | Standard | High intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday daytime (6 am to 8 pm) | $73.58 | $79.60 |
| Weekday evening (8 pm to midnight) | $81.07 | $87.70 |
| Weekday night | $82.57 | $89.32 |
| Saturday | $103.54 | $112.01 |
| Sunday | $133.50 | $144.42 |
| Public holiday | $163.46 | $176.84 |
| Night-time sleepover (each, not per hour) | $311.79 | |
In a shared home, the cost of shared support is split between the people sharing it, so your share depends on your ratios. Try our SIL cost calculator to estimate a typical week. We charge within these maximum prices, with no hidden fees.
Psych Connect NDIS Support delivers standard supports and is not registered for high intensity daily personal activities.
What SIL doesn't pay for
SIL funding is for the support in your home. It doesn't pay for groceries, rent, board or lodging, utilities such as electricity, gas, phone and internet, vehicle costs, or holiday costs.
These are usually paid from your own income. If you live in a Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) home, SDA funding pays for the home and SIL pays for the support inside it.
Vacancies and housemates changing
The NDIA doesn't fund vacancies. If a room in a shared home is empty, your SIL provider shouldn't put up your costs to cover it. Your service agreement, and your tenancy agreement if you have one, should say how vacancies are handled.
Small changes to your roster that stay within your funding don't need the NDIA's approval, but a big change in the support you need, such as a housemate moving out and your ratios changing, may mean a plan reassessment. Talk to your provider and support coordinator early.
If your own needs or living situation change, see NDIS change of circumstances: what to report.
Your choice of provider, and housing kept separate
Choice and control means you can choose which registered provider delivers your SIL. If one organisation provides both your home and your support, the NDIS Commission's standards say it must give you separate service and tenancy agreements, your tenancy can't depend on using its support, and you keep the right to change SIL provider without moving out.
We work with a registered SDA provider that has homes available now, and living in one of those homes never depends on using us. See SDA homes and SIL vacancies.
What a service agreement should include, and how it stays separate from a tenancy agreement.
The October 2026 budget changes and SIL
From 1 October 2026, two budget categories are being reduced as plans are created or reassessed, or renewed from 1 February 2027. If you have 24-hour funded supports and your combined Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living and Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation funding was $215,030 or more before the reset (the same as 24-hour support at a 1:3 ratio), you can ask for a plan variation within 90 days of the reset.
The NDIA decides if you're eligible within 21 days, then has a further 21 days to decide the variation. More in our guide to the support budget changes from 1 October 2026.
How we can help
We're a registered NDIS provider for SIL, based in Springfield Central, with SIL vacancies across Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and the Gold Coast. You can create a roster of care draft instantly with our free roster builder, and we'll go through it with you and your support coordinator, free and with no obligation.
We'll talk through ratios, overnight support and what your plan might cover, in plain English. Call 0403 828 422 or send the form below.
See SIL in Brisbane, SIL in Ipswich and Springfield, SIL in Logan and SIL on the Gold Coast.
What to have ready
- your NDIS plan or plan summary, if you have one
- reports or evidence about the support you need at home
- any behaviour support plan
- the area you'd like to live in, or the home you have in mind
- whether you need a sleepover or active overnight support
- your consent for us to talk with your support coordinator
Common questions
What's the difference between a 1:3 and a 1:1 ratio?
At 1:3 one worker supports three housemates at once, and each pays a third of the price for that time; at 1:1 the worker supports one person, who pays all of it.
Over a year the gap is large: the Psych Connect SIL Cost Index 2026-27 puts 1:3 shared SIL with sleepovers at up to about $216,600 a person, against about $649,900 for 1:1 (how it's worked out).
Do I need a quote for SIL?
Not for the NDIA. The NDIA works out SIL funding from your evidence using the pricing schedule. A provider may still give you a roster of care and a service agreement showing what they'll deliver.
Who sends the roster of care to the NDIA?
You do, usually with your support coordinator, as part of your request or reassessment. A roster is optional.
How much does SIL cost?
It depends on your hours, ratios, intensity and overnight support. The maximum hourly prices are in the table above; in a shared home the cost of shared support is split between housemates.
Can my SIL provider charge me for an empty room?
No. The NDIA doesn't fund vacancies, and a provider shouldn't raise your costs to cover them.
Can I change SIL provider without moving?
Yes. You can choose any registered SIL provider, and your tenancy shouldn't depend on who provides your support.
Sources
- NDIS, How to ask for home and living supports. www.ndis.gov.au (checked 8 Nov 2026)
- NDIS, Guide to providing supported independent living (SIL), with the provider SIL roster of care tool and its guide (Version 4, June 2026). www.ndis.gov.au (page and guide read 8 Nov 2026)
- NDIS, Supported independent living operational guideline (file dated 29 Sep 2026). www.ndis.gov.au (read 8 Nov 2026)
- NDIS, Pricing arrangements: NDIS pricing schedule 2026-27, effective 24 September 2026. www.ndis.gov.au (SIL prices read from the schedule 8 Nov 2026)
- NDIS, How to claim supported independent living (SIL) supports. www.ndis.gov.au (checked 8 Nov 2026)
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, NDIS Practice Standards: supported independent living. www.ndiscommission.gov.au (checked 8 Nov 2026)
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Mandatory registration for supported independent living (SIL). www.ndiscommission.gov.au (checked 7 Nov 2026)
- NDIA news, Mandatory registration for supported independent living (SIL) providers (9 Jun 2026). www.ndis.gov.au (checked 8 Nov 2026)
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, NDIS funding changes: high support needs safeguards (fact sheet, 22 Sep 2026). www.health.gov.au (checked 8 Nov 2026)
- NDIA news, Changes to support budgets from 1 October (1 Oct 2026). www.ndis.gov.au (checked 7 Nov 2026)