What SIL costs, and how the quote is built
Why nobody can quote you a price from a phone call, what actually drives the number, and what you pay yourself on top.
In short
- SIL is quoted on a roster of care for the whole household, not per person per hour.
- The NDIA sets the price limits. Providers do not set their own rates.
- Rent, food and utilities are paid from your own income, on top of SIL.
- Ask to see the roster, not just the total. It is the only way to check the quote.
Every provider gets asked this in the first phone call, and any provider who answers it with a single number is guessing. Here is what the number is actually made of.
There is no hourly rate for SIL
SIL is not priced like a support worker visit. It is priced on a roster of care: a map of the whole week for the whole household, showing who is on shift, at what time, and at what ratio.
That roster is costed against the NDIS price limits for the relevant line items, then divided between the residents according to their assessed support needs. The NDIA assesses the result and funds each person's share.
What actually moves the number
The support ratio. One worker to three residents costs each person roughly a third of one worker to one. Ratios usually change through the day: higher in the morning routine, lower in the afternoon.
The time of day. Evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays carry different price limits, set by the NDIA rather than the provider.
Overnight type. A sleepover, where a worker is present and expected to sleep, is priced differently from active overnight support, where a worker is awake and working. The difference across a year is substantial.
Who else lives there. This surprises people most. Because shifts are shared, the support needs of your housemates affect your own funding. A household where everyone needs two-to-one support in the morning costs more per person than one where support can be shared.
What you pay on top
SIL funds support, not accommodation or daily living. From your own income you pay rent, food, electricity, gas, water, internet, contents insurance and your own spending. That is the same as living anywhere else, and it is generally expected to come out of the Disability Support Pension or your wages.
Some houses run a shared food or household kitty. That is a household arrangement rather than NDIS funding, and you are entitled to see exactly how it is calculated and what it buys.
Why we do not publish a figure
Because the honest answer changes by household, and a number on a website would be wrong for almost everyone reading it.
What you can do is check the source. The NDIA publishes the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits each year, and every line item a provider can charge is in it, with its maximum price. A provider cannot charge above those limits. If a quote looks high, the question is not the rate, it is the number of hours and the ratio behind it.
How to read a quote you have been given
Ask for the roster, not the total. A quote you cannot interrogate is a quote you cannot compare.
Then ask four questions. What is the ratio at each part of the day? Is overnight a sleepover or active support? Which line items are being claimed, and at what price? And what happens to my funding if a housemate moves out?
That last one matters more than people expect. If the household drops from four residents to three, the shared shifts are divided fewer ways and the cost per person rises. A good provider will tell you how that is handled before you sign.
Who decides in the end
The NDIA. A provider prepares the quote, you and your support coordinator review it, and the agency decides what to fund. If the funded amount does not match the quote, the roster has to change, and that is a conversation to have before you move in rather than three months afterwards.
Questions
How much does the NDIS pay for SIL?
It depends on the roster of care for your household, not on a standard rate. The NDIA publishes the price limits for each line item annually in the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, and a provider cannot charge above them. What varies is the hours, the support ratio and the time of day.
Who pays for supported independent living?
The NDIS pays for the support through your Core supports budget. You pay rent, food, utilities and everyday living costs from your own income, as you would in any home.
How many hours of support does SIL include?
As many as the roster of care justifies and the NDIA funds. Some households have a worker present twenty-four hours a day; others have support at set times. It is built from assessed need rather than a standard allocation.
Does SIL pay my rent?
No. SIL funds support workers only. Rent is paid from your own income, usually from the Disability Support Pension or wages, the same as any other tenant.
What is the difference between a sleepover and active overnight support?
A sleepover means a worker is on the premises and expected to sleep, available if needed. Active overnight means a worker is awake and working through the night. They are separate line items at different price limits, and the difference over a year is significant.
Make a referral or ask about a placement
Tell us the supports the plan funds and when they need to start. We respond the same business day.