The NDIS approved SIL funding. But what does that actually mean for your budget?

Understanding SIL costs NDIS funding covers isn't straightforward. Most families tell us they're overwhelmed by abstract funding information and struggle to understand what things actually cost. Will your family member have enough to cover rent, food, and utilities? What does SIL funding actually pay for?

This guide provides specific dollar figures, hourly rates by support level, and honest budget planning guidance for 2026. We'll explain exactly what Supported Independent Living (SIL) funding covers, what comes out of pocket, and how to plan realistically for independent living expenses.

A quick note about Paramount's scope: we provide Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) housing, not SIL services. But we educate families on both because we know you're navigating the system together. If you're new to SIL, start with our complete introduction to Supported Independent Living to understand how the roster of care works.

Understanding SIL Costs in 2026

Supported Independent Living costs in 2026 range from $80,000 to over $320,000 annually depending on your support level. Hourly rates start at $56 per hour for standard support and increase to $350+ for high-intensity or overnight support. SIL funding covers support services only, not accommodation, food, or utilities, which are separate participant expenses.

That's the short answer. Here's what actually determines your SIL costs.

SIL funding pays for support services, specifically the staff who assist your family member with daily living. This isn't accommodation funding. That's a critical distinction many families initially miss. The 2025-26 NDIS price guide introduced a 3.95% increase from July 2025, which affects hourly rates across all support levels.

Three factors determine what you'll actually pay:

Support level needed: Someone requiring daytime assistance a few hours per day costs significantly less than someone needing 24/7 complex support. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) assesses your family member's support needs and approves funding accordingly.

Hours of support required: A roster of care outlines exactly when support is needed. 20 hours per week costs half what 40 hours per week costs. Your SIL provider creates this roster based on assessed needs, then the NDIA reviews and approves the funding.

Shared vs solo arrangement: Sharing a home with other participants splits support costs. Living alone means your family member's funding covers the full cost of their support hours.

Why costs vary so dramatically between participants becomes clearer once you understand these variables. Someone with medium support needs sharing a home with two others might receive $120,000 annually, while someone with high physical support needs living alone might receive $280,000. Both funding amounts reflect genuine assessed needs, they're just completely different situations.

SIL Hourly Rates by Support Level (2025-26)

The NDIS doesn't publish a simple "SIL hourly rate". Instead, rates depend on the type and timing of support. Here's what you're actually looking at under the current 2025-26 pricing arrangements.

Standard Support Rates

Standard support covers assistance with daily activities like meals, personal care, household tasks, and community access for participants without complex needs.

Weekday daytime rates (Monday to Friday, 6am to 8pm): $56 to $70 per hour depending on the specific support category and participant needs. This is your baseline rate for regular daily assistance.

Evening and weekend rates (weekday evenings, Saturdays, Sundays): $70 to $90 per hour. These "non-standard hours" attract higher rates because they're outside typical business hours.

A practical example: if your family member receives 40 hours per week of weekday daytime standard support, that's approximately $116,480 to $145,600 annually before you factor in any weekend or evening support.

High-Intensity Support Rates

High-intensity support applies when participants have complex health needs, challenging behaviours, or require multiple staff members simultaneously.

Weekday daytime rates: $90 to $150+ per hour depending on complexity. If two staff members are required simultaneously, you're looking at double that cost for those hours.

Non-standard hours: These rates increase further during evenings and weekends, sometimes reaching $180 to $200 per hour for complex support outside business hours.

The cost jumps substantially here because you're not just paying for more hours, you're paying for specialised skills and sometimes multiple staff.

Overnight Support Rates

Overnight support comes in two forms with very different costs.

Active overnight support: $350+ per shift for staff who remain awake and available throughout the night. This applies when participants need regular assistance during sleeping hours or have significant health monitoring requirements.

Sleepover support: Lower rates (approximately $200 to $250 per night) for staff who sleep on-site and are available if needed, but aren't providing active support throughout the night.

The difference between active overnight and sleepover support can mean $50,000+ variation in annual funding. That's why accurate assessment of overnight needs matters so much to your budget.

Total SIL Funding by Support Level

Understanding hourly rates helps, but most families want to know the total annual funding. Here's what different support levels typically receive in 2026, based on assessed need and approved rosters of care.

Low Support: $80,000-120,000 Annually

Low support funding typically covers part-time assistance, usually 15 to 25 hours per week of daytime support.

What this looks like in practice: Your family member might receive support with morning routines, meal preparation, medication management, and assistance accessing community activities several days per week. They're largely independent but need regular check-ins and specific task assistance.

Who this suits: Participants with intellectual or cognitive disability who can manage many daily tasks independently but benefit from structured support and skill development in specific areas.

This funding level generally doesn't include overnight support. If your family member lives in shared SDA, this level of SIL funding often works well because support costs are split between participants.

Medium Support: $120,000-200,000 Annually

Medium support covers more comprehensive daytime assistance, typically 30 to 50 hours per week, sometimes including some evening or weekend support.

What this looks like: Daily assistance with personal care, meals, household tasks, medication, and regular community participation support. Your family member needs consistent support throughout most of their waking hours but doesn't require 24/7 care.

Who this suits: Participants who need substantial assistance with daily living but don't have complex health needs requiring overnight monitoring. Many participants with physical disability using Fully Accessible SDA fall into this category.

This is the most common SIL funding band we see for participants in shared accommodation arrangements. The funding covers a solid roster of daytime support without the significant cost of overnight care.

High Support: $200,000-320,000+ Annually

High support funding covers comprehensive 24/7 care or complex support needs requiring specialised staff or multiple workers.

What this looks like: Round-the-clock support including active overnight assistance, complex personal care, health monitoring, behaviour support, or situations where two staff members are required simultaneously for safety.

Who this suits: Participants with High Physical Support needs, complex health conditions, or significant behavioural support requirements. Solo SIL arrangements often fall into this funding range because costs aren't shared.

This funding level can exceed $320,000 if participants need highly specialised support or multiple staff throughout the day and night. These aren't inflated figures, they reflect genuine high-intensity support needs that require experienced, qualified staff around the clock.

Shared vs Solo SIL: Cost Comparison

Whether your family member shares their home with other participants dramatically affects their SIL funding allocation.

Shared SIL (2 to 4 participants): Support costs are split between participants who can share rostered hours. If three participants live together and need similar support levels, they might each receive $120,000 to $150,000 in SIL funding, collectively creating a pool of $360,000 to $450,000 to cover shared support staff.

Solo SIL: Your family member's funding must cover all their support hours. Even if they only need 35 hours per week of standard support, that's approximately $140,000 annually, all funded individually.

Here's a real comparison: three participants sharing a home might each receive $130,000 in SIL funding ($390,000 total) to cover a comprehensive roster that includes daytime support seven days per week plus sleepover support overnight. A participant living alone needing the same level of support might receive $220,000 because they're not sharing any costs.

The trade-offs matter. Shared SIL reduces individual costs substantially, but requires compatibility between participants. You need people with similar support needs, compatible routines, and the ability to live cooperatively. When it works, it's cost-effective. When compatibility issues arise, it creates stress.

Solo SIL provides independence and full control over routines, but requires significantly higher NDIA funding approval. Your family member needs to demonstrate that shared arrangements won't meet their needs, whether due to health requirements, behavioural support needs, or other legitimate factors.

What SIL Funding Covers (and What It Doesn't)

This is where families often get confused. SIL funding is specific, and understanding what it doesn't cover matters as much as what it does.

SIL funding DOES cover:

• Support worker wages for rostered care hours
• Assistance with daily tasks (meals, personal care, medication, household tasks)
• Support for community participation and social activities
• Skill development and capacity building
• Behaviour support if required
• Overnight support if approved in your plan

SIL funding DOES NOT cover:

• Rent or accommodation costs (that's SDA funding or private rental)
• Food and groceries (participant expense from personal income)
• Utilities including electricity, gas, water, and internet (participant expense)
• Personal items, clothing, and toiletries
• Transport costs (unless specific NDIS transport funding is approved separately)
• Assistive technology or equipment (separate NDIS funding line)
• Medical appointments or therapy (separate NDIS or Medicare funding)

The critical distinction many families miss: SIL is support services, SDA is housing. They're completely separate funding lines in your NDIS plan.

If your family member lives in SDA, they pay rent through their Reasonable Rent Contribution (25% of Disability Support Pension plus 100% of Commonwealth Rent Assistance). That comes from their personal income, not SIL funding. If they rent privately, the same applies.

Understanding what SDA is helps clarify why these are separate funding streams. The dwelling and the support services are independently funded because participants can choose different providers for each.

Practical Budget Planning for SIL Participants

SIL funding covers support. Now let's talk about the expenses that come from your family member's personal income.

Most SIL participants receive the Disability Support Pension (DSP), currently $1,116.30 per fortnight for singles (approximately $29,023 annually). Some receive additional income from other sources, but DSP is the baseline for most.

Out-of-pocket costs to budget for:

• Reasonable Rent Contribution: Approximately $279 per fortnight (25% of DSP plus 100% of Commonwealth Rent Assistance)
• Food and groceries: $150 to $250 per fortnight depending on dietary needs
• Utilities (shared): $40 to $80 per fortnight as your share if living with others
• Personal items and clothing: $50 to $100 per fortnight
• Phone and internet contribution: $20 to $40 per fortnight

That's roughly $539 to $749 per fortnight in essential expenses from a $1,116 fortnightly income. It's tight. We won't pretend otherwise.

Centrepay helps manage regular bills. This free service from Services Australia automatically deducts regular expenses like rent and utilities from DSP payments before the money reaches your account. It prevents bill stress and ensures essentials are paid first. Our utilities setup guide explains how Centrepay works for SDA participants, but the same system applies for SIL participants in any housing.

Support coordination is automatically included with SIL funding. Your support coordinator helps manage your NDIS budget, coordinates services, and can assist with identifying additional funding supports if you're struggling financially. They're valuable, use them.

When SIL funding and DSP don't cover everything: Some participants genuinely struggle with the gap between income and living costs, especially in Melbourne where the cost of living is high. This is a real limitation worth discussing honestly with your support coordinator. They can help identify whether you're eligible for any additional NDIS capacity building supports or other government assistance.

How Your SIL Provider Calculates Costs

Understanding how SIL funding is calculated helps you know what to expect during plan reviews and quotes.

Your SIL provider creates a "roster of care" based on assessed support needs. This detailed schedule outlines exactly when support is required, what type of support, and how many hours. They multiply hours by the applicable hourly rates under the NDIS price guide, then submit this as a quote to the NDIA.

The NDIA reviews the proposed roster against your functional capacity assessment and previous support history. They approve funding based on assessed reasonable and necessary supports. Your NDIS plan then states a total SIL funding amount for the plan period (usually 12 months), not an hourly breakdown.

Your SIL provider invoices the NDIS directly for delivered supports, either through plan management or agency management. You don't pay your provider directly in most cases. The funding flows from the NDIA through your chosen plan management approach.

Timeline from quote to funding approval: Typically 4 to 8 weeks once your SIL provider submits the quote and roster to the NDIA. Complex cases or requests for significant funding increases can take longer. This timeline is outside your SIL provider's control, it depends on NDIA assessment processes.

The official NDIA guidance on SIL funding and budgets explains the roster of care methodology in detail if you want to understand the technical process.

Conclusion

SIL costs NDIS funding covers in 2026 range from $80,000 for low support needs to over $320,000 for high-intensity 24/7 care. Hourly rates start at $56 for standard weekday support and reach $350+ for active overnight assistance. Understanding these specific costs helps you plan realistically for your family member's budget.

Remember: SIL funding pays for support services only. Rent, food, utilities, and personal expenses come from your family member's income, primarily DSP. That creates tight budgets for many participants. Using Centrepay for automatic bill payments and working closely with your support coordinator helps manage limited income effectively.

We know budgeting on DSP is genuinely difficult. We won't pretend SIL funding covers everything. But understanding exactly what costs you're working with, what's funded and what's not, puts you in a stronger position to plan.

While we provide SDA housing, not SIL services, we understand that families navigate both systems together. Understanding SIL costs helps you plan housing decisions and overall living arrangements.

Got questions? Call us on (03) 9999 7418 or email admin@paramounthomes.com.au. We're happy to talk through your situation.