Last updated: 7 November 2026
How to get SIL funding in the NDIS: you tell the NDIA you want home and living supports, send recent evidence from treating professionals about your daily support needs, and the NDIA decides whether Supported Independent Living (SIL) is reasonable and necessary for you. A roster of care showing a typical week of support makes your needs easier to picture. In our experience supporting people in Western Sydney, requests move faster when the reports and the roster tell the same story.
Key takeaways
- You ask for SIL by telling the NDIA about a change and sending evidence. The optional home and living supporting evidence form helps.
- The strongest evidence is usually a recent OT functional capacity assessment.
- Providers no longer submit a roster of care to the NDIA, but you can share one with your support coordinator.
- From 1 October 2026, SIL can only be delivered by registered providers or those who applied to register before that date.
- If SIL is refused, you have 3 months to ask for an internal review, then 28 days after that decision to go to the Administrative Review Tribunal.
Contents
- Who can get SIL funding?
- How to get SIL funding in your NDIS plan, step by step
- What evidence does the NDIA need for SIL?
- What is a SIL roster of care?
- How does a SIL quote work in 2026-27?
- How long does a SIL request take?
- What if SIL isn’t approved?
- Tips to avoid delays
- Getting SIL with Skillwise in Western Sydney
- Frequently asked questions
Who can get SIL funding?
SIL is usually funded for people who need significant help from a support worker, including overnight, and who share that support with housemates. If you won’t be sharing supports, the NDIA suggests other home and living options may suit you better (NDIS Our Guidelines).
SIL pays for support workers, not the house. See what SIL is and who it suits, and our comparison of SIL, SDA and ILO explains how housing and support funding fit together.
How to get SIL funding in your NDIS plan, step by step
There is no separate SIL application. You let the NDIA know your situation has changed and send evidence through the home and living request process.
The NDIA’s current steps are below (NDIS, requesting home and living supports).
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Talk it through | Explore options with your local area coordinator, support coordinator or recovery coach |
| 2. Tell the NDIA | Notify a change of situation by form, phone (1800 800 110), email or in person |
| 3. Fill in the evidence form | Complete the optional home and living supporting evidence form |
| 4. Attach evidence | Add reports from your OT and treating team |
| 5. Submit | Send by email, post or in person |
One timing detail is easy to miss. If your plan reassessment is already scheduled, the NDIA asks you to send the request within 100 days of that reassessment.
If the NDIA agrees to include home and living supports, it invites you to a plan meeting with a planner (NDIS, home and living). How plans are built is also changing, which we cover in our post on the new NDIS planning framework.
What evidence does the NDIA need for SIL?
The NDIA needs recent evidence from a relevant treating professional, such as an occupational therapist, showing how often and when you need support, what you can and can’t do, and what other home and living options you have tried. Without it, home and living supports can’t be added to your plan (NDIS).
Of everything involved in how to get SIL funding, the evidence matters most. Many reports describe a diagnosis well but say little about what a normal day and night actually look like.
This table shows common evidence types and what each one proves.
| Evidence | Who writes it | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Functional capacity assessment | Occupational therapist | Tasks you need help with, how much, and when |
| Treating professional reports | GP, psychiatrist, physio, speech pathologist | Health and disability needs, risks, changes over time |
| Behaviour support plan | Behaviour support practitioner | Behaviours of concern, strategies, any restrictive practices |
| Carer or family statement | Parent or informal carer | Support given now and why it can’t continue |
| Roster of care | SIL provider, with you | A typical week of support and overnight needs |
A behaviour support plan only applies if you have behaviours of concern. It must be written by a practitioner the NDIS Commission considers suitable, and a plan with a regulated restrictive practice has to be lodged with the Commission (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission).
Carer statements are underrated. A short note about a parent’s age, health or the hours they cover often fills a gap the clinical reports leave.
What is a SIL roster of care?
A SIL roster of care is a weekly plan showing when you need support, whether it is shared with housemates or 1:1, and what happens overnight. The NDIA’s provider tool records a typical week in 30-minute blocks (NDIA, Guide to the Provider SIL roster of care tool, June 2026).
Shared vs 1:1 hours
Shared hours are when one worker supports several residents, such as 1 worker to 3 people. 1:1 hours are when you need a worker just for you. Each participant is still funded individually.
Active overnight vs sleepover
An active overnight worker stays awake through normal sleeping hours. A sleepover worker can sleep for an 8-hour shift and gives up to 2 hours of support if needed. Your evidence has to back whichever one is on the roster. If the OT report says you sleep through, an active overnight shift will be hard to justify.
Sample roster of care structure
The table below is an example only: a made-up weekday for one resident in a three-person shared home, not a real participant or a Skillwise house.
| Time | Support | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30am to 9:00am | Personal care, breakfast, medication | 1:1 |
| 9:00am to 3:00pm | At day program or work | Not SIL |
| 3:00pm to 6:00pm | Chores, life skills practice | 1:3 shared |
| 6:00pm to 8:00pm | Cooking, dinner, evening medication | 2:3 shared |
| 8:00pm to 10:00pm | Shower and bedtime routine | 1:1 for 45 minutes, then shared |
| 10:00pm to 6:30am | Overnight | Sleepover, shared |
Tasks like showering and dressing often make up the 1:1 blocks. Our guide to NDIS personal care explains what that support includes.
How does a SIL quote work in 2026-27?
There is no separate NDIA quote process for SIL. Providers don’t have to submit a roster of care, and the NDIA sets SIL funding in your plan based on your needs and evidence (NDIS, Guide to providing SIL).
When families ask a provider for a “SIL quote”, they usually get a roster of care with costs attached. The NDIA tool multiplies rostered hours by standard or higher intensity rates, capped at NDIS price limits, to give an estimate only (NDIA roster of care guide).
Recent changes worth knowing:
- SIL delivered from 1 July 2026 is claimed under a new code, 0138, Assistance with Supported Independent Living (NDIS news).
- From 1 October 2026, only registered SIL providers, or those who applied before that date, can deliver SIL (NDIS).
- The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026-27 apply from 24 September 2026, so check older estimates against current limits (NDIS Pricing Arrangements).
- The government is consulting on commissioning home and living supports for SIL participants who need 24/7 support, so the model may change (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing).
How long does a SIL request take?
There is no set processing time for a home and living request. The NDIA’s Participant Service Guarantee sets targets of 28 days to make changes to a plan, 28 days to carry out an agreed reassessment and 60 days for internal reviews (NDIS Participant Service Guarantee).
The NDIA’s own figures for the June 2026 quarter show some of these targets were met less than half the time. Realistically, allow a few months.
What if SIL isn’t approved?
If the NDIA decides not to fund SIL, it gives you written reasons, and you can ask for an internal review within 3 months of receiving the decision. The NDIA aims to finish internal reviews within 60 days, and you then have 28 days to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal if you still disagree (NDIS, how to request a review).
Read the reasons closely first. The gap is often specific, like nothing about overnight needs, and an updated report usually helps more than repeating the request. The NDIA may fund other supports instead, and our guide to assistance with daily life, from drop-in support to SIL and ILO explains those options.
Tips to avoid delays
Most delays come from evidence that is old, vague or doesn’t match the roster. This checklist shows what to check before you submit.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| OT report covers a full day and night | Overnight needs drive a big part of SIL funding |
| Reports dated after your last plan | Required if you already have home and living supports |
| Roster matches the reports | Mismatched 1:1 hours or overnight support raise questions |
| Provider is registered for SIL | Required from 1 October 2026 |
Tip from our team: write down who you spoke to at the NDIA and when.
If you are unhappy with a current provider while this is going on, our post on how to find and switch NDIS providers covers notice periods and handover.
Getting SIL with Skillwise in Western Sydney
Skillwise is a registered NDIS provider (Registration ID 4-JRM2YF0) running Supported Independent Living homes in Mount Druitt and Rooty Hill. We support self-managed, plan-managed and NDIA-managed participants across Western Sydney.
If you’re still unsure how to get SIL funding in your NDIS plan, we can sit down with you, your family and your support coordinator to prepare a roster of care that reflects your real week. If you need a coordinator, see our transitions and support coordination service.
To talk about SIL support with Skillwise, call us on 0474 151 264 or send us a message.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an OT report to get SIL funding?
Not strictly, but it is close to essential. The NDIA asks for recent evidence from a relevant treating professional and names occupational therapists as an example. An OT functional capacity assessment is usually the clearest way to show how often and when you need support, day and night.
Does my SIL provider still have to submit a roster of care?
No. Providers no longer need to submit a roster of care to the NDIA, and using the NDIA tool is optional. Many providers still prepare one because it helps you and your support coordinator explain your needs, and it gives everyone a costed picture of a typical week.
Can I get SIL if I want to live alone?
Possibly, but it is less common. SIL is usually funded when supports are shared with housemates. If you want to live alone, the NDIA suggests looking at other home and living options first, such as individualised living options, which may fit your goals better.
How long do I have to ask for a review if SIL is refused?
You have 3 months from the day you receive the NDIA’s decision. If you disagree with the internal review outcome, you then have 28 days to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal. Use that time to fix any evidence gaps the NDIA named in its reasons.
Is a SIL quote the same as my plan budget?
No. A provider’s roster of care estimate is only a guide. The NDIA decides what is reasonable and necessary and sets the SIL funding in your plan. Your provider then agrees the actual supports with you, and they must fit within that funding and current NDIS price limits.
Support near you in Western Sydney
Skillwise is based in Rooty Hill and supports NDIS participants across the region. Read about our NDIS support in Blacktown, NDIS support in Mount Druitt, NDIS support in Rooty Hill and NDIS support in St Marys, or see all the areas we cover.
