Supported Independent Living (SIL) is one of the most significant and most misunderstood supports in the NDIS. It is also the most expensive, with annual costs that commonly range from $80,000 to over $500,000 depending on the level of support a participant needs. For Melbourne families exploring whether SIL is the right option, this guide explains what SIL is, who is eligible, how much it costs, what the roster of care involves, how it differs from SDA and ILO, and what the July 2026 provider registration changes mean for current and future SIL participants.
Tenax Supports provides Supported Independent Living homes across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
What Is NDIS Supported Independent Living?
SIL is NDIS funding for support workers to assist a participant 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is not the housing. It is the funded support delivered inside the home. A participant in a SIL arrangement has support workers present or available all the time, including overnight.
Support workers in a SIL arrangement help with:
- Personal care: showering, dressing, grooming, toileting
- Medication management and medical appointments
- Meal preparation and household tasks
- Building skills in cooking, cleaning, budgeting, and maintaining routines
- Carrying out behaviour support plans
- Developing social skills and personal safety
- Community access for personal tasks (not routine community participation)
SIL does not cover everyday living costs: rent, groceries, utilities, or other household expenses unrelated to disability support. Those costs remain the participant’s responsibility.
Participants in SIL may share a support worker with other residents who also have NDIS funding, or they may have an individual worker, depending on their assessed needs. A participant can receive SIL whether they live with housemates or alone.
SIL vs SDA vs ILO: Understanding the Differences
Many Melbourne families conflate these three home and living supports. They are separate and serve different purposes.
SIL (Supported Independent Living)
SIL funds the support workers. It covers the cost of having staff available 24 hours a day to assist with daily tasks and safety. SIL can be provided in a private rental, community housing, or purpose-built SDA housing. You do not need SDA to receive SIL.
SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation)
SDA funds the physical building. These are purpose-built or significantly modified homes for people with very high support needs. The funding does not cover support workers or daily assistance. A participant living in an SDA property funds their support separately, usually through SIL. Both supports are often used together but are assessed and funded independently.
ILO (Individualised Living Options)
ILO is a flexible home and living support for participants who need regular support at home (generally 6 or more hours per day) but do not need 24/7 rostered support. ILO can involve a host family arrangement, a chosen housemate, or other creative living setups. It suits participants who can live more independently and design a personalised support model. ILO is not suitable for participants who need staff available at all times, including overnight.
Who Is Eligible for NDIS SIL in Melbourne?
SIL eligibility is not based on diagnosis. It is based on functional need and the level of support required for safe daily living. The NDIA assesses whether SIL is reasonable and necessary for a specific participant.
Generally, a participant is eligible for SIL when they need:
- More than 8 hours of active disability support per day to complete daily activities
- Some level of support or supervision for the remaining hours (24-hour availability in total)
- Ongoing support because informal arrangements from family or friends are not sustainable or safe
SIL is for participants who cannot live safely without staff available all the time. It is not for participants who need only a few hours of help per day or week. If a participant needs support regularly but not continuously, less intensive options may be more appropriate.
What the NDIA Considers Before Approving SIL
Before approving SIL, the NDIA considers whether less intensive options could meet the participant’s needs. These alternatives include:
- Increased in-home support (more support hours without 24/7 coverage)
- Individualised Living Options (ILO) for more flexible arrangements
- Family-based or informal support arrangements
- Community housing with drop-in care rather than rostered support
SIL must also meet the standard NDIS funding criteria: it must be related to the participant’s disability, effective and beneficial, value for money, and the most appropriate available option. Strong evidence from an occupational therapist and other allied health professionals significantly strengthens a SIL application.
How SIL Is Priced in Melbourne
SIL is funded within the price limits in the NDIA's Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, which are updated each financial year. Rates differ by time of day, day of the week and support intensity, and the total cost of a SIL arrangement depends on the hours, support ratio and intensity set out in your Roster of Care.
For the current 2026-27 SIL price limits and the new SIL claim code, see our NDIS SIL funding guide. You can always check the latest figures on the NDIA's pricing arrangements page. If you're looking for SIL with Tenax Supports, see our Supported Independent Living service.
The SIL Roster of Care
Before SIL funding is approved, the SIL provider must submit a Roster of Care to the NDIA. This is a structured document, not the actual day-to-day support schedule. The Roster of Care sets the funding budget.
The Roster of Care details:
- The hours of support needed each day and night, broken down by time of day and day of the week
- The support ratio during each shift (for example, one worker supporting two participants)
- Whether standard or high intensity rates apply, with supporting evidence for high intensity
- The total weekly and annual cost calculated against current NDIS price limits
The NDIA reviews the Roster of Care against the participant’s goals, functional assessment, and support needs. Poorly documented rosters are a common reason for funding delays or reductions. Allied health evidence, including an occupational therapy functional capacity assessment, strengthens the application significantly.
Irregular Support Days
Beyond the regular roster, the NDIA also funds irregular support days for unexpected situations. These cover times when the usual routine changes, such as when a participant is sick and cannot attend a community program, or when the usual schedule needs adjustment for other reasons.
The NDIS generally funds:
- 10 irregular support days per year for participants with standard support needs
- 15 irregular support days per year for participants with high intensity support needs
The Critical 24-Hour Rule for SIL Claims
This is one of the most important and least-explained rules in the SIL framework. Only one support can be claimed across a 24-hour period. When a participant is out in the community and being supported by a worker under their community participation budget, SIL cannot be claimed for that same period.
Community participation support is claimed from the Core Supports budget when the participant is out. SIL is claimed for the time when the participant is at home and receiving support from the SIL provider. These two types of support cannot overlap in the same hours. Rosters must account for this rule, which affects how shift transitions are structured and claimed.
Two Ways SIL Providers Can Claim
SIL providers have two claiming options. They can use one or the other, but not both.
Weekly Claiming
Under weekly claiming, the provider claims the annual SIL budget divided by 52 weeks. The weekly amount is agreed in the service agreement alongside a typical schedule of supports. No separate weekend or public holiday adjustments are needed because the weekly rate already includes an annualised uplift for public holidays. This method simplifies billing and cash flow for providers.
Hourly Claiming
Under hourly claiming, the provider claims at the applicable hourly rate for each shift, reflecting the actual time of day, day of the week, and support intensity. Different rates apply for weekday daytime, weekday evening, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. Irregular SIL support days are always claimed separately under the irregular SIL claiming process.
The July 2026 Mandatory SIL Provider Registration
This is the most significant recent change to SIL and affects every Melbourne family with a loved one in SIL.
From 1 July 2026, all providers delivering SIL must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. This was announced by the Minister for the NDIS, Jenny McAllister, in late 2025. The NDIS Commission page confirming the requirement was updated on 24 June 2026.
The deadline for providers to apply for registration is 1 October 2026. If a provider does not register by that deadline, participants in that provider’s SIL arrangements will need to move to a registered provider. The NDIA will assist affected participants to find alternatives.
If your loved one is currently in a SIL arrangement, ask your provider these questions now:
- Are you already registered with the NDIS Commission?
- If not, have you applied or do you plan to apply before 1 October 2026?
- What happens to my support if you do not register?
If the current provider will not register, a transition to a new provider typically takes four to eight weeks and involves provider diligence, meet-and-greet visits, trial overnight stays, and a graduated handover period. Starting this process early is important.
Note: If you currently organise and direct your own support workers (planning, rostering, and managing them yourself), this is not classified as SIL. The mandatory registration requirement does not apply to self-directed support arrangements.
Finding SIL Providers in Melbourne
Melbourne has a substantial SIL provider market, but demand for places, particularly for high-intensity and individual arrangements, significantly exceeds supply in many areas. Waitlists of 12 months or longer are common for high-quality SIL houses in inner and middle Melbourne.
When evaluating SIL providers, consider:
- Registration status: Are they registered with the NDIS Commission? Do they have the registration groups relevant to your needs?
- Location: Do they operate in the area where you want to live?
- Vacancies: Do they have current openings or a waitlist?
- Support model: Active support, person-centred practice, behaviour support capability
- Staffing arrangements: Continuity of workers, staff-to-participant ratio, overnight cover model
- Potential housemates: In shared arrangements, compatibility with other residents matters
- Tenancy and support separation: Under the 2026 Practice Standards, a provider offering both the accommodation and the supports must have documented conflict-of-interest protocols
The NDIS Provider Finder at ndis.gov.au allows searches for registered SIL providers by location and support type.
Why Choose Tenax Supports for SIL Support in Melbourne
SIL decisions are among the most consequential a family makes for a person with disability: where they live, who supports them, and how that support is structured for the years ahead. We understand the weight of those decisions and work alongside families at every stage of the process.
Tenax Supports is a Victoria-based registered NDIS provider. We support NDIS participants and their families to navigate the home and living landscape, including SIL assessment, provider selection, and transition support.
Our Support Coordination service helps participants and families understand SIL eligibility, prepare evidence for SIL applications, identify Melbourne SIL providers with appropriate vacancies, and manage the provider selection and transition process. For participants already in SIL, support coordinators monitor the quality of support, manage plan reviews, and address issues that arise with providers.
Complex SIL situations — participants whose behaviour or clinical needs require specialist provider matching, families navigating the transition from family home to SIL for the first time, and participants whose current SIL arrangement has broken down or whose provider is not registering ahead of the 1 October 2026 deadline — benefit from experienced support coordination to help identify and secure the right SIL match.
Occupational therapy assessments provide the functional capacity evidence needed to support SIL applications. A well-documented OT assessment that clearly articulates daily support needs, overnight supervision requirements, and the functional basis for a 24/7 roster is one of the strongest tools in a SIL application.
SIL funding decisions can be reviewed internally by the NDIA and appealed to the Administrative Review Tribunal. Participants whose SIL applications have been declined, or whose plans do not adequately fund the support they need, benefit from strong support at the evidence-gathering stage, as this can make a significant difference to outcomes.
For related reading, see our guides to Supported Independent Living NDIS, NDIS support coordination, NDIS occupational therapy, and disability housing Australia.
Tenax Supports is a registered NDIS provider. Our SIL practices and staff operate under the NDIS Practice Standards and the NDIS Code of Conduct.
For current information on Tenax Supports’ NDIS registration, search the NDIS Commission Provider Register at ndiscommission.gov.au.
Contact Tenax Supports at tenaxsupports.com.au/contact or call 03 7018 8666. Referrals can be submitted at tenaxsupports.com.au/referrals.
Frequently Asked Questions About NDIS SIL in Melbourne
What is NDIS Supported Independent Living (SIL)?
SIL is NDIS funding for support workers to assist a participant 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is not the housing; it is the funded support within the home. SIL covers personal care, meal preparation, medication, household tasks, skill development, and safety. It does not cover rent, groceries, utilities, or other everyday living costs.
Who is eligible for SIL in Melbourne?
SIL eligibility is based on functional need, not diagnosis. Generally, participants need more than 8 hours of active support per day and ongoing overnight supervision. SIL is not for participants who need only a few hours of help per week. The NDIA considers less intensive alternatives first, including ILO and increased in-home support. Strong OT evidence significantly strengthens a SIL application.
How much does NDIS SIL cost in Melbourne?
SIL costs depend on the hours, support ratio and intensity in your Roster of Care, within the price limits in the NDIA's Pricing Arrangements, which are updated each financial year. Our NDIS SIL funding guide covers the current 2026-27 price limits, and you can always check current rates at ndis.gov.au.
What is a SIL Roster of Care?
The Roster of Care is a document the SIL provider submits to the NDIA before funding is approved. It details the hours of support needed by day and time, the support ratio, whether standard or high intensity rates apply, and the total cost. The NDIA reviews it against the participant’s goals and functional needs. The Roster of Care sets the budget; it is not the actual day-to-day schedule.
What is changing about SIL providers from July 2026?
From 1 July 2026, all SIL providers must be registered with the NDIS Commission. Providers have until 1 October 2026 to apply. If your provider does not register, you will need to move to a registered provider. The NDIA will assist with finding alternatives. Self-directed arrangements (where you manage your own workers) are not SIL and are not affected by this change.
What is the difference between SIL, SDA, and ILO?
SIL funds the support workers (24/7 in-home support). SDA funds the physical building (purpose-built housing for very high support needs). ILO is a flexible home and living support for participants who need regular but not 24/7 support. You do not need SDA to access SIL. SIL can be provided in a private rental, community housing, or an SDA property.
Can SIL be claimed when I am out in the community?
No. Only one support can be claimed per 24-hour period. When a participant is out in the community with a support worker, that time is claimed under community participation in the Core budget, not under SIL. SIL is claimed for time when the participant is at home and receiving in-home support from the SIL provider. Rosters must account for this rule when structuring shifts.