NDIS Guides

What Is SIL? Supported Independent Living Explained

July 31, 2026

If the term has just come up in a planning meeting, the first thing you want to know is what is SIL, and the short answer is that it funds people rather than property. Supported Independent Living pays for the support workers who help you at home. It does not pay for the home. This guide walks through what is SIL in plain terms, what the funding covers, what it will not cover, and how to ask for it.

Quick summary

SIL is funding for a support worker, not a house.
It can cover help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It suits people who need a high level of support at home all the time.
SIL is the support. SDA is the home. Many people have both.
SIL cannot pay for rent or day-to-day expenses like groceries.
From 1 July 2026, SIL providers must be registered with the NDIS Commission.

What is SIL, exactly?

Supported Independent Living is funding for a support worker to help you for up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The support worker helps or supervises the day-to-day tasks in your home. According to the NDIS, SIL is designed to help you live as independently as possible while building your skills.

Most people asking what is SIL are really asking two questions at once: what the funding buys, and where they will live. This guide separates them. You might share a support worker with others in your home. Or you might have your own worker. It depends on how much support you need. The key point is simple. SIL pays for the people who help you, not the house you live in.

Who is SIL for?

SIL is for people who need a high level of support at home all the time. A support worker can help with daily tasks like:

Personal care, showering and getting dressed
Eating and cooking meals
Household tasks, like cleaning
Building social skills and attending appointments

The NDIS looks at whether you need a lot of support. As a guide, SIL may suit you if you need active support for more than 8 hours a day, plus some supervision the rest of the time. In short, you need help across the full 24 hours.

SIL might not be the right fit if you only need a few hours of support a day or week. It is also not SIL if you choose and manage your own support workers. In those cases, the NDIS may look at other supports instead.

What is SIL funding actually spent on?

Because the name is vague, plenty of people assume SIL is a package that covers everything about where they live. It is narrower than that, and the boundary is worth knowing before you plan around it.

SIL pays for the workers. That includes help or supervision across the 24 hours, personal care such as showering and getting dressed, and household tasks such as cleaning. The NDIS is clear that the point of it is building your skills, so a good arrangement should be doing things with you rather than simply for you.

SIL does not pay for your home or your living costs. The NDIS states plainly that SIL cannot be used for rent, or for other day-to-day expenses like groceries. Those come out of your own income, exactly as they would for anyone else. Your funds also have to be spent in line with the NDIS supports list.

How much you get is not a flat rate either. The NDIS says your SIL funding depends on your disability support needs, and that one-to-one support is funded only in limited situations. Most arrangements involve sharing a worker with other people in the home.

SIL vs SDA: what is the difference?

This is the question almost everyone asks, and the answer is simpler than it sounds:

SIL is the support. Funding for the workers who help you.
SDA is the home. The specialist building, with features for high support needs.

SDA does not cover the support you get inside the home. SIL is not the house itself. Some people have both in their plan, one paying for the home and the other for the people. You can read our full guide, What Is SDA?, to see how they work together, or our side by side comparison of SIL vs SDA.

SIL is only one of the options. For the full menu, including SDA, ILO, medium term accommodation and short term respite, read our complete guide to NDIS home and living supports.

Where can you live with SIL?

You can receive SIL whether you live with other NDIS participants or on your own. It depends on your support needs. Many SIL arrangements are shared homes, where you have your own private bedroom and share some support. Sometimes living on your own is the better fit.

If you are not sure what suits you, talk it through. Your support coordinator, treating health professional or NDIS planner can help you weigh up the options.

Where you live matters too. We support people across Western Sydney and regional New South Wales, and two areas have their own local guide: supported independent living Blacktown and supported independent living Ballina.

What is SIL accommodation, and what is SIL housing?

People search both phrases constantly, and neither is an official NDIS term. That is worth saying out loud, because the words quietly suggest something the funding does not include.

When people say SIL accommodation or SIL housing, they usually mean one of two different things. Sometimes they mean the support itself, and SIL is the correct answer. Sometimes they mean a home where a provider already delivers SIL, and that is a separate question with a separate answer.

The distinction matters in practice. SIL follows you rather than belonging to a building, so the same funding can follow you into a shared home, a private rental, or a family home. A vacancy advertised as a SIL home usually means a place in a shared house where a provider already delivers support, not a property the NDIS is paying for on your behalf.

If the home itself is the part you need, that is usually specialist disability accommodation. SDA is funded separately, and you still pay your own rent and bills. You can browse our current SIL and SDA vacancies, or read how the search works in our guide to supported independent living vacancies.

When SIL might not be the right fit

Not everyone who wants more support at home needs SIL, and the NDIS names several situations where something else may suit you better. Being honest about this early saves a lot of time.

The NDIS suggests looking at other home and living supports if you live alone and SIL funding would not meet your disability support needs, if you live with people who are not NDIS participants, or if you want to manage your own supports in what the NDIS calls a self-directed arrangement.

There is also a definitional line rather than a preference. If you choose, roster and manage your own support workers, that is not SIL at all. It is a different arrangement, and the SIL rules, including the registration change below, do not apply to it.

How to ask for SIL in your NDIS plan

The NDIS decides home and living requests on evidence, so the preparation matters more than the asking. The NDIS sets out what it wants to see.

Before you speak with your my NDIS contact, make a list of the community and informal supports already around you, such as family, friends, social groups or non-profit organisations. Then be specific about the daily tasks you need help with, and about your goals, including where you would like to live and who you would like to live with.

You will also need evidence from a treating health professional, such as an occupational therapist. It should be recent, and it may take the form of a report or an assessment. The NDIS asks that it covers your daily support and housing needs including how often and when you need support, the things you can and cannot do because of your disability and how that affects your daily life, and which other home and living options you have already explored and why they did not meet your needs.

That last point is the one most people leave out, and it is often the one that decides the outcome. One more detail worth noting: if you are changing home and living supports you already have, your evidence has to carry a date after your last plan approval.

What to ask a SIL provider

Once SIL is in your plan, choosing who delivers it is the decision you actually live with day to day. A few questions separate providers quickly.

Are you registered? From 1 July 2026 this is a requirement rather than a preference, so it is a fair thing to ask directly.
Will I see the same workers? Consistency is what most families notice first, and it is hard to fix later.
Who handles clinical needs? Ask whether nurses are involved or whether that sits outside the service.
What happens when it is not working? Ask how you change a worker, and how quickly.
Can support change as I do? Needs move, and your arrangement should be able to move with them.

If you have SIL funding in your plan you may also have funding for a support coordinator, and the NDIS says a support coordinator can help you find providers. You can also search the NDIS provider finder yourself.

An important change for 2026

There is one update worth knowing. From 1 July 2026, all providers delivering SIL must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Your plan and funding do not change because of this. If you organise or employ your own support workers, you do not need to do anything either.

Providers who are not yet registered have until 1 October 2026 to apply. So if you are choosing a provider during this period, a reasonable question is not only whether they are registered today, but whether they intend to be.

Still, it is a good reason to check that your provider is registered. Registration means extra safeguards for you. If you are unsure, simply ask your provider where they stand.

Frequently asked questions

What is SIL in simple terms?

It is NDIS funding that pays for support workers to help you at home, for up to 24 hours a day. It pays for people, not for a building, and it is meant to build your independence rather than replace it.

What does SIL stand for?

SIL stands for Supported Independent Living. It is NDIS funding for support workers to help you at home, up to 24 hours a day, so you can live as independently as possible.

Is SIL the same as SDA?

No. SIL is the funding for your support workers. SDA is the specialist home itself. They do different jobs, and many people have both in their plan.

Who is eligible for SIL?

SIL is for people who need a high level of support at home all the time. As a guide, that often means active support for more than 8 hours a day, plus supervision across the rest of the 24 hours.

Does SIL pay for my rent?

No. SIL pays for support workers, not housing or rent. The NDIS states that SIL cannot be used for rent or day-to-day expenses like groceries. If you need a specialist home, SDA funds that separately, and you still pay your own rent and bills.

What is SIL accommodation?

It is not an official NDIS term. People usually mean either the support itself, which is SIL, or a home where a provider already delivers SIL, which is a separate question. The funding follows you rather than belonging to a particular building.

What is SIL housing?

There is no NDIS product by that name. SIL funds the support workers; the housing is separate. If the building itself is what you need, that is specialist disability accommodation, and you still pay your own rent and bills either way.

Can I choose my own support workers with SIL?

A provider usually delivers SIL. If you choose, roster and manage your own workers, the NDIS does not treat that as SIL, and it may look at other support options that fit that choice better.

How much SIL funding will I get?

There is no standard amount. The NDIS says your SIL funding depends on your disability support needs, and that one-to-one support is funded only in limited situations. The NDIS works out your plan from the evidence you provide.

How do I get SIL in my NDIS plan?

You add SIL through your NDIS planning process. Your support coordinator and treating health professionals can provide evidence of your support needs. Talk to your my NDIS contact about how to ask for home and living supports.

How 1 Care Connect can help

1 Care Connect is a registered NDIS provider supporting families across Western Sydney and regional New South Wales. Our Supported Independent Living homes are nurse-led, so our nurses look after clinical needs alongside everyday support. We also match you with a consistent team who know you and stay with you.

If you would like to explore your SIL options, or you are looking for a home, we would be glad to help. You can learn more about our SIL support, browse current vacancies, or get in touch.