SIL roster of care: what it is and how it shapes your support

28 October 2026

A roster of care breaks down your weekly support needs in supported independent living (SIL) and shows how your provider will deliver those supports. This guide explains what goes into one, how it relates to your SIL funding, what to check, and what happens when your needs change.

Roster of care: quick summary

A roster of care sets out the support you need at home in an ordinary week, and how your provider will deliver it.
It covers your hours, ratio and level of support, your overnight support and your irregular support.
According to the NDIA, it doesn’t decide the amount or type of NDIS supports in your plan.
It isn’t a requirement, and providers don’t need to submit it to the NDIA.
You can ask your SIL provider for your roster of care at any time.
Minor changes that fit your funding can be discussed with your provider. A significant change may need a plan reassessment.

What a roster of care is

SIL is funding for a support worker to help or supervise you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With support running all week, it helps to see how the week is planned. If you are looking at SIL support with Goaldis, we look at your NDIS plan with you before anything starts.

The NDIA’s guide for SIL providers calls a roster of care a tool that breaks down your weekly support needs and how the supports will be delivered. It helps you and your provider know what supports are in the home each week. You and your provider should agree on it, and on how your plan funding will be claimed.

It is optional. A provider may work with you to create one, and the NDIA publishes a template, a spreadsheet tool, that providers can use. When a provider fills it in, they must consult you or your nominee.

The roster covers support, not the house. If you are still sorting out where you will live, read about the difference between SIL and SDA first.

What a SIL roster of care includes

The NDIA’s supported independent living guideline lists five things a roster of care includes.

Part of the roster	What it means
Hours of support	The hours of support you need to do day-to-day activities in your home in an ordinary week.
Ratio of support	How many support workers provide your support, and how many participants you share it with.
Level of support	Standard or high intensity. Most people need standard intensity support.
Overnight support	The type of support you need overnight, such as sleepover support or active overnight support.
Irregular support	Support for unexpected or unplanned situations, for example if you are sick and stay home for a few days.

Source: NDIS, Our Guidelines: Supported independent living (24 September 2026).

Shared and individual support

The ratio shows who you share support with. The NDIA gives two examples: one support worker might support 2 participants, or 2 workers might support 4 participants. Most people don’t need 24-hour individual support, so they share supports with others. In some situations, such as health needs that need constant monitoring, the NDIA may fund individual SIL.

In a shared home, the roster shows how everyone’s support fits together. The NDIA’s tool guide says every resident is listed so staffing levels make sense. Housemates who aren’t NDIS participants are listed without their names, to respect their privacy. Your funding is still your own: the NDIA funds SIL based on your disability support needs, not your living arrangements.

Day, evening and overnight support

The guideline says SIL may suit you if you need active disability support for more than 8 hours a day, plus some support for the other hours. Active support can be direct, where a worker helps you or does something for you. It can also be monitoring, where a worker supervises you and helps if you need it.

The NDIA’s tool splits the week into 30-minute blocks. It separates weekday daytime and evening hours, Saturday, Sunday, sleepovers and active overnight shifts, because different rates apply. Funded community activities and supported employment are shown separately, and family visits are left blank.

Overnight support is worked out separately:

Sleepover support. If you need up to 2 hours of awake support overnight, the NDIA funds sleepover support. The worker can sleep and may give up to 2 hours of support, such as help to go to the bathroom.
Active overnight support. If you regularly need more than 2 hours of awake support overnight, the NDIA funds active overnight support. The worker stays awake during normal sleeping hours.
Extra hours now and then. If you occasionally need more, your provider can claim extra hours, but only after you agree.

How the roster of care relates to your SIL funding

The NDIA, not the roster, decides your funding. It looks at evidence of how often and when you need support in an ordinary week, and notes times you don’t need support at home, such as work or study. It then uses the NDIS pricing schedule to work out the amount. Your plan explains the hours and ratios funded.

The NDIA’s tool guide says it may use a roster of care alongside other information. However, it isn’t the exact schedule of supports or an agreement with the NDIA. If you want planning discussions to consider it, your provider can give it to you and your support coordinator. You can then include it in your home and living supports request or plan reassessment.

SIL funding also includes an average of 12 public holidays a year, which may vary slightly by state. For irregular support, the NDIA generally funds an initial maximum of 10 days a year for standard needs, or 15 for high intensity needs. Prices in the pricing schedule are maximums. A provider can only charge for services it delivered and you agreed to in your service agreement.

SIL isn’t for people who only need a few hours of support each day or week. In that case, personal care through daily life supports may suit you better.

What to check or ask for

Ask for it. The NDIA says you can ask your SIL provider for your roster of care at any time.
Compare it with your plan. Check that the hours, ratios, intensity and overnight support match what your plan funds.
Check time away from home. Only one support can be claimed for each period of time. In the NDIA’s example, time out in the community is covered by community supports in your core budget, not SIL.
Read it with your service agreement. The NDIA encourages service agreements for SIL, and your provider needs one to claim SIL weekly. Yours should cover the ratio, amount and intensity of supports, the maximum price, holidays and vacancies.
Ask how claiming works. If your provider claims SIL weekly, you agree a typical schedule of supports, and it goes in your service agreement.
Ask about vacancies. The NDIA doesn’t fund vacancies, when a housemate stops sharing support for a long time or for good. Your provider shouldn’t claim extra from your plan to cover them.

When your needs change

SIL allows for minor changes in your daily or weekly routine. You can make minor changes to your roster of care that fit within the funding available. Talk them through with your provider, and you may choose to create a new schedule together. You don’t need to tell the NDIA about minor changes that still fit your funding.

A significant change is different. If your situation or support needs change significantly, you can ask the NDIA to reassess your plan. The guideline’s example is overnight support: if your worker now has to be awake for more than 2 hours at night, talk to the NDIA.

If you don’t have a check-in coming up, you, your plan nominee or your child representative must send the request form. You can’t give a provider consent to ask for you.
Evidence must be recent, usually within 4 months of your request and after your current plan was approved.
You can keep using your current plan while the NDIA decides.

You also need to tell the NDIA about changes that affect your plan, such as more hours at work.

SIL registration from 1 October 2026

The NDIA’s news item on mandatory registration says SIL providers had to be registered, or apply to register, by 1 October 2026. Your plan and funding don’t change because of this rule.

The rule depends on the type of support, not how your plan is managed. If you choose, manage and roster your own support workers, that isn’t SIL, so the rule doesn’t apply. Registered SIL providers must also follow the SIL practice standards, in effect from 1 July 2026. You can check a provider’s registration on the NDIS Commission website.

How to check this yourself

Read “Your roster of care” in the SIL guideline (PDF, 24 September 2026).
Open What is supported independent living (SIL) (current as of 1 October 2026).
See how providers use it in the guide to providing SIL (current as of 1 October 2026).
Read the guide to the roster of care tool (PDF, June 2026) for each shift type.
Check what a good service agreement includes (current as of 13 October 2026).

Frequently asked questions

What is a roster of care in SIL?

It is a breakdown of your weekly SIL support needs and how your provider will deliver them: your hours, ratio, intensity, overnight support and irregular support.

Does the roster of care decide my SIL funding?

No. The NDIA says it doesn’t decide the amount or type of supports in your plan. The NDIA works out funding from evidence of your support needs and the pricing schedule.

Do I have to have a roster of care?

No. The NDIA says it isn’t a requirement, and providers don’t need to submit it.

Can I ask my SIL provider for a copy?

Yes. The NDIA’s guideline says you can ask your SIL provider for your roster of care at any time.

What is the difference between a sleepover and an active overnight?

With a sleepover, the worker can sleep and may give up to 2 hours of support. With an active overnight, the worker stays awake because you regularly need more than 2 hours of awake support.

What does ratio of support mean?

It means how many support workers provide your support, and how many participants you share it with. For example, one worker might support 2 participants, including you.

Can I change my roster of care?

Yes, for minor changes that fit your funding: talk to your provider. For a significant change, you may need to ask the NDIA for a plan reassessment.

How Goaldis can help

Goaldis Community Services is a registered NDIS provider. We deliver Supported Independent Living across nine shared living homes in Sydney, with 24-hour support arrangements. Goaldis provides the support in each home. Our staff work planned shifts around each resident’s support plan, hand over between shifts and keep notes on what matters. Overnight support is set by each person’s needs, service agreement and funding, such as a sleepover or awake staff.

We agree your supports with you in a service agreement, then check in, ask for your feedback and change your support as your needs change. Planning a move? Our guide on moving into SIL housing covers the questions to ask first.

We support people in Greater Western Sydney, Ryde and Macquarie Park, and The Hills. Call 1300 212 035, send us a message, or ask your support coordinator to refer you.

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This article is general information, not advice about your situation. NDIS rules change, so check the date it was written and the NDIS website for the current rules.

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