ILO, SIL, SDA and Other Home and Living Supports
ILO is one of several NDIS home and living supports. SDA pays for specially designed housing. SIL pays for support workers 24 hours a day. ILO pays for a flexible package of support around one person, often a host or housemate. Medium term accommodation, home modifications and personal care supports cover other needs. Rent and living costs are the person's in every case.
Which Support Pays for What?
Each covers a different part of living at home.
| Support | What it funds |
|---|---|
| Individualised living options (ILO) | A package of support at home built around one person: primary supports like a host or housemate, supplementary supports and monitoring |
| Supported independent living (SIL) | Support workers who help or supervise day-to-day tasks, with someone there 24 hours a day |
| Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) | The home itself, built for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs |
| Medium-term accommodation (MTA) | Somewhere to live for up to 3 months (90 days) in specific situations, such as when the long-term home isn't ready, or when leaving hospital and eligible for ILO, SIL, SDA or home modifications |
| Home modifications | Changes to the person's home |
| Personal care supports | Help with personal care |
How Is ILO Different From SDA?
SDA is the house. ILO is the support. They answer different questions.
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements say an ILO is not determined by home ownership or leasing, or by eligibility for SDA, and that an ILO is the support provided, not the accommodation. SDA is listed among the things ILO funding doesn't include, and SDA-related costs like property maintenance have to be left out of an ILO service proposal.
Looking for an ILO Provider?
We'll connect you with a registered ILO provider who may be able to help.
How Is ILO Different From SIL?
By how much support is needed, and how it's delivered.
SIL is for people who need someone with them 24 hours a day, including overnight. The NDIA says ILO may not be right for people who need 24-hour rostered support or frequent overnight support. Our page on ILO vs SIL compares them in detail.
How Do You Know Which Might Suit?
Start with your needs and goals, then talk to your my NDIS contact.
The NDIA says different home and living supports suit different people, and it works with you to find the best mix. It asks what support you need each day, what you want, and what help you already get from family, friends and community. ILO is likely to suit people who need at least 6 hours of support at home a day and want to design their own arrangement.
Questions People Ask
What's the difference between SIL, SDA and ILO?
SDA is housing. SIL is round-the-clock support workers. ILO is a flexible package of support around one person, often living with a host or housemate. None of them pays rent or living costs.
Does the NDIS pay for housing?
Only SDA, for a small group of participants. ILO and SIL pay for support, not the home.
Can I ask for more than one home and living support?
The NDIA looks at the whole mix of supports for each person and funds what meets the NDIS funding criteria. Talk to your my NDIS contact about your goals.
Keep Reading
- ILO vs SILILO vs SIL in the NDIS: who each one suits, how much support each gives, who you live with, how they're funded, and how to tell which might fit you better.
- What is ILO?What ILO means in the NDIS: support built around one person, living with a host or housemates, the two funding stages, what it covers and what it doesn't.
- ILO eligibilityWho individualised living options suit, according to the NDIA's ILO guideline: age, 6 hours of daily support, readiness, and when ILO is unlikely to be funded.
- How to ask for ILO fundingHow to ask for individualised living options funding: the home and living goal, the evidence the NDIA wants, how to send it, what happens next and if it's no.
- How ILO funding worksHow ILO funding works in an NDIS plan: the two stages, the three stage 2 support levels up to $230,000 a year, what's excluded, and how the funding is managed.
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