SIL Roster of Care explained
What a Roster of Care is, how it turns your support needs into SIL funding, and how to read and question one
What is a Roster of Care?
How does a Roster of Care become funding?
What's in a well-built Roster of Care?
How to read and question your Roster of Care
Who prepares it, and can you change it?
From Roster of Care to approved funding: the steps
What belongs in the Roster of Care — and what doesn't
Common Roster of Care mistakes that cost you funding
What to do if your approved SIL doesn't match your roster
Frequently asked questions
What is a SIL Roster of Care?
A Roster of Care is a weekly, hour-by-hour schedule of the disability support a person needs in a Supported Independent Living arrangement. The NDIA uses it as the main evidence to decide how much SIL funding to approve.
How is SIL funding calculated from a Roster of Care?
Each support block is priced using NDIS Pricing Arrangements (hourly limits that vary by time of day and support type), then totalled across a week and scaled to a year. In shared homes the cost of a worker is split between residents by the support ratio.
What do 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 mean in a Roster of Care?
They're staffing ratios. 1:1 means one worker supports one person; 1:2 and 1:3 mean one worker supports two or three residents at once, so the cost of that block is split between them. Higher-need tasks are usually 1:1; routine blocks may be shared.
Can I disagree with my Roster of Care?
Yes. You can review and challenge a Roster of Care before it's submitted to the NDIA. Ask your support coordinator or an occupational therapist to check it reflects your highest-need times, not an average day. An undercounted roster is a common cause of underfunded SIL.
Who writes the Roster of Care?
Usually your SIL provider, ideally with input from you, your family and your support coordinator. If you self- or plan-manage, you can also commission an independent occupational therapist to review or build one.
How often should a Roster of Care be updated?
Whenever your support needs change materially — a new diagnosis, a housemate moving in or out, gaining or losing independence — and at each plan reassessment, so your SIL funding keeps matching your actual needs.
How long does it take to get SIL funding from a Roster of Care?
Usually several weeks from assessment to approved funding, and sometimes longer around a plan reassessment. Because the roster has to be drafted, priced, reviewed by you and then assessed by the NDIA, it pays to start well before your current plan ends.
Does the Roster of Care include getting to appointments or social outings?
Often not. The roster mainly covers in-home daily support. Community access, social outings and transport are usually funded from your Core budget rather than SIL, so check which budget each need sits in so nothing is double-counted or left out.
My housemate is moving out — will my SIL change?
Very likely. When a housemate leaves, shared blocks that were split 1:2 or 1:3 may become 1:1, which raises your per-person cost. Ask your provider to redraft the Roster of Care and flag the change to the NDIA so your funding keeps matching reality.