Building an NDIS Roster of Care for SIL (Digital Submission)
Build an NDIS Roster of Care for SIL that survives audit and digital submission — tiered rates, active vs passive overnight, quoting and worked examples.
What a Roster of Care actually is (and isn't)
What changed on 1 July 2026
The building blocks: ratios, shift types and rates
Active versus passive overnight — the change that moves the most money
A worked example: a three-person SIL home
Writing the justification the NDIA will accept
Systems: how to actually produce and store it
Keeping the RoC, the operational roster and the plan in sync
Common mistakes that cost money or trigger review
A build checklist before you submit
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Roster of Care and a staff roster?
A Roster of Care is the funding model the NDIA uses to set SIL budgets — it shows support ratios, shift blocks and per-participant hours and cost for a typical fortnight. A staff roster is the operational schedule of which worker does which shift, and it must comply with SCHADS rules on breaks, overtime and loadings. The RoC sets the funded shape of the home; the staff roster delivers against it. They should reconcile, but they are not the same document and serve different purposes.
How do active and passive overnight rates work in a SIL Roster of Care?
From 1 July 2026 the flat overnight model was replaced by tiered active and passive (sleepover) rates. Active overnight means the worker is awake and providing support and is priced and paid as worked hours; a sleepover means the worker sleeps on-site and responds only if needed, attracting a SCHADS sleepover allowance plus payment for any hours actually worked. Your RoC must split each overnight into active and passive portions based on how often the participant genuinely needs assistance, and confirm both the PAPL price and the SCHADS allowance against current sources.
Do I have to submit the Roster of Care digitally now?
Yes. From 1 July 2026, Rosters of Care are submitted and approved digitally, each with a written justification for the support ratios claimed. This accompanied the commencement of registration group 0138 for SIL and the new SIL Supplementary Module in the Practice Standards. Build your RoC in a system that keeps version history, because delivered shifts increasingly need evidence captured on each claim under 'prove and pay' and, if the reform Bill passes, a proposed seven-year retention duty.
How do I know if my Roster of Care leaves a real margin?
Cost the same fortnight twice: once at the NDIA PAPL price limits (what you can claim) and once at SCHADS award rates (what you pay), including 12% superannuation from 1 July 2026, penalty loadings for evenings and weekends, the sleepover allowance, insurance, training, supervision and admin. The gap between the two is not profit — it must absorb all of those on-costs plus vacancy risk. A home that looks profitable on weekday daytime rates can run at a loss once weekend and overnight penalties are included, so always model every day type separately.
When should I revise and resubmit a Roster of Care?
Revise it whenever the home no longer matches the approved model in a sustained way — a housemate permanently moves in or out, or a reassessment changes a participant's support ratio or lifts an overnight from passive to active. Short, temporary drift such as a hospital stay or a one-off sick call is managed operationally. With new-framework needs assessments phasing in and budgets adjusting from 1 October 2026, expect more revisions than usual, and re-run the RoC before the next claim period each time a plan is reassessed or household composition changes.