SDA vs SIL: what is the difference?
By The Find My SDA Team · Reviewed by Bhav Singh, Licensed Estate Agent · Published 31 Jul 2026 · Updated 11 Sep 2026
SDA and SIL are two of the most confused terms in the NDIS, partly because they often appear together in the same home. This guide explains the difference in plain terms: SDA is the building, SIL is the support you receive to live in it. It is general information, not advice about your own plan.
What SDA is
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is the home itself: a specially designed, accessible dwelling enrolled with the NDIA for participants with an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. New SDA homes must be built to the NDIS SDA Design Standard.
SDA funding pays for the bricks and mortar of that home and is paid by the NDIS to the SDA provider, not to you.
What SIL is
Supported Independent Living (SIL) is the day-to-day support that helps you live in your home. It covers help with everyday tasks such as personal care, meals, medication prompts and building daily living skills, usually delivered by support workers.
You can receive SIL in an SDA home, in other housing, or without SDA at all.
It is meant for people with higher support needs who need some level of help at home all the time. As a guide, it may suit you if you need active disability support for more than 8 hours a day plus some support for the other hours, including overnight.
People who only need a few hours of support each day or week, or who want to arrange and roster their own support workers, are not a fit for SIL.
The key difference
SDA is about the physical home and its accessibility features. SIL is about the people who support you inside it.
They are funded separately in your NDIS plan, and you can be funded for one, both, or neither, depending on your needs.
Who pays for what
SIL funding pays for your support workers. You pay the rent and your other day-to-day living costs. SIL does not cover groceries, rent, utilities such as gas, electricity, water, phone and internet, or vehicle costs.
Your rent is a reasonable rent contribution paid to your SDA provider. The maximum is 25% of the basic rate of the Disability Support Pension, 25% of the Pension Supplement and 100% of the maximum rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance. For homes Find My SDA manages where the residents rent directly, we work it out as 25% of the basic rate of the Disability Support Pension plus 100% of Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which is below that maximum. Our guide to the reasonable rent contribution explains the rent side.
How SDA and SIL work together
In many shared SDA homes, residents also receive SIL, so the accommodation and the support are arranged alongside each other. Even then, the two remain separate supports.
Your SDA provider gives you the home, not the support you get while living there. It must not stop other NDIS providers, such as your SIL provider, from coming into the home to support you.
When you enquire about an SDA vacancy with Find My SDA, we can explain how the accommodation is enrolled and how any on-site support is arranged for that particular home, so you can see how SDA and SIL fit together for you.
Living in SDA without SIL
Other supports can work in an SDA home too. The NDIA may fund supports such as personal care supports or individualised living options instead, and it looks at how those would work in SDA.
Some participants who live alone can have onsite shared support for unplanned help, but you will not get onsite shared support if your plan includes SIL.
How to check what is in your plan
Your NDIS plan shows whether you are funded for SDA, SIL, or both. If you are unsure, your support coordinator, plan manager or NDIS planner can explain what your plan allows.
Knowing which you are funded for helps you look for the right home and the right support before you make a decision.
Common questions
Is SDA the same as SIL?
No. SDA is the specially designed home, funded to the provider for the dwelling. SIL is the day-to-day support you receive to live in it, funded separately in your plan.
Can I get SIL without SDA?
Yes. SIL support can be delivered in ordinary housing, not only in SDA homes.
Do SDA and SIL come from the same provider?
Not always. Some organisations provide both, and some homes have a different SIL provider. Either way they are separate supports, and you choose who provides your SIL. Your SDA provider must have a written service agreement with you for the home.
Is SDA the same as a group home?
Not always. A group home is one of the four SDA building types, a house with 4 or 5 residents. SDA can also be an apartment, a villa, duplex or townhouse, or a house, and some people live in SDA on their own.
How do I know if I am funded for SDA or SIL?
Your NDIS plan lists each one you are funded for. Your support coordinator or NDIS planner can confirm what your plan includes if you are unsure.
Sources
We check the facts in this guide against these official sources before it goes live.
- NDIS - Specialist disability accommodation operational guideline
- NDIS - Supported independent living operational guideline
- NDIS (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Rules 2020
- NDIS - What is specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
- NDIS - What is supported independent living (SIL)
- NDIS - What is onsite shared support
- NDIS - What are individualised living options (ILO)