SIL Pricing and Funding Template and Example 2026

Why SIL Pricing Documentation Matters in 2026

Supported Independent Living (SIL) is among the most intensively funded — and most scrutinised — supports in the NDIS. For registered providers, the way you document, price, and justify a participant's SIL allocation directly influences whether the NDIS approves funding, whether auditors find you compliant, and whether you can demonstrate value-for-money under the strengthened 2026 NDIS Practice Standards.

The NDIS Commission's strengthened Practice Standards, which took effect progressively from late 2024 into 2026, place explicit obligations on SIL providers around financial transparency, supported decision-making, and the link between assessed need and funded hours. Getting your pricing documentation right is not a back-office task — it is a compliance requirement.

What a SIL Pricing and Funding Template Must Cover

A compliant SIL pricing template is not simply a quotation. It is a structured evidence document that connects the participant's assessed support needs to the rostered hours being claimed and the rates being applied. At minimum, your template should include the following elements:

• Participant identification — NDIS number, plan dates, and the registered provider's name and registration number.
• Support category and line items — the correct support category (typically Assistance with Daily Life — 01) and the specific support item codes drawn from the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL).
• Assessed support needs summary — a brief, evidence-linked description of why the participant requires the level of support quoted. This ties to the SIL assessment and the participant's functional capacity reports.
• Rostered hours breakdown — weekday, evening, weekend, and public holiday hours, separated by staffing ratio (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, etc.) and by active versus passive overnight support where applicable.
• Applicable rates — the rate for each line item, confirmed against the current PAPL. Rates vary by ratio, time of day, and provider registration type. Never apply a rate from a previous financial year without checking the current PAPL on ndis.gov.au.
• Weekly and annual cost totals — calculated at the line-item level and totalled so the plan manager or NDIA planner can reconcile the quote against available funding.
• Assumptions and notes — any assumptions about shared supports, respite, participant absences, or leave provisions, consistent with the PAPL rules on SIL claiming.
• Signature and date — the name and role of the person completing the template, with the date of preparation.

Realistic Filled-In Example: SIL Pricing Template Excerpt

The following is a realistic (but illustrative) excerpt of how a completed SIL pricing section might appear. This is not an official NDIS form — it demonstrates the structure auditors and planners expect to see.

Note: Always populate the Rate column from the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document, available at ndis.gov.au. Rates change periodically and using an outdated rate is a common audit finding.

Accompanying Justification Block (Example)

Below the pricing table, your template should include a justification block. Example wording:

Support Needs Justification — [Participant Initials/NDIS Number]
The participant requires 1:2 active support during all daytime and evening hours due to assessed needs in personal hygiene, medication management, and community access (refer Functional Capacity Assessment, dated [month/year]). Passive overnight support at a 1:4 ratio is consistent with the participant's night-time safety requirements as documented in the Behaviour Support Plan. Staffing ratios have been calculated to meet the participant's needs while remaining consistent with the value-for-money requirements under section 34 of the NDIS Act 2013.

Step-by-Step: How to Complete a SIL Pricing Template

1. Gather the source documents. You need the participant's NDIS plan, current functional capacity assessment, SIL assessment (where completed), and any behaviour support plan or specialist reports.
2. Identify the correct support category and line items. SIL sits under Support Category 01 — Assistance with Daily Life. Cross-check each line item code against the current PAPL to confirm it is still active and applicable.
3. Calculate rostered hours by time of day and day type. Separate weekday, evening, Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday hours. Document the staffing ratio for each block. Never aggregate all hours at a single rate.
4. Apply current rates only. Download the current PAPL from ndis.gov.au before populating the rate column. Note the version date on your template so there is a clear audit trail.
5. Write the justification narrative. Link each staffing ratio and hour block to a specific assessed need. Avoid generic language like "requires support with all daily activities" — be specific.
6. Calculate weekly and annual totals. Multiply hours by rates for each line item, sum to a weekly figure, and project to an annual figure so the planner can see whether the quote fits within typical plan budgets.
7. Have the template reviewed by a senior staff member or registered support coordinator before submitting to the NDIA or sharing with a plan manager. Errors in SIL quotes can delay plan approval and create compliance risk.
8. Retain the completed template and all supporting documents for at least five years, consistent with the record-keeping obligations under the NDIS (Registered Providers of Supports) Rules 2013.

Common Errors in SIL Pricing Documents

Quality auditors and NDIA planners routinely flag the following issues in SIL pricing documentation:

• Using outdated PAPL rates. The NDIS updates price limits at least annually. A quote built on last year's rates will either under-claim or exceed the allowable maximum.
• Aggregating hours at a single rate. Each day type and time band has a distinct rate. Blending them into one average rate is not compliant and makes the quote impossible to audit.
• No link between the quote and assessed needs. A pricing table with no justification narrative does not demonstrate value-for-money or that the support level is appropriate — both are Practice Standard requirements.
• Incorrect line item codes. Support item codes are revised periodically. Using a retired code may cause claiming errors or plan management rejections.
• Missing leave and absence provisions. The PAPL contains specific rules about claiming during participant absence (for example, hospitalisation or holiday). Omitting these from the template creates inconsistencies when claims are lodged.
• Unsigned or undated templates. An unsigned template has no audit trail and fails the record-keeping standard under the NDIS Commission's Practice Standards.

Aligning Your Template with the 2026 Practice Standards

The strengthened NDIS Practice Standards place additional weight on participant choice and control, transparent pricing, and the ability to demonstrate that support ratios reflect individual need rather than operational convenience. When completing your SIL pricing template, ensure it can answer three questions an approved quality auditor will ask:

1. Does the quoted support level match the participant's current assessed needs?
2. Has the participant (and/or their nominee) been involved in understanding and agreeing to the proposed roster?
3. Can the provider demonstrate that the price represents value-for-money under section 34 of the NDIS Act?

If your template cannot clearly address all three, revise before submission.

Getting Audit-Ready Documentation in Place

A single pricing template is rarely sufficient on its own. Auditors will also expect to see a SIL roster of care, a service agreement, a participant welcome document, and policies covering incident management, restrictive practices (if applicable), and complaints handling. If you are building out your compliance documentation suite, the 74-document audit-ready SIL compliance kit available at ndiscompliant.com.au provides pre-built, NDIS Commission-aligned templates covering the full registration and re-registration lifecycle.