NDIS Respite Care and Short Term Accommodation (STA)

What is NDIS respite?

Respite is the everyday word, not an NDIS funding term. The NDIS funds supports for the participant rather than a break for the carer as such, so respite rarely appears as its own line in a plan. In practice, NDIS respite is one or more of these:

You can use them on their own or together, for example weekly in-home hours through the year plus a short stay in the school holidays. Each one gives the carer time off while the participant keeps getting the support they need.

How Short Term Accommodation (STA) works

STA pays for a participant to stay somewhere other than their usual home for a short time, along with the support they need while they're there, for example in a respite house or another supported setting. It has two jobs: giving the carer a proper break, and giving the participant time somewhere new, with new people, routines and activities.

Who STA is for

• Participants who live with family or another unpaid carer. This is the most common use.
• Children and teenagers as well as adults. Families often book stays in the school holidays, and a short introductory stay is a good way to start.
• People in Supported Independent Living (SIL), less often. Their daily support is generally funded through SIL already, so check with the NDIA or your support coordinator first.

Booking a stay, step by step

1. 1

   Check your plan

   Make sure your Core Supports budget can cover the stay and that respite fits your plan goals.

2. 2

   Find a provider with a vacancy

   Ask about your dates early, especially if you want a stay in the school holidays.

3. 3

   Get a written quote

   Ask which support items they'll claim, for how many hours, and what the whole stay will cost.

4. 4

   Sign a service agreement

   Agree the dates, supports and costs in writing before the stay starts.

5. 5

   Share what matters

   Give the provider a profile with routines, medication, communication needs and emergency contacts.

6. 6

   After the stay

   The provider claims the cost from your plan, through the NDIA, your plan manager or you, depending on how your plan is managed.

How many days of respite does the NDIS fund?

NDIS guidance is that Short Term Accommodation is generally funded for up to 28 days a year, most often used in blocks of up to 14 days at a time. That's four weeks a year.

• It's a guide, not a legislated entitlement. What you get depends on your circumstances, your carer's situation and what's written into your plan.
• You choose the pattern, as long as your funding covers it: a fortnight once a year, a weekend each month, or single nights when you need them.
• One long stay is unusual. Using all 28 days at once would normally need a clear reason, agreed in advance.
• In-home and community respite are separate. Hours with a support worker at home or out in the community come from your general Core Supports and don't use up your STA days.
• Needing more is a sign to look at other supports, such as Supported Independent Living, or Medium Term Accommodation while a long-term home is being finalised.

How NDIS respite is funded

Respite is paid from the Core Supports budget in your plan, under Assistance with Daily Life. Core funding is generally flexible, so in-home, community and STA support can all come from it, as long as it fits your plan.

Getting respite into your plan

• Say at your planning meeting or reassessment that you need respite or STA, and make sure it's reflected in your plan goals and budget.
• Describe the caring load: what caring involves day to day, and what happens if your carer can't keep going. When it decides funding, the NDIA considers what it's reasonable to expect family and carers to provide.
• If respite isn't in your plan, a support coordinator can help you gather evidence before your next plan reassessment. If your situation has changed, you can ask for one sooner.

How your plan is managed decides which providers you can use. NDIA-managed funding can only pay registered providers, while plan-managed and self-managed funding can also pay unregistered ones. Our NDIS plan management guide explains the options.

NDIS STA rates 2026-27

STA used to be claimed as one all-inclusive daily rate. Those bundled daily items ended on 30 June 2026. Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026-27, support during a stay is claimed by the hour, at the same limits as standard personal care, with a sleepover item for overnight cover. High intensity items, at higher limits, are for participants who need complex support.

National price limits. Item numbers are under each price.

Accommodation items

The 2026-27 list also has separate daily items for accommodation during a stay: one for the participant and one for a support worker.

• These are maximums. A provider can charge less. With NDIA-managed or plan-managed funding, they can't charge more.
• The day changes the price. Standard Saturday support is $103.54 an hour, against $73.58 on a weekday daytime, so a weekend stay costs more than the same nights midweek.
• Remote areas have higher limits. Standard weekday daytime STA is $103.01 an hour in remote areas and $110.37 in very remote areas.
• In-home and community respite are charged at standard support worker rates. See NDIS support worker rates.

Every item and rate is in our NDIS price guide.

What STA covers, and what it doesn't

Before you book, ask the provider to put in writing which items they'll claim from your plan, what the accommodation item includes, and anything you'll pay yourself, such as meals or outings.

Emergency respite

Emergency respite is care arranged at short notice because the usual carer suddenly can't provide it, for example because they're ill, in hospital or their circumstances have changed overnight. It's harder to arrange than planned respite, because it depends on which providers have workers or a room free at the time.

What to do

• If anyone's safety is at risk right now, call 000.
• Call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, the national carer support line. It can help with emergency respite outside the NDIS.
• Use your Core Supports. The NDIS has no separate emergency respite budget, so urgent support is normally paid from flexible Core funding.
• If your funding won't stretch, ask the NDIA for an urgent reassessment because your circumstances have changed. The NDIA's number is 1800 800 110.
• Send a request through Help Alliance and choose As soon as possible. Providers who can start then can accept it and contact you.

STA vs Medium Term Accommodation (MTA)

The two are often confused. STA is short, planned respite that gives carers a break. Medium Term Accommodation is somewhere to live for up to 90 days when a participant's long-term home isn't ready yet, for example while Specialist Disability Accommodation is finalised or home modifications are finished. MTA covers the accommodation only, up to $162.85 a day in 2026-27, with daily support funded separately, and it needs evidence that a long-term home is confirmed.

If you need respite more often than STA can cover, that usually points to a different support, such as Supported Independent Living. Our guide to NDIS housing options compares SIL, SDA and other choices.

How to find a respite provider with a vacancy

Finding an STA provider with a room on your dates is often the hard part. Provider lists don't show who has a vacancy, so start early and ask several providers at once.

• Ask your support coordinator, if you have one. Finding providers is part of their job.
• Ask the providers you already use. Some offer respite or STA themselves.
• Search the NDIS Provider Finder for providers near you. Our Provider Finder guide shows how.
• Send one request through Help Alliance. It's free. Tell us the respite you need, when and where, and it goes to providers near you who offer respite. Those who can take you accept it (up to three) and contact you directly. You choose who to go with.

Questions to ask a respite provider

• Do you have a vacancy on our dates, and how far ahead do we need to book?
• Which support items will you claim, for how many hours, and what will the whole stay cost?
• What does the daily accommodation item cover, and will we pay anything ourselves, such as for meals or outings?
• How many workers will be on shift, and is overnight support a sleepover or an awake worker?
• Can we meet the team or try a short introductory stay first?
• How do you handle medication, personal care, dietary needs and behaviour support plans?
• Who else will be staying at the same time?
• What's your cancellation policy?
• Are you registered with the NDIS Commission? This matters if your plan is NDIA-managed.

Put what you agree in a service agreement before the stay. In WA? See our guide to respite providers in Perth.

NDIS respite questions

Related guides

• NDIS support worker rates 2026-27
• NDIS price guide 2026-27
• NDIS funding categories explained
• NDIS plan management guide
• NDIS support coordinators
• NDIS housing options: SIL, SDA and ILO
• NDIS service agreements
• NDIS plan reassessments and variations
• Respite providers in Perth