Switching SIL providers without losing your funding

People change Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers for ordinary reasons: the roster is unreliable, the house is not working, the provider is leaving the area, or you simply want something better. The NDIS is built on choice and control, and that includes the choice of who supports you in your own home.

Switching still takes planning. A SIL change can involve a tenancy, housemates, medication handover, behaviour support plans and a provider who may be claiming a large weekly amount from your plan. This guide sets out the rules as they stand in October 2026 and a step-by-step path through them.

You have the right to choose and to change

The NDIS Code of Conduct requires every provider and worker to respect your right to self-determination and decision-making. The NDIS Commission's guidance for participants puts it plainly: if a problem cannot be fixed, look at your agreement to see how you can end it and explore other options. No provider can stop you leaving, and none can threaten or penalise you for raising concerns or giving notice.

Two things changed in 2026 that affect your choice. First, since 1 October 2026 SIL can only be delivered by providers that are registered with the NDIS Commission or have applied to register. Check any new provider on the NDIS Commission's provider register before you commit. Second, the NDIS Commission introduced SIL-specific Practice Standards from 1 July 2026 covering supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance and agreements about tenancy, housing and support.

Notice periods: what your service agreement says, and what the NDIS does not say

The NDIA recommends a written service agreement for SIL and says it should set out how to end the agreement and the notice you need to give. The NDIA does not prescribe a notice period, and neither the NDIA nor the NDIS Commission is a party to service agreements, keeps copies of them, or enforces them. The notice period is whatever you and the provider agreed, so start by reading your own agreement.

SIL agreements commonly include notice periods measured in weeks rather than days, because the provider has staffed a shared house around you. You can negotiate it before you sign. The NDIA does say a provider cannot contract out of its Code of Conduct obligations, and the Code requires fair dealing and prohibits charging without reasonable justification. A notice clause that is plainly unreasonable is worth challenging through the provider's complaints process and, if needed, the NDIS Commission.

A SIL provider can claim an "unplanned exit" payment of up to 28 days at the weekly plan rate only where supports were shared and the person died or left because of an irretrievable breakdown affecting health and safety. The NDIA states that this item cannot be claimed where a participant chooses to change providers or is within a notice period, and that only the remainder of a notice period can be claimed if you give notice and then leave early.

Does the funding move with you? Yes, because it was never the provider's

SIL funding is a line in your NDIS plan, decided by the NDIA on the basis of your disability support needs. The provider claims against it; the provider does not own it. When the NDIA wrote to participants about mandatory SIL registration it said directly that your plan and funding will not change if you have to move to a different provider.

There are two practical limits. The amount of SIL funding was built around a particular living arrangement, such as sharing two workers between three people. If you move to a house with a different sharing ratio or very different support hours, the new provider may ask for a plan variation or reassessment so the budget matches the new roster, and the NDIA decides that. And funding can only be claimed by one provider for any period of time, so the old agreement must end before the new one begins claiming.

If your home and living budget is NDIA-managed, the new provider must be registered (which all SIL providers now must be anyway) and will record itself as a "my provider" on your plan. If it is plan-managed, tell your plan manager the switch date so invoices from the two providers do not overlap.

If you live in SDA: separate the house from the support

Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is the building. SIL is the support inside it. The NDIA describes the split as: SDA funding pays the SDA provider, SIL funding pays for your support workers, and you pay rent and bills. You must have a written service agreement with your SDA provider and record them as a my provider on your plan.

If your SDA provider and your SIL provider are different organisations, you can change SIL provider and stay in the house, subject to any practical terms in your SDA agreement about who may deliver supports on the premises. Read that agreement before you give notice to the SIL provider, and talk to the SDA provider early.

If one organisation is both your landlord (SDA or ordinary lease) and your SIL provider, the position is harder. The NDIA expects providers to keep tenancy and support arrangements separate, with a tenancy agreement that explains how housing differs from SIL supports, and the SIL Practice Standards now require clear agreements on exactly this point. Even so, ending the support agreement may in practice mean moving house. Ask the provider in writing whether you can keep the tenancy with a different SIL provider, and get the answer before you decide.

When the provider ends it: what the NDIS Commission requires

Sometimes it is the provider who wants out, because they are leaving a region, closing a house, or saying they can no longer meet your needs. The NDIS Commission's guidance on stopping services applies to registered and unregistered providers. They must minimise risk, follow the Code of Conduct, and support you to transition to a provider of your choice while continuing to receive safe supports.

Registered providers must notify the NDIS Commission through its portal as soon as possible and notify the NDIA by email. They are expected to create a transition plan covering how they will notify and support affected participants, identify alternative providers, support each person to choose, and assess and reduce the risks. They must consult with you individually and give you dates, options, next steps and contact details in an accessible way.

If a provider simply stops turning up, or gives you an unrealistic deadline to leave, that is a safeguarding matter. Call the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544. The Commission lists a person needing a lot of daily support whose supports are about to stop, or who could become homeless, among the issues it wants reported straight away.

Switching in South Australia: the regional reality

In metropolitan Adelaide there are many SIL providers and switching is usually a question of finding a vacancy that suits you. In regional South Australia the choice is thinner. Towns such as Whyalla, Port Augusta, Kadina and Loxton may have only a handful of SIL houses, so changing provider can mean changing town, or waiting for a vacancy that fits your support needs and housemates.

That makes timing more important, not less. Start the search before you give notice, use your support coordinator's knowledge of local vacancies, and ask providers whether they can open a new arrangement rather than fit you into an existing one. ResicareSA, which runs homes across Adelaide, the Yorke Peninsula, Whyalla, Port Augusta, the Riverland and near Mount Gambier, publishes its current vacancies at /homes; other providers list theirs on the NDIS provider finder.

What to do next: switching step by step

The order matters. Most problems with switching come from giving notice before the new arrangement is confirmed, or from leaving the handover to chance.

• Read your current service agreement and any tenancy agreement: find the notice period, the exit clauses and anything about who may deliver supports in the house
• Tell your support coordinator what you want and why, and ask them to document it
• Find and visit the new provider; check their registration on the NDIS Commission register; agree a start date, roster and price in a new service agreement
• Confirm the budget with the new provider; if the roster differs materially, ask them to raise a plan variation with the NDIA before you move
• Give written notice to the current provider, quoting the clause in the agreement; keep a copy
• Arrange handover: medication chart and remaining medication, behaviour support plan, clinical plans, incident history, keys and personal records; ask for copies of your file
• Tell your plan manager (or check the my NDIS app if NDIA-managed) so claims from the old provider stop on the right date
• If the provider obstructs the move or stops supports early, complain to them in writing and then to the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544

Questions people ask