Active overnight or sleepover?
The NDIS Commission draws a clear line between the two kinds of night support:
- Sleepover: the worker stays at your home for a continuous 8 hours or more, can sleep when not needed, and the flat price covers up to 2 hours of active support during the night
- Active overnight: the worker is awake during normal sleeping hours because you need support through the night, so it is funded and paid as working time
Who needs active overnight support
Active overnight support suits people whose needs at night are frequent or unpredictable enough that someone must be awake and ready. Common reasons include:
- Regular repositioning to protect skin and prevent pressure injuries
- Seizures or breathing needs that must be monitored closely
- Frequent toileting or continence care through the night
- Behaviours of concern or night waking that put you or others at risk
- Health supports such as tube feeding or ventilation, alongside nursing where needed
How it is priced in 2026/27
There is no separate active overnight price. The worker's time is claimed by the hour at the price limit for when the support happens. For standard self care or Supported Independent Living support in most of Australia, the 2026/27 limits are:
- Weekday night: $82.57 an hour, for support that runs past midnight or starts before 6am on a weekday
- Saturday: $103.54 an hour
- Sunday: $133.50 an hour
- Public holiday: $163.46 an hour
- High intensity weekday night, where the worker needs extra skills: $89.32 an hour
What it costs compared with a sleepover
A night time sleepover has a flat price limit of $311.79 in most of Australia for 2026/27. An 8 hour active overnight shift at the standard weekday night limit costs more than double that, so the NDIA will want clear evidence that you need someone awake.
If a sleepover worker gives more than 2 hours of active support in a night, the provider can claim the third and later hours at Saturday rates on weekdays, or at the applicable rate on other days. If that happens often, it is a sign your plan may need active overnight support instead.
Getting it in your plan
The NDIA decides overnight funding from evidence about what actually happens at night. Useful evidence includes a sleep and support log showing how often you wake and what help you need, reports from your occupational therapist, nurse or doctor, and, if you live in Supported Independent Living, a roster of care showing overnight support.
If you need 24 hour disability support, the high support needs plan variation introduced on 1 October 2026 lets you ask for daily living and home and living funding to be increased, within limits, after the funding reset is applied to your plan.
For providers
The NDIS Commission says that if workers are regularly awake for more than 2 hours a night, providers should contact the NDIA about whether the plan needs to change, and should monitor sleep patterns and involve professionals such as an OT. Workers on active overnight shifts are paid for all hours worked under the SCHADS Award, so roster breaks and fatigue management carefully.
Make sure your service agreement says whether night support is active or a sleepover, and the price for each time band.