What an ILO is
An ILO is a way of being supported at home that is built around your life rather than a roster. Instead of a set group home model, you design an arrangement that suits you: who you live with, where you live and who helps you.
Most ILOs combine a main support person who lives with you or near you with other supports that fill the gaps. Family, friends and community connections are part of the design, alongside paid support.
Who an ILO might suit
The NDIS says an ILO might be right for you if you are 18 or over, or 17 and thinking about your future living arrangements, and you need support at home, formal or informal, for at least 6 hours each day.
It tends to suit people who want to live with others in an ordinary home, would like more say over who supports them, and are ready to spend time exploring their options. Family members and friends can be involved from the start.
Stage 1: exploration and design
The first stage funds an ILO provider to work with you to find out what you want and need. Together you look at:
- Your strengths, routines and what a good day looks like for you
- Where you want to live and who you want to live with
- How family, friends, community and paid supports could each play a part
- Risks and how to manage them
- A service proposal that sets out your ILO design and what it would cost
Stage 2: ILO supports
If the NDIA funds your ILO, your plan includes funding for the supports in your design. They usually come in two kinds:
- Primary supports: the main support at home, such as a host arrangement where you live in someone else's home, or a housemate arrangement where someone who is not related to you shares your home and gives agreed support
- Supplementary supports: everything else that keeps the arrangement working, such as drop in support workers, cover when your host is on holiday, specialist help, technology or informal help from family
What it costs and what ILO pays for
In the 2026/27 pricing schedule, ILO exploration and design has a price limit of $100.14 an hour in most of Australia, higher in remote and very remote areas. The ILO support model itself is a quotable support, so the amount is set from your service proposal rather than a fixed price.
ILO pays for support, not housing. You still pay rent, food, bills and your own personal costs. A host or housemate is paid for the support they give under the agreement, which your ILO provider helps set up and monitor.
ILO compared with SIL
Supported Independent Living (SIL) is usually rostered support in a shared home, for people who need support at all times or most of the day. An ILO is more individual, often relies on one or two key people, and builds in informal support.
Since 1 July 2026 SIL providers must be registered with the NDIS Commission. The NDIA also says it is not SIL if you choose and manage your own support workers, including directing and rostering them. That kind of arrangement may fit better as an ILO or as everyday assistance with daily life.
How to ask for an ILO
Talk to your planner, local area coordinator or support coordinator about your home and living goals. Evidence helps: the Home and Living Supporting Evidence Form, and a home and living assessment from an occupational therapist that shows how much support you need across the day and night.
If ILO exploration is added to your plan, choose an ILO provider who listens, involves your family if you want them involved, and is honest about what is possible where you want to live.