How Does NDIS Respite Work?
The NDIS funds respite as supports for the participant that also give their family or carer a break. There are two main ways: a support worker who comes to the home, usually paid from the flexible Core budget, or a short stay away from home, funded as short-term accommodation (also called short term respite). Both are paid from the participant's plan.
Does the NDIS Fund Respite?
Yes, as supports for the participant. The NDIS doesn't give carers their own plan, but it can fund supports for the participant that sustain the people who care for them.
The NDIA's guideline on short term accommodation says it knows how important it is that informal supports, like family and friends, can keep supporting the participant. It also says the NDIA will usually think about other supports first, such as personal care supports in the home.
In October 2025 the NDIA started calling short-term accommodation short term respite. It said the new name better reflects the purpose: time apart from usual care arrangements while the main carers take a short break.
What Are the Two Kinds of NDIS Respite?
In-home respite, where a worker comes to you, and short-term respite away from home, where the participant stays somewhere else for a night or more.
| In-home respite | Short-term respite away from home | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | The participant's own home | A respite house, short stay rental, hotel or similar, and in some cases the person's own home |
| How long | A few hours, a day, an evening or overnight | At least one night, generally up to 14 days at a time |
| How it's funded | Flexible Core supports, usually Assistance with daily life | Short-term accommodation funding in the Core budget |
| Typical limits | Depends on the plan budget | Generally up to 28 days a year |
Some families use both: a regular in-home shift each week and an occasional weekend away. This site focuses on in-home respite. If you're looking for a stay away from home, ask your support coordinator or the NDIA about short-term accommodation.
Need a Break at Home?
We'll connect you with a registered NDIS provider who can send a support worker to your home.
How Is In-Home Respite Funded on the NDIS?
Usually from the Core supports budget, which is flexible. The NDIA says you may be able to use flexible Core funding for a support worker in your home when your informal supports can't support you, or to give them a break.
Core supports help with everyday activities. The Assistance with daily life category pays for support workers to help with things like personal care and cooking. Because Core funding is flexible, it can be used across its categories, as long as the supports are NDIS supports and in line with the plan.
The provider charges for the support worker's time, by the hour for day and evening shifts, or a flat amount for a sleepover. Our page on NDIS respite rates explains how prices are set.
Who Can Get NDIS Respite?
NDIS participants whose disability support needs mean a family member or carer gives them significant, ongoing care. The NDIA looks at the funding criteria, the participant's goals and what it's reasonable to expect family to provide.
For short-term accommodation, the guideline says the NDIA needs to know the participant lives with, or gets daily drop-in support from, their main informal supports, and gets more than 6 hours a day of disability-related support from them. At least one more factor has to apply, such as the carer's wellbeing being at risk or the carer having other caring responsibilities.
For children, the NDIA doesn't fund what all parents are expected to provide, whether or not their child has a disability. Our page on respite for parents covers how that works.
How Do You Get Respite in an NDIS Plan?
Talk to your my NDIS contact or bring it up at your check-in meeting. Explain how much care the family gives, what happens without a break, and what support would help.
Evidence matters. The NDIA says it looks at assessments, reports and information from providers and allied health professionals about when and how often support is needed. If the plan doesn't have the support you need, or things have changed, you can ask for a change to the plan. Our guide to getting respite in your NDIS plan goes step by step.
Questions People Ask
Is respite covered by the NDIS?
It can be. In-home respite is usually paid from flexible Core supports, and short stays away from home are funded as short-term accommodation, both in the participant's plan.
What is the NDIS respite category called?
There isn't one line called respite for in-home support. It's usually support worker time from Core supports, Assistance with daily life. Short stays away from home are short-term accommodation, now also called short term respite.
How many days of respite does the NDIS fund?
For short-term accommodation away from home, the NDIA generally funds up to 28 days a year, up to 14 days at a time. In-home respite has no set number of days; it depends on the budget in the plan.
Can carers get NDIS funding for respite?
Not in their own name. Respite is funded as supports for the participant. Carers can also get help from Carer Gateway, which is a separate government service for carers.
Do you only work with registered providers?
Yes. We only pass enquiries to providers registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Registered providers need NDIS worker screening clearances for workers in risk-assessed roles.
Keep Reading
- NDIS respite fundingWhich part of an NDIS plan pays for in-home respite, how flexible Core funding works, what the NDIA looks at first, and what respite funding can't buy.
- NDIS respite ratesWhat in-home respite costs on the NDIS in 2026-27: maximum hourly prices for support workers by time of day, the sleepover price, travel and cancellation rules.
- Respite care at homeWhat in-home respite looks like: a support worker comes to your home, takes over the care for a few hours or overnight, and you get a real break.
- Respite for parentsRespite for parents of a child with disability: what the NDIS funds at home, what it treats as normal parenting, the tests for children, how to ask.
- Getting respite in your NDIS planA step by step guide to getting in-home respite into an NDIS plan: what to write down, the evidence that helps, who to talk to and what to do if it's a no.
- How it worksHow we connect you with a respite provider, and what happens to your details.
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