Overnight Respite at Home
Overnight respite is when a support worker stays the night in the person's home so the family can sleep, or go away for the night. On the NDIS there are two kinds of shift: a sleepover, where the worker can sleep and gets up if needed, and an active overnight shift, where the worker stays awake. Which one fits depends on how much help is needed at night.
What Is a Sleepover Shift?
A night-time sleepover is a shift of 8 hours or more that starts before midnight and finishes after it, where the worker is allowed to sleep when they're not providing support.
That's the definition in the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27. The sleepover price covers up to two hours of active support during the night. If the worker has to provide more than two hours, the provider can charge the third and later hours separately: at Saturday rates on a weekday, or at the applicable rates on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
A sleepover suits people who need someone in the house overnight, and maybe help once or twice, but who mostly sleep through. The provider needs somewhere for the worker to sleep.
What Is Active Overnight Support?
A shift where the worker stays awake and works through the night. It's charged by the hour at night rates, not as a sleepover.
Active overnight support suits people who need regular repositioning, seizure monitoring, help with continence through the night, or close supervision because of behaviours of concern. If you're up several times most nights, that's a sign a sleepover may not be enough.
In the pricing schedule, a weekday night shift is support that starts at or before midnight on a weekday and finishes after midnight, or starts before 6am and finishes that day. Saturday, Sunday and public holiday shifts have their own prices.
Need a Break at Home?
We'll connect you with a registered NDIS provider who can send a support worker to your home.
Sleepover or Active Overnight: Which Do You Need?
Think about the last few weeks of nights: how often the person needed help, and for how long.
| Sleepover | Active overnight | |
|---|---|---|
| Worker | Can sleep, gets up when needed | Stays awake all night |
| Good for | Occasional help, peace of mind | Frequent or ongoing care through the night |
| How it's charged | A flat price per night, including up to 2 hours of active support | Per hour, at night, weekend or public holiday rates |
| Worker needs | A bed or room to sleep in | Somewhere to sit near the person |
If you're not sure, tell the provider what a typical night looks like. Keep a short sleep diary for a week or two: it's useful for the provider and as evidence for the NDIA.
How Much Does Overnight Respite Cost on the NDIS?
The NDIA sets maximum prices. In the Pricing Schedule 2026-27, the national maximum for a standard night-time sleepover is $311.79 a night, with higher amounts in remote and very remote areas.
Active overnight support is charged per hour. For example, the 2026-27 national maximum for standard assistance with self-care on a weekday night is $82.57 an hour, and for high intensity support it's $89.32 an hour. Providers can charge less than the maximum. The maximums apply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed funding.
Prices change each financial year, so check the current pricing schedule before you budget. Our page on NDIS respite rates explains the rest of the charges.
How Do You Arrange Overnight Respite?
Check the Core budget can cover the nights you want, then ask a provider who can staff overnight shifts in your area.
- Work out how many nights you'd like, for example one night a fortnight
- Check the budget: a night of sleepover support uses a fixed amount, active nights more
- Tell the provider what a typical night involves, and about any medication or equipment
- Show the worker the home, the person's bedroom and where they'll sleep, before the first night
- Agree what happens if the worker is unwell or the shift has to be cancelled
Questions People Ask
What is overnight respite?
A support worker stays the night in the person's home so the family can sleep or go away. It can be a sleepover shift or an active overnight shift.
Can the support worker sleep during an overnight shift?
On a sleepover shift, yes, when they aren't needed. On an active overnight shift, no: they stay awake all night.
How many hours of active support does a sleepover include?
Up to two hours. If more is needed, the provider can charge the third and later hours separately, as set out in the NDIS pricing schedule.
Does the NDIS fund overnight respite at home?
It can, from flexible Core supports, if it meets the NDIS funding criteria. Short stays away from home are funded separately as short-term accommodation.
Keep Reading
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Preparing for a first respite shiftHow in-home respite works in practice: getting the person and home ready, what to write down for the support worker, and how to make first shifts go well.
- How it worksHow we connect you with a respite provider, and what happens to your details.
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