How much does Short Term Respite cost under the NDIS
There is no single price for Short Term Respite under the NDIS. The cost depends on the support ratio, the hours, the day of the week, whether accommodation is part of the arrangement, and which Pricing Arrangements line items apply. Once those variables are clear, the cost stops being a mystery. Here is the practical version.
In this article
- The short answer to what Short Term Respite costs
- The two cost components: support hours and accommodation
- How support ratios change the cost
- When weekend, evening and public holiday rates apply
- What is not included in the funded cost
- How the cost is paid: managed, plan-managed and self-managed
- How to estimate the cost for a planned arrangement
- Where current rates live, and why we do not quote dollar figures here
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Short Term Respite is priced through the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, not a flat day rate
- The cost has two main parts: support hours and, where it applies, accommodation
- Hourly rates change with the support ratio and the day of the week
- Weekday daytime is the lowest rate, weekends and public holidays are higher
- What sits in the participant's NDIS plan and how it is managed shapes how the cost is paid
The short answer to what Short Term Respite costs
Short Term Respite, the support previously called Short Term Accommodation or STA, is funded through the NDIS at rates set in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Those rates change each financial year. The cost of any specific arrangement depends on how it is built, not a fixed daily price.
Two variables move the cost more than anything else: how many support hours sit inside the arrangement, and the support ratio those hours are delivered at. A 1:1 arrangement, where one support worker is with one participant, is priced at a different line item to a 1:3 arrangement, where one worker supports three participants in a shared setting. Both are valid; both are funded; the price per participant is not the same.
Accommodation, where it is part of the arrangement, is its own line item again. Some Short Term Respite is delivered in the participant's own home, in which case the accommodation line is not used. Some is delivered in a respite setting with overnight accommodation, in which case it is.
Why the cost is not a single number
If a provider quotes a flat number with no breakdown, that is a sign to ask more questions. The arrangement should be priced against the line items that match what is actually being delivered, not bundled into a marketing-friendly daily figure. A clear quote will spell out hours, ratio, and any accommodation separately.
The two cost components: support hours and accommodation
It helps to think about Short Term Respite cost as the sum of two things, priced separately.
- Support hours: the actual hands-on support, priced per hour at the rate that matches the support ratio and the day of the week
- Accommodation: where a stay is part of the arrangement, the standard accommodation rate that matches the setting, priced per night
Support hours are the larger and more variable component. A 1:1 arrangement where the participant has someone with them through the day and night will have many more billable hours than a 1:3 arrangement where workers rotate across multiple participants. Both can be appropriate; the right one is the one that mirrors the participant's usual level of care, not the cheapest line on a price guide.
Accommodation costs are flatter. Where the arrangement sits in a respite setting, the accommodation rate covers a clean, accessible bedroom and the standard amenities that come with it. It does not cover food for individual stays, activities, or transport, all of which are quoted separately or paid privately.
How support ratios change the cost
Support ratio is shorthand for how many participants a support worker is supporting at the same time. The most common ratios in Short Term Respite are 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3, and each has its own line item in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements.
What the support ratio is, and what it is not
Setting expectations correctly here helps the rest of the quote make sense.
What the support ratio reflects
- How the support is delivered, not how complex the participant is
- What the participant's plan and usual level of care actually need
- A fair price for the worker time that is being used
- Something to be planned, agreed and written into the service agreement
What the support ratio is not
- A judgement on the participant's independence
- A way to make a respite arrangement cheaper by stretching staffing thin
- A fixed feature of any provider's package, locked in regardless of need
- Something that should change mid-arrangement without a conversation
A 1:1 arrangement is usually shaped around a participant who has one-to-one support at home, where the cost of the arrangement reflects that. A 1:2 or 1:3 arrangement is usually shaped around participants who can share a worker safely and meaningfully, often in a small respite setting. Neither is better; the right one is the one that mirrors the participant's actual support needs.
When weekend, evening and public holiday rates apply
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements use different price limits for different times of day and different days of the week. Weekday daytime is the lowest rate. Weekday evening, overnight, weekends and public holidays each step up from there.
This is worth knowing because the same number of hours over a respite arrangement can land at noticeably different totals depending on when the support is delivered. A weekend stay with overnight support will cost more than a midweek daytime stay of the same length, simply because the hours fall on higher-rate windows.
How this shows up in a quote
A clear quote breaks the hours out by rate band: weekday daytime hours separately from weekday evening hours, separately from weekend hours, separately from any public holiday hours. If the quote bundles them all into one figure, it is fair to ask for a breakdown so the plan budget can be modelled properly.
What is not included in the funded cost
Some everyday items are deliberately not part of NDIS-funded Short Term Respite. They can still happen during a respite arrangement, but they are paid for outside the NDIS funding.
- Food and meals for individual settings, where these are paid for privately
- Activity costs such as entry fees, tickets and equipment for outings
- Transport, where the participant could otherwise travel themselves and where separate transport funding does not apply
- Anything outside disability-related support, which is the core requirement for NDIS funding
Group or centre-based respite settings sometimes bundle meals into the arrangement and present the total inclusive of food. That is fine, but it is worth asking which items are funded under the NDIS and which sit outside it, so the plan budget is only being charged for the funded part.
How the cost is paid: managed, plan-managed and self-managed
How a Short Term Respite arrangement is paid depends on how the participant's NDIS plan is managed. The cost itself does not change with management type; the path the invoice travels does.
The three management types in plain English
Agency-managed
The provider claims directly from the NDIA at the price guide rate. The participant does not see the invoice and does not pay anything out of pocket for the funded portion.
Plan-managed
A plan manager pays the provider's invoice from the participant's plan budget. The participant approves the invoice; the plan manager handles the NDIA claim. Provider rates can match or sit at the price guide rate.
Self-managed
The participant or their nominee pays the provider directly and claims back from the NDIA. They have the most flexibility, including paying providers who do not charge at the standard NDIA price, but they also carry the most admin.
The right management type for respite is the one already chosen for the rest of the plan. It is rarely worth changing management types just for a respite arrangement; if a change is genuinely useful, it is a conversation to have at a plan review, not in the middle of a booking.
How to estimate the cost for a planned arrangement
A rough cost estimate for a planned Short Term Respite arrangement is something a participant, family member or support coordinator can do in a few minutes once the variables are pinned down.
A simple way to model the cost
This is the same shape any reasonable provider quote should follow.
Pin down the support hours
How many hours of support each day, and over how many days. Be specific about overnight versus active support, because they may not be priced the same.
Confirm the support ratio
1:1, 1:2 or 1:3. This decides which line item the hours are billed against.
Map hours to rate bands
Which hours fall on weekday daytime, weekday evening, overnight, weekend or public holiday rates. The split matters.
Add accommodation, where it applies
Number of nights at the standard accommodation rate that matches the setting.
Sense-check against the plan budget
Add the totals up and check the participant's Core budget can absorb it without stranding other supports.
If the arrangement is being shaped through Noon Care, our team can walk through the same steps with you and produce a written quote against the current Pricing Arrangements before anything is booked.
Where current rates live, and why we do not quote dollar figures here
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits are updated each financial year. Quoting specific dollar amounts in an article like this would mean those numbers are out of date as soon as the next update lands, which is usually 1 July.
The current rates are published openly on the NDIS website and the document is updated in plain language with effective dates for any changes. Any provider claiming a current rate should be claiming against that document, and a quote should be readable against it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a flat daily rate for Short Term Respite under the NDIS?
No. The NDIS Pricing Arrangements price Short Term Respite against support hours and, where it applies, accommodation. The total for a given arrangement depends on the support ratio, the time of day, the day of the week, and whether accommodation is part of the arrangement.
Why does the same arrangement cost different amounts on weekdays and weekends?
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements use different price limits for different rate bands. Weekday daytime is the lowest. Weekday evening, overnight, weekends and public holidays each step up. Same hours, different days, different totals.
Does Short Term Respite cost include meals, activities or transport?
Generally no. Food for individual settings, activity costs and transport are not NDIS-funded under Short Term Respite. Group or centre-based respite settings sometimes bundle meals into the arrangement, but it is fair to ask for a breakdown of what is funded under the NDIS and what is paid privately.
Can a provider charge above the NDIS price guide for Short Term Respite?
Agency-managed plans and plan-managed plans pay the price guide rate. Self-managed participants have more flexibility and can choose to pay above the standard rate, but they take on the cost difference themselves. For most arrangements, sticking to the price guide rate is the path of least friction.
How does support ratio change what we pay for Short Term Respite?
Support ratio sets which line item the hours are billed against. A 1:1 arrangement is priced higher per participant than a 1:2 or 1:3 arrangement, because the worker is dedicated to one participant. The right ratio is the one that mirrors the participant's usual level of care, not the one that produces the lowest invoice.
Can we self-fund part of a respite arrangement to top it up?
Yes. Families sometimes self-fund items that sit outside NDIS funding, such as activity costs, meals in individual settings, or extra services not in the plan. The NDIS-funded portion still needs to be priced against the Pricing Arrangements; the self-funded portion is private and sits outside the plan.
Want a written cost estimate for a Short Term Respite arrangement?
Tell us the rough shape of what you are planning, hours, days, support ratio and whether accommodation is part of it, and our team will walk through a written quote against the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements before anything is booked.
Talk to Noon Care