At My Plan Manager, we get lots of questions about Short Term Accommodation (STA) for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants – what it is, how to access it, and when you can and can’t use it. Here’s our NDIS STA guide to help explain what it's all about.
Short Term Accommodation, also known as STA, is accommodation at a different place to your usual home and is typically provided in a centre or group residence. You can access STA funding (in the right circumstances) for up to 14 days at a time, for a total of 28 days per year.
STA can be used to build your independence (e.g. develop new skills) or strengthen your informal supports by offering you and them respite – the opportunity to take a break, with the aim of maintaining your current living arrangements.
In this article we cover:
Despite the name, Short Term Accommodation isn’t just about the accommodation, it also involves the support you receive while staying there. STA inclusions can cover:
The activities will vary depending on your STA provider and your agreements, so it's important to check that out before booking.
There are many reasons someone on the NDIS might want to access Short Term Accommodation.
A common reason to access STA is to provide respite to someone who lives with informal supports (like a family member). Respite care means everyone gets a break, which helps to sustain the informal supports (while ensuring day-to-day needs are still being met).
STA is also great for supporting someone who wants to build their independence by taking time away from their usual support network to work on their skills in a new environment.
Sometimes you might need to travel to attend essential appointments for medical treatment, therapies related to your disability or other care needs. In some circumstances, the NDIS will fund STA to help you attend these appointments.
If you believe your disability means you require non-traditional Short Term Accommodation (from a provider offering individual support), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will need evidence to support your request before funding can be approved (in writing).
Importantly, STA isn’t a ‘holiday’ – and that means you can’t use your NDIS funding for things like cruises, holiday packages, hotels, airfares, passports, visas, or excursions, activities, and experiences.
It’s important to understand when the NDIS can and can't fund Short Term Accommodation.
Short Term Accommodation is usually funded under the NDIS Core Supports budget.
STA can be stated in your NDIS plan, but if it isn’t and you have enough funding available in your Core Supports budget to ensure your approved supports aren’t affected, you might be able to use this funding for STA.
There are standard rates for STA in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Again, the NDIS can fund up to 28 days of STA per calendar year, which can be used flexibly – but you can’t claim more than 14 days in a row. If you want to access more than that, you’ll need approval from the NDIA.
There are lots of specialised providers of Short Term Accommodation and the services and supports they offer can be very different, so it’s important you take your time to research what’s available and which providers meet your support needs.
If you have a plan manager, you can use non-registered STA providers, but often these options don’t deliver the value you’re after because they don’t include supports – meaning you’ll need to pay extra for those. Be sure you take this into account when you’re comparing prices.
The best and easiest way to use your NDIS funding for STA is with a specialist provider that provides all your accommodation, personal care, meals, and activities. However, you can claim these items separately for the period you’re staying in STA (so, you can source them from more than one provider) if they’re within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
Accommodation for support workers can also be covered under STA, but you can't claim accommodation for your informal supports.
STA is not intended for holidays and accessing it with NDIS funding means it must relate to your disability. If you believe the support will help you to achieve your goals, it’s a good idea to have some supporting information that backs that up, just in case you need to show the NDIA why you spent your funds that way.
If you’re not sure what’s funded under Short Term Accommodation in the NDIS, or if you want to know if you can access STA, just ask us. You can email us at enquiries@myplanmanager.com.au or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-5.30pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
You can find more information about STA here.
Updated 10 September 2025
