Who Pays for SDA Homes? SDA Pricing, Building Types and Enrolment Changes Explained (2026-27)
Investors and providers fund the construction of Specialist Disability Accommodation. Once the dwelling is enrolled, the NDIS pays an SDA amount for each eligible participant, and the participant pays a Reasonable Rent Contribution. The building type you enrol fixes the price row in the 2026-27 Pricing Arrangements and is difficult to change later. Here is how the amount is built, why a strata duplex is not a house under the SDA Rules, and what changing your mind after enrolment actually involves.
This page is general information only. It is not financial, legal or NDIA advice. Figures are taken from the NDIS Pricing Arrangements for Specialist Disability Accommodation 2026-27. Talk to an independent SDA assessor before design-stage certification locks in the building type.
The short answer
The investor or developer pays for the build. After the home is complete and enrolled by a registered SDA provider, the NDIA pays SDA funding for each eligible NDIS participant living there. The participant also pays a Reasonable Rent Contribution. The building type, resident count, design category, onsite overnight assistance, breakout room, sprinklers, GST treatment, build vintage and location factor all set the maximum annual base price per participant. Changing the building type later requires notice within five business days and a modification that the NDIA treats as a new application.
Who pays for what
Capital comes from the investor or developer. A registered SDA provider (registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission) enrols the dwelling and manages the tenancy. The NDIA pays the SDA amount for each eligible participant who has extreme functional impairment and/or very high support needs. The participant pays the Reasonable Rent Contribution. Supported Independent Living and other supports are funded separately and are not SDA.
Registration with the NDIS Commission comes first. SDA funding does not pay for construction.
How the SDA amount is calculated (2026-27)
The NDIS Pricing Arrangements for Specialist Disability Accommodation 2026-27 (version 1.0, valid from 1 July 2026) set the appropriate maximum annual base price per participant. The variables are:
| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
| Building type and resident count | House, villa/duplex/townhouse, apartment or group home; 1, 2 or 3 residents |
| Design category | Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust, Robust with Breakout Room, High Physical Support |
| Onsite Overnight Assistance (OOA) | Adds a price step where provided |
| Breakout room | Applies to Robust |
| Sprinklers | Separate tables |
| GST treatment and build vintage | Post-2023 new builds, pre-2023 new builds, existing or legacy stock |
| Location factor | Appendix E (new builds) or Appendix F (existing and legacy) |
Appendix A Tables 5–12 give the post-2023 new-build prices. For example, Table 5 (post-2023 new builds, no sprinklers, GST not paid or input tax credits claimed, without OOA) lists a House, 2 bedrooms, 2 SDA eligible residents at $67,791 for Improved Liveability and $77,083 for Robust. A Villa/Duplex/Townhouse, 1 bedroom, 1 resident is listed at $58,894 for Improved Liveability. Always use the current table and row for the exact configuration. The SDA price calculator (XLSX on the NDIS site) helps estimate expected annual income. Benchmark amounts were indexed 4.60 percent from 1 July 2026 in line with CPI, as recommended in the NDIA advice on 2026-27 price limits.
The Recommended Maximum Reasonable Rent Contribution for 20 March to 19 September 2026 was $516.11 a fortnight for a single person and $327.05 each for a member of a couple (Table 2). Check the period current on the day you enrol.
House or villa/duplex? The Schedule 1 test
Schedule 1 of the NDIS (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Rules 2020 sets the building types. A villa, duplex or townhouse has three or fewer residents, is a semi-attached property within a single land title or strata titled area, is separated by a fire-resistant wall (not required for existing stock), has a separate and reasonably accessible entry, and does not allow residents to travel internally between dwellings (support staff only may have restricted access). A house is a low-rise dwelling on a clearly separate land area and has no shared wall, roof, entry area, driveway, carpark or outdoor area with any other dwelling, other than an ancillary villa, townhouse or duplex with no more than one resident.
Two dwellings that share a wall and sit on a two-lot strata plan have the features Schedule 1 gives a villa or duplex. Planning one building type for council and another for NDIA enrolment creates a mismatch the NDIA can test against Schedule 1 and the density-restriction question on the enrolment application. Decide the building type and the subdivision together, before design-stage certification.
For the NCC classification of the same building, see SDA building types and NCC classification.
Changing building type, subdividing or selling after enrolment
Under section 29 of the SDA Rules, the provider must notify the CEO in writing within five business days of a change, or circumstances likely to change, the SDA design category or SDA building type. A modification lodged through the my NDIS provider portal is treated as a new enrolment application. All evidence requirements apply again, including SDA Design Standard final as-built certification that matches the new building type. Addresses cannot be modified in the portal.
If the dwelling is sold and the provider changes, the outgoing provider cancels the enrolment and the incoming provider submits a new application. The NDIA treats it as a new application even if the home was enrolled before. Design-stage certification and the design-stage register do not guarantee the building type or design category that will be enrolled. The NDIA decides after the home is complete.
When the building type or category changes, the assessor re-checks separate entries, the fire-resistant wall, the absence of resident internal travel, and the location of any OOA room. No fixed re-certification fee is published here.
Decide before design-stage certification: a checklist
- Target building type under Schedule 1
- Resident count
- Design category (link to the relevant category pages below)
- OOA, breakout room and sprinklers
- Subdivision and title plan matched to the building type
- Exit plan if one side is sold or the provider changes
Category pages: Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust, High Physical Support. The Design Standard review is covered on SDA Design Standard review.
How Sydney Access Consultants helps
Sydney Access Consultants is an NDIS-listed SDA assessor practice. Gary Finn holds assessor number SDA00039. We review building type and design category early, provide design-stage and as-built certification, and re-certify when a dwelling is modified. See SDA certification and SDA architectural documentation.
Call (02) 9586 3111 before design-stage certification. Work is based in Hurstville, with a focus on Cronulla, the Sutherland Shire and Georges River. On the Mid North Coast, Sandy Grey works from Black Beach.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays to build an SDA home?
The investor or provider funds the construction. The NDIS does not pay for the build. Once the dwelling is enrolled, the registered SDA provider receives SDA funding for each eligible NDIS participant living there, at an amount set by the NDIS Pricing Arrangements for Specialist Disability Accommodation. The participant also pays a Reasonable Rent Contribution, capped at $516.11 a fortnight for a single person for 20 March to 19 September 2026. Support services such as SIL are funded separately.
Can a strata-subdivided duplex be enrolled as an SDA house?
It is unlikely to fit. Under Schedule 1 of the NDIS SDA Rules 2020, an SDA house cannot share a wall, roof, entry, driveway, carpark or outdoor area with another dwelling, apart from one small ancillary dwelling. A villa or duplex is a semi-attached dwelling within a single title or strata area, separated by a fire-resistant wall. Two strata lots that share a wall have the features of a villa or duplex, so plan the building type and the subdivision together, before design-stage certification.
What happens if I change an SDA dwelling's building type after enrolment?
The SDA provider must tell the NDIA in writing within 5 business days of a change, or a likely change, to the building type or design category. The change is then lodged through the my NDIS provider portal as a modification. The NDIA treats that as a new enrolment application, so all the evidence requirements apply again, including SDA as-built certification for the new configuration. If the dwelling is sold to a different provider, the old enrolment is cancelled and the new provider applies from scratch.