Individualised Living Options - Care Assure

NDIS: Individualised Living Option (ILO) is not the home itself!

May 17, 2025

|By Careassure

|4 min read

What is an Individualised Living Option (ILO)?
Are you eligible for ILO support?
How does the NDIS decide on providing you with ILO support?
What are the types of ILO support?

What is an Individualised Living Option (ILO)?

An Individualised Living Option (ILO) is a form of NDIS support that lets you choose the type of home, you want to live in.

This includes the best-suited supports for an NDIS participant. Based on your personal circumstances and situation, NDIS decides if an ILO is the best option for the participant. However, ILO is completely separate from Supported Independent Living (SIL) or Respite care.

Having an ILO in your plan will support participants to work out their living goals:

How do they want to live?
Where do they want to live?
Who do they want to live with?
What kind of supports do they want, that includes the provider?

In short, an ILO is a package of supports, provided by the NDIS to help participants live the way they want to, in the home environment chosen by them (but it does not include the home itself).

Are you eligible for ILO support?

NDIS encourages participants to complete a “Home and Living Support” application, if they have a goal related to home and living, that cannot be met through other forms of support (such as community, informal, related or mainstream supports).

Please note, this application is not an assessment or report. The reason behind completing this form is to determine an individual’s current circumstances (including living situation), barriers, strengths and other requirements.

Your form of support must be related to the disability of a participant. Also, should not include day-to-day living costs that do not associate with your disability support.
Your eligibility for support is also determined by the value of money.
Be likely to work and be effective for the participant.
Other forms of supports are also taken into consideration such as family, carer, or other kinds of support.
Also, represents the value of money.

"If an NDIS participant, would like to consider or explore ILO support. The NDIS will use the information provided by you to consider ILO as an option. For example, a participant may only need a few hours of personal care as compared to an Individualised Living Option."

How does the NDIS decide on providing you with ILO support?

If an ILO is a right option for you, it is considered by the NDIS in two stages:

Stage One: Exploration and Design

In this initial stage, the focus is on determining whether the Individualised Living Option (ILO) aligns with your disability and support needs to live as independently as possible. Key considerations include:

Assessing if the support meets NDIS eligibility criteria as reasonable and necessary
Ensuring the support enables maximum independence
Evaluating if the support is likely to be beneficial and effective for the participant

Once these factors are confirmed, you can proceed to apply for ILO.

Stage Two: ILO Support

This stage involves confirming your eligibility for ILO support based on the information provided. The NDIS reviews your “Home and Living Support” application along with any other relevant details to determine if you qualify for ILO assistance.

What are the types of ILO support?

There are three levels of ILO support by NDIS. Each level determines, the extent of support an individual need based on their circumstances, and the eligibility criteria of reasonable and necessary support.

Level 1 Support ILO includes:

Primary support involves sharing a home with an individual that provides some form of direct support or companionship. For example, physical assistance with daily or personal care, household tasks including emotional and behavioural support.
Supplementary support includes call support, formalised support from a neighbour, or a regular time with family.
A stable and mature arrangement (that includes monitoring and limited re-design).