In-home respite care brings a support worker into the participant's own home so the usual carer can step away for a few hours or longer without anyone leaving. The person stays in familiar surroundings while their routine, personal care and supervision continue, funded through everyday Core supports rather than an overnight accommodation stay.
The defining feature is setting: support comes to the home rather than the person going to a facility. The participant keeps their bed, routines and surroundings, which suits people who find new environments unsettling or who have equipment that is hard to move.
Because nobody relocates, in-home respite tends to be more granular than an overnight stay. It can be a regular two-hour block each week, a full day, or evening cover, shaped around when the carer most needs time off.
The worker maintains the person’s normal day: personal care, meal preparation, supervision, medication prompts where appropriate, and company or activities. The aim is continuity, so the carer can genuinely switch off knowing the routine is being kept rather than paused.
Rather than the bundled accommodation rate used for short-term stays, in-home respite is usually delivered as ordinary assistance with daily life or community participation from the Core budget. You pay for the worker’s time at the relevant support rate.
The NDIS sets maximum hourly prices that change by day and time, such as weekday, evening, weekend and public holiday, and by region. These caps are updated annually on 1 July, so use the current price guide to understand what applies.
It works well when leaving home is impractical, when the person prefers familiar surroundings, or when the carer needs flexible, recurring breaks rather than the occasional overnight stay. Some families combine both, using regular in-home cover for weekly relief and short-term accommodation for longer trips.
See how in-home respite keeps routines steady while giving carers regular time off.
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