If you’ve been searching for “Short Term Accommodation (STA)” lately, you may have noticed the NDIS has started calling it something else. In October 2025, the NDIA confirmed a new name for Short Term Accommodation. It is now called Short Term Respite (STR). The NDIA also updated the guideline. The update aims to make the support easier to understand and use correctly.
For Brisbane participants, families and support workers, this is more than a simple name change. The updated wording puts a stronger spotlight on the real purpose of the support: time apart from your primary informal supports (usually family or friends who provide significant unpaid day-to-day disability support), with an overnight stay.
What is Short Term Respite (STR) and how is it different to STA?
Under the updated guideline, Short Term Respite (STR) is support. It lets you spend at least one night away from your primary informal supports. Someone else supports you during that time. Your informal supports can then take a short break. This helps sustain usual support arrangements.
This language shift matters. STR is framed less as a “getaway”. It is framed more as a structured support arrangement. The aim is to maintain wellbeing and sustainability for your informal supports. The guideline also notes that STR is only one option for time apart. The NDIA will often consider other supports first. These may include personal care at home or a support worker for community activities.
The key limits in the 2025–2026 STR guideline
The updated guideline and NDIS information for carers align on the general STR limits:
• Up to 14 days at a time
• Up to 28 days per year (for most eligible participants)
In practice, many Brisbane participants will still see STR written into their plan in a way that reflects these caps, unless there are exceptional circumstances and the NDIA decides otherwise.
Who is STR intended for?
The 2025 guideline makes eligibility expectations clearer. To fund STR, the NDIA says it needs to know you:
• live with (or receive daily drop-in support from) your primary informal supports, and
• receive more than 6 hours per day of disability-related support from those primary informal supports on a long-term basis.
The guideline also lists situations where STR is usually not funded. This includes people who live independently without drop-in supports (because they already have time apart from informal supports). They already spend time apart from informal supports. It also includes people who receive more than 18 hours of paid in-home support each day. STR also does not cover day-to-day living costs, such as rent or utilities.
What can STR funding pay for?
The guideline provides more specific examples of what STR may include. It can include standard accommodation with basic amenities. Examples include a hotel, motel, cabin, cottage, hostel, short-stay rental, or respite accommodation. It must not include “extras” that make it look like a
It can also include the disability supports you need to do everyday activities while you’re away, such as getting ready for the day, eating and drinking, and household tasks — essentially, the kinds of supports your primary informal supports would normally provide.
There are also clear boundaries:
• STR does not fund holidays. You cannot use it for holiday accommodation or airfares. This includes interstate and overseas holiday travel.
• You can’t use STR funding to go on a cruise or a tour.
• The NDIA indicates it will fund the support you need to participate, but generally won’t fund the activities themselves.
For Brisbane participants, this framing may help. STR funding replaces disability-related support from informal supports. It does not pay for entertainment, tourism, or general lifestyle costs.
Location expectations and “keeping it reasonable”
The guideline notes the NDIA generally expects STR stays to occur within your home state or territory, because the purpose is to sustain usual arrangements rather than facilitate travel. It does allow for exceptions in remote or very remote areas, or border towns, where the closest suitable option may be across a border.
In Brisbane and wider South East Queensland, this usually means STR is expected to be accessible locally (or at least within Queensland), with accommodation that suits your accessibility needs and support requirements.
How STR funding levels are worked out
A standout change in the guideline is its clearer funding logic. The NDIA says it funds STR based on your usual support needs. This includes whether you can share supports or need 1:1 support.
So, if you usually receive shared support during the day (for example, in a group setting) but require individual support at home, the NDIA says STR should reflect that same pattern. The guideline also says decision-making considers evidence such as assessments and reports from providers and allied health professionals describing when and how often you need support.
STR, high intensity supports, and safety
If you need high-intensity supports or support related to complex behaviours during STR, the guideline states that appropriately trained workers must deliver these supports and suggests that you discuss the arrangements with your NDIS contact or use existing support providers where appropriate.
This is especially relevant if your STR is being used to sustain an informal care arrangement that includes high-support needs. Planning early helps reduce last-minute service gaps.
How this affects Brisbane participants and providers in 2025–2026
In short: the new guideline aims to reduce confusion and tighten alignment to the support’s intent. “Short Term Respite” makes the purpose clearer. The guideline also sets firmer expectations. It explains eligibility, caps, claim limits, and what STR does not cover.
If your plan still uses the term STA (or your providers do), you’re not behind — the sector will likely use both terms for a while. But for compliance and planning conversations, it’s worth using the current wording: Short Term Respite (STR).
Conclusion
If you’re in Brisbane and want support that aligns with the updated STR guidance, Hope & Care Community Services provides Short Term / Medium Term Accommodation and related disability supports across its Brisbane service footprint, alongside supports like Support Coordination, Plan Management, allied health and in-home supports.
Want to learn more? Read other articles :
- Redefine Independence your own way – with HCCS
- SIL / SDA Properties
- A Comprehensive Guide to STA under the NDIS
HCCS is a registered NDIS provider. Learn more about our services.
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