At a 1:2 ratio, one staff member serves two people, and each person is billed on their own claim line at the 1:2 rate. Personal Supports can be billed by the quarter hour or, when the person needs more than 8 hours that day, at the day rate. Companion (Life Skills Development 1) has no day rate; it's quarter hours only. The two services can't overlap for the same person, and every person gets their own log for each service.
The rules for each service on its own are in our Personal Supports guide and Companion guide. This page puts them together for a shared day.
Personal Supports and Companion side by side
| Personal Supports | Companion (LSD 1) | |
|---|---|---|
| Codes | S5130UC (quarter hour), S5130UCSC (day) | S5135UC (quarter hour) |
| Units | Quarter hours (up to 96 a day), or the day rate | Quarter hours only, up to 64 a day |
| Day rate | Yes, when more than 8 hours are needed that day | No |
| When 1:2 is allowed | In the community; 1:1 in the family home | 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3, as authorized |
| Group size | Never more than three, or the authorization | Never more than three, or the authorization |
| Weekly cap | None beyond the authorization | 56 hours of all Life Skills Development combined |
| Notes | A service log per person, per date | A service log per person, per date, per ratio; never duplicated |
How a 1:2 ratio is billed
There is no group claim. Each person has their own authorization, and you bill each one separately, for their own units, at the 1:2 rate. If two people spend the same three hours with one staff member, each person's claim shows 12 quarter hours at the 1:2 rate. The 1:2 rate is lower per person than 1:1 because one staff member is serving both.
The ratio has to match the authorization. If a person is authorized at 1:1, billing them at 1:2 (or the other way around) is a billing discrepancy, and so is a group bigger than the authorization allows. Neither service ever goes above three people per staff member.
For Personal Supports, there's one more limit: in the family home it's 1:1 only. A 1:2 Personal Supports group happens during community activities.
When the Personal Supports day rate applies
The day rate (S5130UCSC) is for a day when the person needs more than 8 hours of Personal Supports and it's the more cost-effective choice. At 1:2, each person is billed one day unit at the 1:2 day rate, on their own claim line. Qlarant flags a day rate billed on 32 or fewer documented quarter hours, so the log has to show more than 8 hours that day. Up to 24 quarter hours above the day rate are possible only with APD approval, for intense behavior needs, recovery from a medical condition, or total physical assistance.
On a day with 8 hours or less of Personal Supports, bill quarter hours instead. Companion is always quarter hours: there's no Companion day rate to choose.
Keeping the two services apart
The iBudget Handbook doesn't allow billing two services for the same person at the same time unless APD authorizes it. Personal Supports and Supported Employment are one of the few pairs that may overlap; Personal Supports and Companion are not. So on a day with both:
- End one service before the next one starts, and record both sets of times.
- Write a separate log for each service, with that service's times and units only.
- Make the content match the service: Personal Supports is help and training with daily living and supervision; Companion is supervision and socialization in community activities tied to the person's goals.
- Check that the Companion hours still fit the 56-hour weekly cap for all Life Skills Development.
If a person needs Personal Supports at 1:1 for part of the day and 1:2 for another part, APD's rate table has separate codes for that, S5130UCHA (quarter hour) and S5130UCHO (day), allowed only when a person needs two or more ratios on the same day. They have to be on the authorization; ask the support coordinator before billing that way.
A worked 1:2 day
Maria and Kevin both live with their families in Orange County and are both authorized at 1:2 for Personal Supports and Companion with an agency provider. On Tuesday one staff member, Dana, is with both of them:
- 8:00 am – 12:30 pm, Personal Supports at 1:2, in the community: grocery shopping and a pharmacy pickup, with help planning lunches for the week. 4.5 hours is 18 quarter hours each.
- 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Companion at 1:2: a community class at the library that both chose. 3 hours is 12 quarter hours each.
With the July 2026 agency rates for non-geographical counties, each person's claim is 18 quarter hours of Personal Supports at $4.83 ($86.94) plus 12 quarter hours of Companion at $4.20 ($50.40). That's four claim lines in all: two for Maria, two for Kevin.
If the same pair had needed Personal Supports from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm instead (9 hours, 36 quarter hours), each would be billed one Personal Supports day unit at the 1:2 day rate ($153.08), and Companion could only start after 4:00 pm.
Writing the notes: one per person, per service
That Tuesday needs four logs: Personal Supports and Companion for Maria, and the same two for Kevin. Each one has the person, the staff member, the service, the ratio, the date, the time in and out, and a summary of what that person did, chose and worked on.
Two habits keep group logs safe. Don't name the other person; "with one peer" is enough and keeps each record private. And don't copy one person's note into the other's. Routine daily care can read alike from day to day in Personal Supports, but Qlarant fails Companion logs that repeat, and both people's goals are different anyway.
- Person
- Maria S.
- Staff
- Dana R.
- Date and time
- Tue, 8:00 am – 12:30 pm
- Service and ratio
- Personal Supports, 1:2
Maria made her grocery list with one prompt and chose three lunches for the week. At the store she found four of six items on her own and asked an employee for the rest. She paid with her debit card and needed help reading the receipt total. At the pharmacy she gave her name and birth date at the counter herself. Worked on her support plan goal of shopping with less help. No health or safety concerns.
- Person
- Maria S.
- Staff
- Dana R.
- Date and time
- Tue, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
- Service and ratio
- Life Skills Development 1 (Companion), 1:2
Maria chose the library's watercolor class over the park, with one peer. She introduced herself to the instructor and asked where to sit. She finished one painting and asked another student about classes next month. Worked on her goal of meeting new people in her community. She said she wants to sign up for the next class.
- Person
- Kevin T.
- Staff
- Dana R.
- Date and time
- Tue, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
- Service and ratio
- Life Skills Development 1 (Companion), 1:2
Kevin chose to join the watercolor class, with one peer. He was quiet for the first half hour, then asked Dana to help him mix green. He stayed for the full class, a first since starting Companion. Worked on his goal of staying in a group activity from start to finish. He used his breathing strategy once when the room got loud.
Same class, same staff, same times, and two notes that couldn't be swapped. More on what each log needs in service log vs. progress note.
Before you bill a 1:2 day
- Each person's authorization lists the service at the ratio you billed (1:2), solo or agency, and the right region
- Each person is on their own claim line, at the 1:2 rate, with their own units
- Personal Supports and Companion times don't overlap for the same person
- A Personal Supports day rate has more than 8 hours documented that day (33 or more quarter hours)
- Companion is in quarter hours only, 64 a day at most, inside the 56-hour weekly cap
- There's one log per person for each service and ratio that day, with matching times and units
- No log names the other person in the group or copies the other person's note
July 2026 rates
The 1:2 rows are the ones that apply here. The full table, searchable by region and ratio, is in our iBudget rate table.
| Ratio | Palm Beach, Broward, Dade solo / agency | All other counties solo / agency | Monroe solo / agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | $5.31 / $5.69 | $5.31 / $5.69 | $5.31 / $5.69 |
| 1:2 | $3.33 / $4.44 | $3.27 / $4.20 | $3.94 / $5.22 |
| 1:3 | $2.77 / $3.67 | $2.71 / $3.50 | $3.27 / $4.34 |
| Ratio | Palm Beach, Broward, Dade solo / agency | All other counties solo / agency | Monroe solo / agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | $5.75 / $6.13 | $5.75 / $6.13 | $5.75 / $6.85 |
| 1:2 | $4.00 / $4.98 | $3.96 / $4.83 | $4.36 / $5.37 |
| 1:3 | $3.45 / $4.29 | $3.42 / $4.19 | $3.79 / $4.68 |
| Ratio | Palm Beach, Broward, Dade solo / agency | All other counties solo / agency | Monroe solo / agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | $187.08 / $199.34 | $187.08 / $199.34 | $196.11 / $225.55 |
| 1:2 | $126.87 / $157.69 | $125.23 / $153.08 | $144.21 / $173.16 |
| 1:3 | $109.31 / $136.08 | $107.93 / $132.11 | $124.32 / $149.44 |
APD iBudget rates effective July 1, 2026. Every service and region is in the searchable rate table.
In Waiversoft, staff clock in and out of each service separately and write each person's note right after the visit, and notes that repeat earlier ones are flagged for review. Billing counts each person's units from the real clock times. For how claims come together, see our iBudget billing guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a day rate for Companion?
No. Life Skills Development 1 (Companion) is billed only in quarter hours, up to 64 a day, at the 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3 rate. Personal Supports is the service with a day rate (S5130UCSC), used when the person needs more than 8 hours of Personal Supports in a day.
At a 1:2 ratio, do I bill once for the pair or once per person?
Once per person. Each person has their own authorization and their own claim line, billed at the 1:2 rate for their own units. The lower per-person 1:2 rate is how APD accounts for one staff member serving two people.
Can I bill Personal Supports and Companion for the same person on the same day?
Yes, if both are on the person's authorization and the times don't overlap. The iBudget Handbook bars billing two services for the same person at the same time unless APD authorizes it, so end one service before the next begins and document each with its own times.
What if the person has 1:1 Personal Supports in the morning and 1:2 in the afternoon?
APD's rate table has separate Personal Supports codes for that: S5130UCHA (quarter hour) and S5130UCHO (day), allowed only when a person needs two or more ratios on the same day, at a negotiated rate. The person's authorization has to include them; check with the support coordinator before billing that way.
Should one note cover both people in a 1:2 group?
No. Each person gets their own service log for each service, written about what that person did and how it went. Don't name the other person; write 'with one peer'. Two Companion logs that read the same fail Qlarant's review.