NDIS Registration for SIL Providers (Updated July 2026)

If you deliver Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports, the transition to mandatory registration is well underway.

Since I first wrote this article in early 2026, the NDIS Commission has published detailed transition arrangements, a formal definition of SIL, and specific pathways for providers depending on their current registration status, which I’ll work through below.

I’ll keep updating this article as things develop, but here’s where things stand as of July 2026.

Much of the information explored below can be found on the Commission’s website here.

What’s been confirmed

In December 2025, the Australian Government confirmed that mandatory registration for SIL providers (as well as platform providers) will begin from 1 July 2026. The NDIS Commission has now published the operational detail behind that announcement.

From 1 July 2026, a new registration group 0138 Assistance with Supported Independent Living takes effect, along with a new SIL-specific supplementary module of the NDIS Practice Standards. All currently registered SIL providers will need to comply with these new standards from that date, and will be audited against them at their next audit (whether that’s a mid-term or renewal audit).

Multiple independent reviews, including from the Disability Royal Commission, the NDIS Review, and the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce, have identified significant quality and safety issues for participants in SIL settings, and the Commission’s Own Motion Inquiry into supported accommodation found that 85% of all reportable incidents occurred in group home settings.

How SIL is now defined

The Commission has published a formal definition of supported independent living which will determine whether you fall within this definition and whether you require registration.

Under the definition, SIL is a package of home and living support for people with higher support needs where:

the participant requires support at all times of the day, or for most of the day
the assistance helps the participant live in their home as autonomously as possible and access the community, by assisting with or supervising daily life tasks
the provider is managing and delivering the SIL supports, including making sure the participant receives home and living support in accordance with their package.

It is not SIL if:

the participant only receives a few hours of support a day or week, or
the participant chooses and manages their own support workers (including directing, planning, and rostering their own workers).

If you’re unsure whether what you deliver meets this definition, the full wording is now in the amended Provider Registration Rules. Worth checking the Rules directly against your specific service model if you’re in a grey area.

What mandatory registration means for you

All registered SIL providers will need to:

complete a Certification audit (not Verification)
comply with the Core Module of the NDIS Practice Standards
comply with the new SIL supplementary module
meet all other conditions of registration.

SIL is a higher-risk support category. The audit covers 22+ practice standards, involves mandatory site visits, participant and worker and management interviews, and file reviews. Registration is not a quick or cheap process.

Transition pathways

The Commission has published six transition pathways depending on your current registration status and when you plan to apply. The full pathways with downloadable maps are on the Commission’s mandatory registration page.

Already registered with 0115

If you’re currently registered for registration group 0115 (Assistance with Daily Life Tasks in a Group or Shared Living Arrangement), you don’t need to do anything to maintain your registration and the Commission will automatically update your certificate to include the new registration group 0138.

From 1 July 2026, you must comply with the new SIL supplementary module, and you’ll be audited against it at your next audit (mid-term or renewal). You can continue delivering SIL throughout.

Registered but without 0115, planning to deliver SIL

If you’re a registered provider who doesn’t currently hold 0115 but wants to start delivering SIL, you’ll need to apply for a variation of registration. If you apply before 1 July 2026, the application will reference 0115. If you apply after 1 July, it will reference the new 0138 group.

You’ll likely receive a scope of audit and need to engage an Approved Quality Auditor. Whether the audit includes the new SIL supplementary module depends on timing, as audits before 1 July 2026 won’t include it, audits after will. If you’re audited before 1 July, the Commission may place conditions on your registration requiring additional audits against the new standards later.

If the variation isn’t approved, you cannot deliver SIL.

Unregistered, currently delivering SIL

If you’re currently delivering SIL without registration, you can continue delivering during the application process, but you must apply by 1 October 2026.

If you’ve already applied or apply before 1 July, your application will reference 0115 and you’ll receive a scope of audit. If you apply between 1 July and 1 October, your application will reference 0138 and the audit will include the new SIL supplementary module.

If you haven’t applied by 1 October 2026, you must stop delivering SIL. Providing SIL without registration from 1 July 2026 onwards holds a maximum penalty is 2 years’ imprisonment, a fine of 120 penalty units, or both. The transition arrangements protect providers who are actively going through the process, but they don’t protect providers who haven’t started.

New providers or unregistered providers planning to deliver SIL in future

If you’re not currently delivering SIL but plan to, and you apply before 1 July 2026, you should apply for 0115, receive a scope of audit, complete the process.

If you apply after 1 July 2026, you apply for 0138 and the audit will include the new SIL supplementary module. You cannot deliver SIL until your application is approved. There is no grace period for new entrants, and the ability to continue delivering during the application process only applies to providers who were already delivering SIL before 1 July 2026 and applied by 1 October.

What the audit will cover

SIL providers are assessed against the Core Module of the NDIS Practice Standards, which covers rights and responsibilities, provider governance and operational management, provision of supports, and the provision of supports environment.

From 1 July 2026, they’re also audited against the new SIL supplementary module. The final standards cover four areas: Supported Decision-Making, Safeguarding, Practice Governance, and Agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements.

Audit costs and timing

Certification audits are not cheap. Most SIL providers will have participants, staff, and potentially multiple sites, all of which increase audit duration and cost under the legislated sampling methodology. A small SIL provider with a handful of participants and staff and a single site should budget a minimum of $7k to $10k for a Certification audit, and larger providers should expect significantly more.

The Commission doesn’t set audit prices and can’t control auditor availability, and I strongly recommend getting quotes from multiple Approved Quality Auditors early, before demand starts to spike. The 1 October 2026 deadline for unregistered providers will create a predictable surge in demand.

What you should do right now

If you’re already registered with 0115: Focus on understanding the new SIL supplementary module and reviewing your systems against it before your next audit. The Commission will update your certificate automatically.

If you’re registered without 0115 and want to deliver SIL: Apply for a variation. Consider whether applying before or after 1 July 2026 makes more sense for your situation, applying before means a simpler initial audit but potential conditions requiring further assessment later, while applying after means the audit covers the new standards from the start.

If you’re unregistered and currently delivering SIL: Apply for registration before 1 October 2026. This is the deadline that matters. If you apply by this date, you can continue delivering while your application is processed. If you don’t, you must stop. Contact Approved Quality Auditors now for quotes and availability.

If you’re planning to deliver SIL in future and aren’t currently: Understand that you cannot start delivering SIL until your registration is approved if you apply after 1 July 2026. Factor in six to twelve months from starting preparation to holding a Certificate of Registration, and plan your timeline accordingly.

The bigger picture

Mandatory registration for SIL is a significant reform, and the transition arrangements are now concrete enough to act on. The evidence of harm in unregulated SIL settings is not theoretical and has been documented across multiple national inquiries. Participants in SIL arrangements are among the most vulnerable people in the NDIS, and the case for consistent minimum standards and independent oversight is strong. This will be a big change to a lot of providers, but good for the sector overall.

This article reflects information available as of 3 July 2026. The new SIL supplementary module of the NDIS Practice Standards took effect 1 July 2026.