SIL registration in 2026: mandatory NDIS registration for supported independent living providers

What mandatory registration for SIL means

The Minister for the NDIS announced in December 2025 that SIL and NDIS digital platform providers must register from 1 July 2026, after reviews identified higher risks to participant safety and quality in these services. The Provider Registration Rules were amended to add a new class of support, 0138 Assistance with supported independent living, and the Commission's registration groups table now says you must be registered for 0138 to deliver SIL to any NDIS participant.

A registered SIL provider must:

• have certification audits
• meet the core module of the NDIS Practice Standards
• meet the SIL supplementary module (Module 5A)
• meet every other condition of registration, including worker screening and incident management.

Who counts as a SIL provider

The Commission summarises SIL as a package of home and living support for people with higher support needs. You are providing SIL to a participant if all of these apply:

• the person needs support at all times of the day, or for most of the day
• your support helps them live in their home as autonomously as possible and access the community, by assisting with or supervising daily life tasks
• you manage and deliver the package of supports.

It is not SIL if the person only receives a few hours of support a day or week, or chooses and manages their own workers, including directing, planning and rostering them. In most cases a participant, or a family member who is their authorised decision maker, managing their own workers does not need to register as a SIL provider, and SIL item numbers should not be claimed where SIL does not apply. A sole trader who delivers, manages and coordinates supports that meet the definition is a SIL provider. If you are unsure, read the full definition in the Rules rather than relying on the summary.

Transition arrangements: which pathway are you on?

The Commission published six transition pathways. The ones that matter most for existing providers:

The 1 October 2026 date has passed. An unregistered provider that had not lodged a valid application by then needs to stop delivering SIL, and cannot start again until the Commission approves a registration application.

The audit

SIL needs a certification audit by an approved quality auditor. It has two stages: a stage 1 desktop review of your documents and evidence, then a stage 2 onsite audit, which should happen within 3 months of stage 1. Expect site visits to your homes, worker and participant interviews, and a close look at staff files, incident records and behaviour support. Participants are included unless they choose to opt out, so tell them about the audit in an accessible way.

Each standard is rated from 3 (conforms with elements of best practice) to 0 (major non-conformity). A major non-conformity must be fixed within 3 months before registration can progress. Once registered, certification providers also have a mid-term audit, completed 18 months into the registration period, and registration is generally for 3 years.

The SIL supplementary module, briefly

The SIL Practice Standards have four standards: supported decision making, safeguarding, practice governance, and agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements. Together they ask you to show that residents direct their own lives, that the home is safe, that workers are trained and supervised in good practice, and that housing and support agreements are kept separate and fair. The Commission also publishes an evidence guide for providers and workers and reflective questions for participants. Our SIL home compliance checklist breaks each standard down with the house checks auditors look for.

What it costs and how long it takes

There is no fee to register with the NDIS Commission. You pay the approved quality auditor, and the Commission does not set audit prices: the cost depends on the size and scale of your organisation and how many participants you support. Get more than one quote. The Commission does not publish a standard processing time either; it depends on your size, the range of supports and their complexity. Once you start an application, you have 60 days to complete it or it is deleted.

Getting registered: step by step

1. Confirm SIL applies to what you deliver, using the definition in the Rules.
2. Check eligibility. You need an ABN and evidence you can deliver the supports.
3. Screen your people. Key personnel and workers in risk assessed roles need a valid NDIS worker screening clearance, and key personnel are assessed for suitability.
4. Run a gap analysis against the core module and the SIL module, and fix gaps before you apply. Policies must describe what you actually do.
5. Apply online. Since 12 October 2026 new applications go through the new NDIS Commission Portal, with a myID account. Submit Part 1, then Part 2, including a self-assessment with evidence. See apply for registration.
6. Engage an approved quality auditor using the initial scope of audit you receive, and complete both audit stages.
7. Respond to the Commission during its review of the audit and your suitability.
8. Receive your certificate, check your registration groups and conditions, and make sure every worker has completed the Worker Orientation Module.

A word on consultants: the Commission expects you to be substantially involved in your application and able to explain it. Copied or generic purchased content can lead to refusal or an extra audit condition.

What happens if you do not register

If you deliver SIL and did not apply, you must stop providing SIL. The Commission states that delivering SIL without registration on or after 1 July 2026 may breach the NDIS Act, with a maximum penalty of 2 years' imprisonment, 120 penalty units, or both. If you stop, follow the Commission's stopping the services you provide steps: tell the NDIA at provider.support@ndis.gov.au, make a transition plan, give each resident accessible notice of their options, and support them to move to the provider they choose. The Code of Conduct still applies throughout.

Train your team

Registration is won or lost on whether your systems work in practice. These courses get your leaders and workers ready for audit:

90 min

Home and Living

Setting Up a SIL Home

A complete, practical guide to getting a supported independent living home ready before anyone moves in. This course explains what counts as SIL under the 2026 rules, mandatory registration and the four SIL Practice Standards, and how tenancy and support agreements must be kept separate. It then works through the house itself: smoke alarms, fire blankets and extinguishers, evacuation planning, test and tag, safety switches, hot water, gas and accessibility. You will learn which registers, logs and folders to set up, from the hazardous chemicals register and safety data sheets to fridge temperature logs, and exactly what should and should not go on the walls in a person's home. A move in case study brings it together. Duration: 90 minutes.

15 lessons · 6 scenarios$55

90 min

Home and Living

Operating a SIL Home

Everything that keeps a supported independent living home safe, compliant and genuinely homely, shift after shift. This course covers working in a person's home, active support, handovers and records, and keeping housemates safe with each other. It works through every routine check: fridge and freezer temperatures and what to do when they are out of range, smoke alarms, fire equipment and evacuation drills, test and tag and electrical hazards. You will learn safe food handling and leftovers, mealtimes and choice, hazardous chemicals and safety data sheets, cleaning and infection control, medication, residents' money, maintenance, vehicles, emergencies, incidents and reportable incidents, and keeping notices current. Case studies bring it together. Duration: 90 minutes.

15 lessons · 10 scenarios$55

45 min

Core Compliance

Introduction to the NDIS Practice Standards

The NDIS Practice Standards set out the quality and safety outcomes that registered NDIS providers must deliver for participants. This course explains what the Practice Standards are, how they are organised into a core module, supplementary modules and a verification module, and what the four parts of the core module cover. You will learn how providers are audited against the standards, what an auditor may look at, how the standards connect to the NDIS Code of Conduct and how your everyday work shows that we are meeting them. Case studies about choice in a shared home, changing needs and a complaint show the standards in action. The standards are being reformed, so we also show you where to find the current version. Duration: 45 minutes.

7 lessons · 6 scenarios$45

50 min

NDIS Fundamentals

NDIS Registration and the Quality and Safeguarding Framework

As a team leader or manager you help keep our registration in good standing every day. This course explains the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework and its developmental, preventative and corrective safeguards, the different jobs of the National Disability Insurance Agency and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, how registration groups decide whether we face a verification or certification audit, and the conditions that come with registration. It covers recent changes, including mandatory registration for supported independent living and NDIS digital platform providers from 1 July 2026 and stronger regulatory powers. Two case studies show how to respond to an unauthorised restrictive practice and how to prepare honestly for an audit. Duration: 50 minutes.

10 lessons · 2 scenarios$55

50 min

Leadership and Management

Running an Internal Compliance Audit

Internal audits help us find and fix problems before they affect participants or show up at an external audit. This course shows team leaders and managers how to run a practical internal compliance audit: why we audit internally and why independence matters, how to plan the scope against the NDIS Practice Standards and our policies, how to sample files fairly and interview staff well, how to gather evidence and write strong findings, and how to build corrective action plans that close the loop. Two case studies follow a medication audit that uncovers a serious issue and a follow up audit under pressure before an external audit. Duration: 50 minutes.

8 lessons · 3 scenarios$55

Frequently asked questions

Source: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Checked 10/11/2026. Provider Compliance is not affiliated with the Victorian Government.