SIL mandatory registration started on 1 July 2026, and its second date, the 1 October 2026 apply-by deadline for providers already delivering supported independent living (SIL), has now passed. As a result, SIL can now only be delivered by providers that are registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) or, if they were already delivering SIL, that applied to register before 1 October 2026.
Now that both dates are behind us, the questions people ask are practical. Is my SIL provider registered? How do I check? What happens if it is not, and what changes next? This guide answers each one from the NDIS Commission’s and the NDIA’s own pages. It also explains the transition pathways, the penalty in the NDIS Act, the rules for NDIS digital platforms and the next round of mandatory registration planned from July 2027.
SIL mandatory registration: quick summary
- Start date: since 1 July 2026, SIL providers and NDIS digital platform providers must be registered with the NDIS Commission.
- What started on 1 July 2026: the new registration group 0138 (Assistance with supported independent living) and the new SIL Practice Standards.
- Apply-by date: providers that were already delivering SIL without registration had to apply by 1 October 2026. If they did, they can keep delivering SIL while the Commission decides the application.
- No application, or application refused: a provider already delivering SIL must stop providing it.
- New providers: a provider that was not delivering SIL before 1 July 2026 cannot start until the Commission approves its registration.
- Penalty: under section 73B of the NDIS Act, the maximum penalty for the fault-based offence is imprisonment for 2 years, 120 penalty units, or both.
- Your plan: the NDIA says your plan and NDIS funding won’t change.
- What comes next: new conditions for NDIS digital platforms from 1 January 2027, and wider mandatory registration from July 2027.
Is my SIL provider registered? How to check
Under SIL mandatory registration, you can check a provider’s status yourself in a few minutes. There are three places to check, and they show different things.
- The NDIS Commission Provider Register: search the Provider Register by the provider’s business name, legal name or ABN. A status of “Approved” means the provider is currently registered. The register also shows providers whose registration has been suspended or revoked.
- Part 3 of the register, for SIL applicants: on the same page, the NDIS Commission publishes a list of SIL and NDIS digital platform providers that are not yet registered but have applied. It is a downloadable file listed by ABN. Under the transitional arrangements, providers on it that applied before 1 October 2026 may keep delivering SIL until the Commission decides their application. Check two columns in the list: a provider can keep delivering SIL only while its “Progress of application” is “Ongoing” or “Approved” and its “Registration group status” is “Submitted” or “Approved”. “Refused” or “Removed” means it cannot.
- The NDIA provider finder: the NDIA’s provider finder is a tool to find a registered provider.
A provider’s certificate of registration lists its registration groups, and a provider registered to deliver SIL will have group 0138 on it. So it is also worth asking your provider directly whether its registration includes SIL. If the answer is unclear, the Provider Register is the place to confirm it.
What happens if my SIL provider is not registered?
Under SIL mandatory registration, what happens next depends on what the provider did before 1 October 2026. According to the NDIS Commission, a provider that was delivering SIL and chose not to apply for registration must stop providing SIL supports. The same applies if the Commission refuses an application. When a provider stops, it must follow the Commission’s notification and participant transition steps.
For participants, the NDIA says that if your provider does not register, you will need to move to a registered provider. It also says it will help you understand your options and find a new provider if needed. Your plan and NDIS funding won’t change. In addition, a support coordinator can help you find providers, and the NDIA notes that people with SIL funding may have support coordination funded in their plan.
How the SIL mandatory registration transition worked
In December 2025, the Minister for the NDIS, Senator Jenny McAllister, announced that SIL and NDIS digital platform providers must register with the NDIS Commission from 1 July 2026. The Commission then published transitional arrangements, which it says are intended to avoid disrupting existing providers that are already delivering supports.
That is why SIL mandatory registration has two dates. The registration requirement started on 1 July 2026. However, providers that were already delivering SIL without registration had until 1 October 2026 to apply, and they can keep delivering while the Commission assesses the application. New entrants never had that grace period: they cannot provide SIL while their application is pending.
The six SIL transition pathways
The Commission set out six pathways, depending on whether a provider was registered and whether it was already delivering SIL. Here is a plain-English summary of each one.
| Pathway | Who it covers | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registered provider with group 0115 (Assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement), delivering SIL before 1 July 2026 | Registration varied to add group 0138, unless the provider told the Commission it did not want to keep providing SIL. Must comply with the SIL Practice Standards and is audited against them at its next audit (mid-term or registration renewal). |
| 2 | Registered provider without group 0115 that plans to start SIL | Applies for a variation of registration and may need an out-of-cycle audit. If the variation is not approved, it cannot deliver SIL. |
| 3 | Unregistered provider, including a sole trader, delivering SIL, that applied before 1 July 2026 | Can keep delivering SIL while the Commission assesses the application. If the Commission refuses it, the provider cannot deliver SIL. |
| 4 | Unregistered provider, including a sole trader, delivering SIL, that applied after 1 July 2026 | Could keep delivering SIL during the application only if it applied by 1 October 2026. Its audit includes the SIL Practice Standards. |
| 5 | New or unregistered provider not yet delivering SIL, that applied before 1 July 2026 | Cannot provide SIL while the application is pending. If the application is not approved, it cannot deliver SIL. |
| 6 | New or unregistered provider not yet delivering SIL, applying after 1 July 2026 | Cannot deliver SIL until the Commission has decided the application. |
NDIS digital platform providers have three separate pathways of their own. The Commission publishes a downloadable map for every pathway on its mandatory registration pages.
What is supported independent living (SIL)?
The NDIA describes SIL as funding for a support worker to help or supervise you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may share a support worker or have an individual support worker, depending on how much help you need. According to the NDIA, SIL may suit you if you need a support worker to:
- stay with you 24 hours a day, including overnight
- help you with daily activities for at least 8 of those hours
- give you some level of help or supervision for the other hours.
Support workers can help with daily tasks like personal care, showering and getting dressed, eating and cooking meals, and household tasks such as cleaning. SIL is also designed to help you live as independently as possible while building your skills. Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider that delivers supported independent living in NSW.
SIL is not housing. The NDIA says SIL can’t be used for rent or other day-to-day expenses like groceries. Specialist disability accommodation (SDA), by contrast, is the housing itself, and some people have both SDA and SIL in their plans. For a fuller explanation, see our guide to what SIL is and how it works.
How the NDIS Commission defines SIL for registration
For SIL mandatory registration, the Commission looks at the supports a provider actually delivers. The Commission’s summary of the Provider Registration Rules says a person provides assistance with SIL if:
- the person with disability requires support at all times of the day, or for most of the day
- the assistance helps them 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.
The Commission also says SIL is not defined by the number of people in the home, so shared living does not automatically mean SIL. Likewise, it is regulating the providers and delivery of SIL supports, not what a participant is funded for or how their plan is managed.
What changed on 1 July 2026
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner made the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Amendment (Mandatory Registration and Other Matters) Rules 2026. These amendments to the Provider Registration Rules applied from 1 July 2026, and for SIL three things changed that day.
1. Two new registration groups
The rules added two new classes of support: 0137 (Providing an NDIS digital platform service) and 0138 (Assistance with supported independent living). Because SIL now has its own group, a provider’s registration shows whether it is registered to deliver SIL specifically.
2. The new SIL Practice Standards
All registered SIL providers need certification audits, must comply with the core module of the NDIS Practice Standards and the new SIL Practice Standards, and must meet all other conditions of registration. The SIL Practice Standards cover four areas:
- supported decision-making
- safeguarding
- practice governance
- agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements.
According to the Commission, during 2025 it engaged Inclusion Australia to design the new standards with participants. They were then tested through an audit pilot with a small number of providers in February 2026. The Commission also publishes reflective questions that help participants think about their own experience of SIL.
3. An offence for delivering SIL without registration
Because the rules now require SIL providers to be registered, the offence in section 73B of the NDIS Act applies to SIL. The Commission says that if you deliver SIL on or after 1 July 2026 without being registered, you may breach the NDIS Act. The next section sets out the penalty.
The penalty for delivering SIL without registration
Section 73B of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 lets the NDIS rules require that certain supports are provided only by registered providers. It then makes it an offence to provide one of those supports under a participant’s plan without being registered, or to hold yourself out as able to provide it. The NDIS Commission’s guidance is explicit about the maximum penalty:
“Providing supported independent living without registration is a serious offence. If you deliver supported independent living on or after 1 July 2026 without being registered, you may breach the NDIS Act. The maximum penalty is 2 years’ imprisonment, a fine of 120 penalty units, or both.”
Section 73B also sets out other consequences for the same conduct. There is a strict liability offence of 60 penalty units. There is also a civil penalty of up to 10,000 penalty units for a serious contravention by an NDIS provider, or 250 penalty units in any other case. The Act states these penalties in penalty units, not dollars.
NDIS digital platforms are included too
SIL mandatory registration arrived alongside the same requirement for NDIS digital platform providers. The Commission defines an NDIS digital platform as an online application, website or system that acts as an intermediary between participants and the people providing supports, where payments for those supports are processed through the platform using NDIS amounts from participants’ plans. In addition, its main purpose must be connecting participants with supports from their plan.
Platform providers have also needed to register since 1 July 2026. An unregistered platform that was already operating could keep operating while the Commission assessed its application only if it applied by 1 October 2026. Then, from 1 January 2027, new conditions of registration apply to registration group 0137:
- every worker must have a valid worker screening clearance before offering supports on the platform, and cannot work “on application”
- the platform must check and display information if a banning order is in force against the person
- the platform must check and display the person’s credentials or qualifications, and general information on how it checks them.
Why SIL mandatory registration is happening
The NDIS Commission describes SIL and NDIS digital platforms as higher-risk areas. Before 1 July 2026 neither needed to be registered, so the Commission had limited oversight of unregistered providers delivering them.
Several reviews pointed the same way. The Commission’s November 2024 consultation paper named its own inquiries, the Disability Royal Commission, the NDIS Review and the advice of the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce. It said these reviews had recommended strengthening regulatory oversight to improve the quality and safety of these supports. The Commission calls mandatory registration its first step in responding to those recommendations.
In the Government announcement the NDIA published on 30 June 2026, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner Louise Glanville explained the aim: “Registration gives the NDIS Commission greater visibility of providers delivering higher-risk services and allows us to identify risks earlier, respond more quickly when problems arise, and take action where providers are not meeting their obligations.”
What changes next: 2027 and 2028
SIL mandatory registration is the first stage, not the last. Here is what official sources say is coming:
- 1 January 2027: the new conditions of registration for NDIS digital platforms start, as set out above.
- July 2027: the NDIA says mandatory registration requirements will expand to some providers, which “will impact providers who deliver personal care and daily living supports and supports provided in closed settings”. The Minister’s 30 June 2026 release says the 2026-27 Budget funded this expansion to all high-risk supports from 1 July 2027, and that the reform will see 90% of all NDIS payments go to registered providers.
- A new payment system: the same release says the Government will fund a new payment system that will require NDIS providers to enrol with the NDIA before receiving payments.
- July 2028: the Government has announced a new commissioned NDIS support coordination and connection service from 1 July 2028, which will replace the way participants currently receive support coordination.
These changes sit alongside the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026, which Parliament passed on 19 August 2026 and which received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026. According to the NDIS Commission, the Act includes new offences for providing false or misleading information and for providers offering kickbacks and inducements. For what the Act changes, see our guide to the new NDIS laws in 2026, and for the full timeline see our NDIS reforms 2026 hub.
What about support coordination registration?
Support coordination was also identified for mandatory registration, but the NDIS Commission says that reform is paused while it considers further reform. Meanwhile, registered and unregistered providers still need to follow the NDIS Code of Conduct and deliver safe, high quality supports.
What this means for you as a participant
SIL mandatory registration does not change your funding. The NDIA says your plan and NDIS funding won’t change, and if your provider registers, you don’t need to do anything.
What does change is the oversight of your provider. According to the Commission, registered SIL providers must meet the same standards and requirements as other registered providers, including:
- Independent audits against the NDIS Practice Standards, including the SIL Practice Standards
- Worker screening: see our NDIS Worker Screening Check guide for how it works
- Managing incidents
- Other conditions of registration set by the Commission.
If you are worried about the safety or quality of your supports, you can raise a concern with the NDIS Commission, which receives and responds to issues about providers and workers. If you feel comfortable, the Commission also suggests that speaking directly to your provider can resolve a concern quickly.
Who SIL mandatory registration does not cover
If you manage your own support workers
If you choose and manage your own support workers, including directing, planning and rostering them, the NDIA and the NDIS Commission say that is not SIL. In that case, the mandatory registration changes do not apply to you. The NDIA also says you don’t need to make any changes if you organise or employ your own support workers.
Sole traders are different. If a sole trader is delivering, managing and coordinating a participant’s supports that meet the SIL definition, the Commission considers them a SIL provider. They must therefore be registered, or have applied by 1 October 2026 if they were already delivering SIL, to keep delivering it.
Other in-home supports and living options
The Commission says it is not SIL if a person only receives a few hours of support a day or week. It also says registration requirements for other in-home supports, such as supports delivered under Support Categories 0104 and 0107, are out of scope for this change. Similarly, individualised living options (ILO) are out of scope and do not require mandatory registration. Finally, the SIL requirement does not apply to support coordinators.
What you should do now
You do not need to panic. However, SIL mandatory registration is now in force, so if you receive SIL, it is worth confirming your provider’s registration status now.
Step 1: Ask your provider four direct questions
- Are you registered with the NDIS Commission, and does your registration include SIL (group 0138)?
- If not, did you apply for registration by 1 October 2026?
- Where is your application up to, and when do you expect a decision?
- Will there be any changes to my supports in the meantime?
A good provider will be open about its status. If it is evasive or unsure, that is worth raising with your support coordinator.
Step 2: Check the official register
Then search the NDIS Commission Provider Register and, if your provider has applied but is not yet registered, the Part 3 list on the same page. The steps are in the section on how to check, above.
Step 3: Talk to your support coordinator or the NDIA
The NDIA says you may have funding for a support coordinator if you have SIL funding in your plan, and that a support coordinator can help you find providers so you can live safely in your home. If you have questions about your NDIS plan, you can also contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110.
FAQ: SIL mandatory registration
What is SIL mandatory registration?
SIL mandatory registration means that since 1 July 2026, providers delivering supported independent living must be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Providers that were already delivering SIL without registration could keep going only if they applied by 1 October 2026. New providers cannot deliver SIL until the Commission approves their registration.
How do I check if my SIL provider is registered?
Search the NDIS Commission Provider Register by business name, legal name or ABN. “Approved” means currently registered. If your provider has applied but is not yet registered, look for its ABN in the Part 3 list of SIL applicants on the same page. Check two columns in the list: a provider can keep delivering SIL only while its “Progress of application” is “Ongoing” or “Approved” and its “Registration group status” is “Submitted” or “Approved”. “Refused” or “Removed” means it cannot. You can also ask the provider whether its registration includes group 0138.
What happens if my SIL provider did not apply to register by 1 October 2026?
If it was already delivering SIL and did not apply, it must stop providing SIL supports. You would then need to move to a registered provider, and the NDIA says it will help you understand your options and find a new provider if needed.
Will my SIL funding change because of mandatory registration?
No. The NDIA says your plan and NDIS funding won’t change. SIL mandatory registration regulates providers, not participants’ funding.
What is the penalty for an unregistered provider delivering SIL?
Under section 73B of the NDIS Act, the maximum penalty for the fault-based offence is imprisonment for 2 years, 120 penalty units, or both. The same section also has a strict liability offence of 60 penalty units, and a civil penalty of up to 10,000 penalty units for a serious contravention by an NDIS provider.
What is registration group 0138?
Group 0138 is “Assistance with supported independent living”, a class of support added to the Provider Registration Rules from 1 July 2026. A provider registered for 0138 is registered to deliver SIL and must comply with the SIL Practice Standards.
Can my support worker still help me if they are not part of a registered provider?
It depends on who manages your supports. If you choose and manage your own support workers, including directing, planning and rostering them, that is not SIL and the mandatory registration changes do not apply to you. However, a sole trader who manages and delivers supports that meet the SIL definition is a SIL provider and must be registered.
What are the new SIL Practice Standards?
They are NDIS Practice Standards that apply to providers registered to deliver SIL from 1 July 2026, on top of the core module. They cover supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance, and agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements.
Will mandatory registration expand beyond SIL?
Yes. The NDIA says that from July 2027 it will expand mandatory registration requirements for some providers, including providers who deliver personal care and daily living supports and supports provided in closed settings.
How Centre of Hope can help
Navigating NDIS changes can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to do it alone. Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in New South Wales. We deliver support coordination, and we also deliver supported independent living across Sydney and NSW.
Because we deliver SIL ourselves, we are open about it. If one of the options we talk through with you is our own SIL service, we will tell you plainly, talk through the alternatives, and leave the decision with you. You can read more about how we handle conflicts of interest.
We can help you:
- check your SIL provider’s registration status and understand what it means for you
- find registered SIL providers in your area if you need to move
- help plan a changeover to keep disruption to a minimum
- keep you informed as the NDIS Commission releases more detail.
Whether you have Level 2 Support Coordination or Level 3 Specialist Support Coordination in your plan, we are here to help you stay ahead of these changes.
The bottom line
SIL mandatory registration is now in force. For SIL participants, the practical effect is audited providers, worker screening and stronger accountability when something goes wrong. For SIL providers, the transition’s apply-by date of 1 October 2026 has passed, and delivering SIL without registration is an offence.
If you are an NDIS participant in New South Wales and you want to talk through how SIL mandatory registration affects your supports, get in touch.
Call us: 0432 250 900
Visit: centreofhope.com.au
Email: hello@centreofhope.com.au
Refer: Submit a referral
Related Reading
- What Is SIL? Supported Independent Living Explained
- What Is SDA? Specialist Disability Accommodation Explained
- NDIS Reforms 2026: Full Timeline
- New NDIS Laws 2026
- NDIS Worker Screening Check 2026
- NDIS Code of Conduct Explained 2026
- NDIS Support Coordination Levels Explained
- Independent vs Agency NDIS Support Coordinator
- NDIS Navigators and the Future of Support Coordination
This article is general information only and does not replace personal advice from the NDIA, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, a lawyer or a support coordinator. It is not legal or financial advice. Information is current as at 21 October 2026 and reflects: the NDIS Commission’s mandatory registration page, SIL mandatory registration page, NDIS digital platforms page and SIL Practice Standards page (each last updated 8 September 2026), its SIL transition pathway pages (last updated 1 and 2 July 2026) and digital platform pathway pages (last updated 1 September 2026), its June 2026 explanatory document for the Mandatory Registration and Other Matters Rules 2026, and its Provider Register page; the NDIA’s supported independent living page and Securing the NDIS for future generations page (both current as of 1 October 2026), its news item of 9 June 2026 and the Government announcement it published on 30 June 2026; section 73B of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (compilation C2026C00451, 1 October 2026); the Parliament of Australia bill record for the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Bill 2026; the NDIS Commission’s media release of 28 August 2026, its November 2024 SIL and support coordination consultation paper and its July and August 2026 webinar slides; and the NDIA’s news item of 7 September 2026 on the support coordination and connection service. The pathway table is a plain-English summary; the Commission’s pathway pages and the Provider Registration Rules are the authority. Nothing in this guide is a promise of any entitlement or outcome. Plans for July 2027 and July 2028 are announcements, and rules change, so confirm the current position at the source before you act. For authoritative information visit ndiscommission.gov.au or call the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544, or visit ndis.gov.au or call the NDIA on 1800 800 110.