Written by the Provider360 team. Provider360 is Australia’s leading NDIS registration and compliance solution, supporting 3,000+ providers nationally. Supported independent living has been our highest-volume source of enquiries since mandatory registration took effect on 1 July 2026.
Last updated: 15 September 2026
Key takeaways
- Mandatory SIL registration has applied since 1 July 2026 under registration group 0138 – Assistance with supported independent living.
- There are 8 transition pathways, sorted by whether you deliver SIL now or in future, your registration status, and when you apply.
- The SIL Practice Standards are final and have been in force since 1 July 2026; you are assessed against them at your next audit after that date.
What changed for SIL providers on 1 July 2026?
This guide explains NDIS SIL registration: the new definition of supported independent living, the transition pathways, and what each type of provider needs to do. Since 1 July 2026, some SIL providers must be registered with the NDIS Commission. The Commission has developed transitional arrangements for providers who already deliver SIL and for those who plan to. Two things are new: a clearer definition of what counts as SIL, and a dedicated registration group for it.
For the background on why this reform is happening and what it means for the sector, see our companion guide: SIL mandatory NDIS registration in 2026.
What is supported independent living under the new definition?
Supported independent living (SIL) is a package of home and living support for people with higher support needs. According to the NDIS Commission, a person provides assistance with supported independent living to a participant if:
- the person with disability requires support at all times of the day, or for most of the day
- the assistance helps the person 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 SIL supports, making sure the participant receives home and living support in line with their package of supports.
That is the Commission’s plain-language summary. The test that actually binds sits in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018, and the Commission directs you to the Rules to work out whether the requirements apply to you. The Rules put it this way:
A person provides assistance with supported independent living to a participant if: (a) the participant requires constant, or immediately available, person-to-person supports at all times during a day, or for a substantial portion of a day; and (b) the assistance is provided, as needed, as a package of supports to assist the participant with, or to supervise, the tasks of daily life that enable the participant: (i) to live as autonomously as possible in the participant’s home; and (ii) to access the community; and (c) the assistance includes the management by the person of the package of supports, and of the supports provided in accordance with the package.
— National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018
The difference matters if your service sits near the line. “Constant, or immediately available, person-to-person supports… for a substantial portion of a day” is a tighter test than “support at all times of the day, or for most of the day”, so the same service can read as SIL under one text and not the other. Where the two texts differ, the Rules decide.
It is not SIL if a person only receives a few hours of support a day or week, or if a person chooses and manages their own support workers (including directing, planning and rostering them). Short-term accommodation (STA), medium-term accommodation (MTA) and individualised living options (ILO) continue under registration group 0115, where registration stays optional. If what you deliver meets this definition, it counts as supported independent living services that require registration under group 0138.
What is the new registration group 0138?
Registration group 0138 – Assistance with supported independent living is the class of support that makes SIL registration mandatory. It sits on the certification pathway and is assessed against the Core Module plus the SIL module (Module 5A). The group and its definition now sit in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018, alongside the other NDIS registration groups. SIL moves to group 0138; group 0115 (Assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement) continues to be used for STA, MTA and ILO.
What has the NDIS Commission confirmed, and when does each change take effect?
Mandatory SIL registration was announced by the Minister for the NDIS in December 2025 and took effect on 1 July 2026. The timeline below sets out what is happening and when.
“From 1 July 2026 some supported independent living (SIL) providers must register with the NDIS Commission.”
— NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | The Minister for the NDIS announced that mandatory registration for SIL and platform providers will begin from 1 July 2026. |
| 28 May 2026 | The NDIS Commission released the draft SIL Practice Standards module. |
| June 2026 | The NDIS Commission published the final SIL Practice Standards module. |
| 1 July 2026 | Mandatory SIL registration took effect and the SIL Practice Standards have applied from this date. SIL delivered from 1 July 2026 is claimed under 0138; supports delivered before that date stay on 0115. Updated certificates of registration are issued after this date. |
| 1 October 2026 | Providers currently delivering SIL who have not applied for registration, and who keep delivering SIL, may breach the NDIS Act. The maximum penalty is 2 years’ imprisonment, a fine of 120 penalty units, or both. The NDIA has also told plan managers that from this date they should reject invoices from SIL providers who are not registered and have not applied to register. |
| Next audit | Registered SIL providers are assessed against the new SIL Practice Standards at their next audit (mid-term or recertification/renewal, whichever comes first). |
What are the new SIL Practice Standards?
The SIL Practice Standards are a supplementary module of the NDIS Practice Standards, designed for the complex nature of SIL settings. The Commission published the final module, and it has been in force since 1 July 2026. Within the NDIS Practice Standards modules it sits alongside the Core Module as Module 5A. The module contains four standards:
- Supported Decision-Making: supporting participants to make their own decisions about their home, daily life, relationships and goals.
- Safeguarding: keeping participants safe from violence, abuse, neglect and harm, while respecting dignity of risk.
- Practice Governance: making sure workers are trained and competent, with governance that upholds participants’ rights in the home.
- Agreements about tenancy, housing and support arrangements: keeping tenancy and support arrangements separate, clear and fair.
What is the Notice of Intention to Vary Registration?
A Notice of Intention to Vary Registration is how the NDIS Commission adds registration group 0138 to a provider’s existing registration under group 0115. It also gives you an opportunity to tell the Commission if you do not wish to be registered for SIL. Review it carefully and respond within the required timeframe. An updated certificate of registration is issued after 1 July 2026.
The timing of that notice does not change what you have to comply with. If you are already registered, the registration requirement itself starts on the day the Commissioner decides whether to vary your registration. In the meantime the SIL Practice Standards still bind you from 1 July 2026, whether or not your certificate has been varied yet. If you are registered under 0115, deliver SIL, and have not received or actioned a variation notice, contact the NDIS Commission.
What are the registration requirements for SIL providers?
All registered SIL providers need to:
- have certification audits
- comply with the core module of the NDIS Practice Standards
- comply with the new supplementary module for SIL Practice Standards
- meet all other conditions of registration.
Those four requirements come from the NDIS Commission’s SIL transition guidance.
In practice, this means SIL sits on the certification pathway and requires both your core module documentation and the new SIL-specific module. Full details are on the NDIS Commission page: Mandatory registration and transition pathways for supported independent living (SIL).
Which transition pathway applies to you?
Your pathway depends on three questions. Work through them, then match your answers to one of the eight transition pathways the NDIS Commission has published:
- Do you deliver SIL now, or do you plan to deliver it in future?
- Are you a registered provider, an unregistered provider (including a sole trader), or not currently an NDIS provider?
- Did you apply for registration before 1 July 2026, or are you applying now, before the 1 October 2026 deadline?
The NDIS Commission groups providers into eight transition pathways built from these three questions.
What are the transition pathways for SIL registration?
A provider’s pathway to registration depends on their current registration status and services. The eight pathways are grouped into two tables using the NDIS Commission’s own categories: providers currently delivering SIL, and providers planning to deliver SIL in future. Across every pathway, the certificate ends up including group 0138, and from 1 July 2026 providers must comply with the new SIL Practice Standards.
A. I’m currently providing supported independent living (SIL) supports
| Your situation | When you apply | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Registered provider (with group 0115) | No new application needed | No action is needed to add the group. You can keep delivering SIL. The Commission issues a Notice of Intention to Vary your registration and updates your certificate to include 0138. From 1 July 2026 you must comply with the new SIL Practice Standards, assessed at your next audit (mid-term or renewal) after 1 July 2026. |
| Unregistered provider (including sole traders) | Already applied, or applying before 1 July 2026 | Submit a valid application (under group 0115 and other relevant groups) before 1 July 2026 and complete an audit. You can keep delivering SIL during the process. If approved, from 1 July 2026 your certificate is updated to include 0138 and you must comply with the new SIL Practice Standards. An audit before 1 July will not include the new standards; an audit after 1 July will. |
| Unregistered provider (including sole traders) | Applying after 1 July 2026 | Submit a valid application (under group 0138 and other relevant groups) before 1 October 2026. You can keep delivering SIL during the application only if you apply by 1 October 2026. The audit includes the new SIL Practice Standards. |
B. I’m planning to provide supported independent living (SIL) supports in future
| Your situation | When you apply | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Registered provider (without group 0115) | Before or after 1 July 2026 | Apply for a variation of registration to add SIL. Applications before 1 July are made under group 0115; applications after 1 July are made under group 0138. An Approved Quality Auditor (AQA) determines whether an out-of-cycle audit is needed. If approved, 0138 is added to your certificate, and from 1 July 2026 you must comply with the new SIL Practice Standards. |
| Unregistered provider | Already applied, or applying before 1 July | Submit a valid application (under group 0115 and other relevant groups) before 1 July 2026 and complete an audit. If approved, from 1 July your certificate is updated to include 0138 and you must comply with the new SIL Practice Standards. You cannot deliver SIL until your registration is approved. |
| Unregistered provider | Applying after 1 July | Submit a valid application (under group 0138 and other relevant groups) after 1 July 2026; the audit includes the new SIL Practice Standards. You cannot deliver SIL until the Commission decides your application. |
| Not currently an NDIS provider | Already applied, or applying before 1 July | Same as an unregistered provider applying before 1 July: apply under group 0115 before 1 July, with 0138 added from 1 July. You cannot deliver SIL until your registration is approved. |
| Not currently an NDIS provider | Applying after 1 July | Same as an unregistered provider applying after 1 July: apply under group 0138 after 1 July. You cannot deliver SIL until the Commission decides your application. |
Providers entering the market who are not yet delivering SIL cannot deliver SIL supports until their NDIS provider registration is approved. Providers already delivering SIL can keep operating during the process, as long as they apply within the timeframes above.
What happens if I choose not to apply, or I haven’t applied by 1 October 2026?
According to the NDIS Commission:
If you are currently delivering supported independent living (SIL) and chose not to apply for registration, you will need to stop providing supported independent living supports.
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.
If you stop providing supported independent living, you must follow the notification and participant transition steps described at Stopping the services you provide.
The Commission’s guidance names both 1 July 2026 and 1 October 2026, and the Rules explain how the two dates fit together. Mandatory registration took effect on 1 July 2026. If you were already delivering SIL, what you owe is an application lodged before 1 October 2026. Apply in time, and the registration requirement applies to you from the day the Commissioner decides your application. If you do not apply in time, it applies from 1 October 2026 regardless.
There is a commercial consequence as well as a legal one. The NDIA has told plan managers that from 1 October 2026 they should reject invoices from SIL providers who are not registered and have not applied to register, and that unregistered SIL providers who do not apply by that date can only claim for services up to 30 September 2026. Providers who are registered or have applied are encouraged to put their registration or application number on their invoices.
How do you become a registered SIL provider?
Working out your pathway tells you when to apply. The application itself runs through the NDIS Commission’s Applications Portal, and the steps are the same ones every registering provider follows:
- Log in to the Applications Portal and start a new application to be registered as an NDIS provider.
- Select the registration groups you deliver or plan to deliver. SIL providers now apply under group 0138, alongside any other groups they need.
- Complete the self-assessment against the Practice Standards that apply to your scope, and attach your evidence.
- Answer the suitability questions about your organisation and key personnel.
- Submit the application, then engage an Approved Quality Auditor (AQA) and complete your audit.
- The Commission reviews the audit outcome and decides your application. If it is approved, you receive your certificate of registration.
One detail catches providers out: an application left unfinished for 60 days is deleted, and you start again. Build your evidence before you open the portal, not after. As for the time the whole process takes end to end, see how long NDIS registration takes. If this is your first NDIS registration, our start-here guide covers how to become an NDIS provider and choose your path.
What does getting ready for SIL registration look like?
SIL sits on the certification pathway, which means more documentation and a two-stage audit. The part you control is getting audit-ready: building the policies, procedures and evidence the new SIL Practice Standards will assess. SIL has been our highest-volume source of enquiries since mandatory registration took effect on 1 July 2026.
Recommended actions for SIL providers
- If you deliver SIL as an unregistered provider and plan to continue, apply for registration before 1 October 2026.
- Confirm whether your supports meet the new SIL definition, and whether you need registration under group 0138 – Assistance with supported independent living.
- Identify the transition pathway that applies to you, based on your registration status and the supports you deliver. The Commission has separate pathways for registered providers, unregistered providers, sole traders and new entrants.
- If you are registered under group 0115 and have not yet received or actioned a Notice of Intention to Vary Registration, contact the NDIS Commission. The SIL Practice Standards apply to you from 1 July 2026 either way.
- Review the SIL Practice Standards and the support material the Commission has published alongside them, including the Evidence Guide for Providers and Workers and the Reflective Questions for Participants. Then assess your policies, procedures, workforce practices, participant safeguards and governance systems against the requirements.
- Make sure all worker screening and workforce compliance requirements are current.
Get SIL-ready with the SIL Package and Certification Platinum
The Module 5A SIL Package gives SIL providers the documentation the SIL supplementary module is assessed against. If you also need your core module documentation, pair it with the NDIS Certification Platinum Package, which covers the full registration journey, from your application to audit support. Certification Platinum is backed by our 100% money-back guarantee.
See what’s included in the SIL Package →What do SIL providers most commonly ask about registration and transition pathways?
What is registration group 0138?
Registration group 0138 – Assistance with supported independent living is the class of support that makes SIL registration mandatory. It sits on the certification pathway and is assessed against the Core Module plus the SIL module (Module 5A). The group and its definition sit in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018.
Do I still use registration group 0115?
Yes, for some supports. Registration group 0115 – Assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement still applies to short-term accommodation (STA), medium-term accommodation (MTA) and individualised living options (ILO), where registration remains optional. SIL itself moves to the new group 0138.
When do the new SIL Practice Standards take effect?
The SIL Practice Standards have applied since 1 July 2026. The NDIS Commission published the final module, which sits in the NDIS Practice Standards as Module 5A. Registered SIL providers are assessed against the standards at their next audit, mid-term or recertification, whichever comes first.
If I’m a sole trader, do mandatory registration and transition pathways apply to me?
Yes. If you are a sole trader delivering, managing and coordinating a participant’s supports that meet the definition of supported independent living, you are considered a supported independent living provider. You should refer to the NDIS provider transition pathway that is relevant to your current registration status and services.
