SIL Provider Registration 2026: What You Must Do Before 1 October

If you're delivering supported independent living (SIL) and you're not registered with the NDIS Commission yet, there's a deadline heading your way. From 1 July 2026, SIL became a registered-only service — you can no longer deliver it outside the Commission's oversight. And if you're already operating without registration, you need an application lodged by 1 October 2026 to keep going.

This isn't the kind of update you can leave for next month. SIL registration runs on the Commission's toughest audit pathway, and the closer we get to the deadline, the harder it gets to book an auditor. Here's what's actually required, who it applies to, and what to do next.

What changed on 1 July 2026

From 1 July 2026, providers delivering supported independent living need to be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Sitting alongside that requirement is a new set of SIL-specific Practice Standards, which apply on top of the Core Module every registered provider is already assessed against.

If you already hold general registration for group home or shared accommodation under registration group 0115, there's some good news: you don't need to start from scratch. The Commission will automatically update your certificate to add the new group, 0138 (Assistance with supported independent living). The catch is that this update alone doesn't mean you're covered. You still need to meet the new SIL Practice Standards from 1 July 2026, and you'll be formally audited against them at your next scheduled renewal. Waiting for that renewal notice before you start pulling your evidence together is the most common mistake providers are making right now.

Do you actually need to apply, and by when?

It depends on where you're starting from.

Already delivering SIL without registration? You've got until 1 October 2026 to lodge your application, and you can keep delivering supports while it's assessed, as long as that application is in by the deadline. Worth remembering: 1 October is about applying, not about being fully certified. Certification audits typically run for many months from lodgement to final approval, so applying on time doesn't mean you'll be signed off by October.

Not yet delivering SIL but planning to start? There's no grace period for you. You need to be registered before you begin.

Already registered under 0115? You don't need a fresh application, but you do need to be ready for a SIL-specific audit at your next renewal, and compliant with the new standards now, not from whenever that renewal notice lands in your inbox.

What the audit actually assesses

SIL sits on the Certification pathway rather than the lighter Verification pathway used for lower-risk supports, which means a two-stage process: a desktop review of your policies and evidence, followed by an on-site visit. It's a longer, more involved process than registering for most other support categories, which is exactly why starting early matters more here than almost anywhere else in the scheme.

Auditors look at the existing Core Module — governance, risk and incident management, workforce practices, and how you plan, deliver and review supports — plus four domains specific to SIL:

• Supported decision-making — are participants genuinely supported to make decisions about their daily life, routines, relationships and home, or just informed of decisions already made for them?
• Safeguarding — how you protect participants from violence, abuse, neglect and harm while still respecting their right to dignity of risk.
• Practice governance — the leadership, oversight and quality systems behind day-to-day service delivery.
• Tenancy arrangements — how tenancy agreements are explained and managed separately from service agreements, and how participants' tenancy rights are protected.

Getting audit-ready

Most of what auditors ask for is stuff you probably already do — the real work is getting it into a form that clearly demonstrates compliance, rather than assuming good practice speaks for itself. At minimum, you'll want a clear service description, documented policies on duty of care and incident management, evidence of worker training including the NDIS Worker Orientation Module (a free course run by the Commission), a current NDIS Worker Screening Check for every worker delivering SIL supports, quality improvement processes you can show are actually in use, and records of complaints and concerns along with how they were resolved. If any of this only exists in someone's head, now's the time to get it on paper.

Certification audits take a while, and once your application's in the queue, most of that timeframe is out of your hands. What you can control is when you start. Costs vary depending on your organisation's size, sites and the auditor you engage, so it's worth getting quotes from more than one approved quality auditor early — auditor capacity is tightening as more SIL providers move to meet the same deadline.

What happens if you don't register

Delivering SIL on or after 1 July 2026 without being registered, or without an application in by 1 October 2026 if you were already operating, puts you in breach of the NDIS Act. The maximum penalty is two years' imprisonment, a fine of 120 penalty units, or both. And setting the legal risk aside, an unregistered SIL provider is also going to become harder for participants and support coordinators to find and recommend. Registration status is fast becoming one of the first things families filter by when they're comparing providers.

Turn your registration into new business

Getting registered sorts out the compliance side. But there's a real upside to doing it well and doing it visibly: participants and families are actively searching for registered SIL providers right now, and they need somewhere to find you.

That's exactly what MySolas is built for. Once your registration is sorted, an up-to-date MySolas profile puts your SIL service in front of participants, families and support coordinators searching by location, support type and registration status, with a MySolas Verified badge that signals you've done the work most unregistered providers haven't. Our Provider Match tool also connects you directly with people actively looking for supports like yours, and if you've got vacant properties to fill, our Accelerate plan — $89 a month, or $69 a month if you pay annually, plus GST — adds accommodation listings on top of your profile so participants can find your vacancies directly.

If you're not already listed, set up your MySolas provider profile and have your SIL registration details ready to go the moment your certificate updates. If you are listed, take a few minutes to check your profile reflects your current registration status — it's one of the easiest ways to build trust with participants who are, understandably, being a lot more careful about who they choose right now.

Quick answers

• I already hold 0115 registration. Do I need to do anything before 1 July? Your certificate updates automatically to include the new SIL registration group, but you still need to meet the new SIL Practice Standards from 1 July 2026 and will be audited against them at your next renewal, so it's worth getting your evidence together now rather than waiting for the notice.
• What if I apply by 1 October but my registration isn't finalised yet? That's fine. The 1 October deadline is about lodging your application, not completing the audit. You can keep delivering SIL while a timely application is being assessed.
• Do new SIL providers get the same extension? No. If you're not currently delivering SIL, you need to be registered before you start.
• What's the penalty for delivering SIL without registration after 1 July 2026? Under the NDIS Act, the maximum penalty is two years' imprisonment, a fine of 120 penalty units, or both.