From 1 July 2026, the way Supported Independent Living is regulated is changing. Here’s what it means for you, to maintain your compliance obligations.
From 1 July 2026 Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers must register with the NDIS Commission
This guide walks through what’s changing and what it means, depending on where you are today.
What’s changing?
Right now, SIL can be delivered by both registered and unregistered providers. From 1 July 2026, anyone delivering SIL must become registered for it.
Three things are new:
- A new registration group just for SIL, called 0138 – Assistance with Supported Independent Living.
- A new set of SIL Practice Standards that SIL providers will be audited against.
- You must be registered if you provide SIL supports – it is a mandatory requirement.
If you’re already registered for registration group 0115
The new SIL standards will be checked at your next audit, your Midterm or Re-Certification audit, whichever comes first.
Here’s your journey:
- Around June 2026, the Commission will write to you with a notice to add the new SIL registration group (0138) to your registration. If you don’t intend to continue providing SIL you can notify the Commission and opt out, but if you opt out you won’t be able to deliver SIL supports.
- From 1 July 2026, you must comply with the new SIL Practice Standards. If you’re keeping SIL, you’ll receive an updated registration certificate after this date with the new registration group listed.
- At your next Midterm or Re-Certification audit, your auditor checks that you meet the additional requirements of the new SIL standards.
If you deliver SIL but aren’t registered
You’ll need to apply to become registered and complete a certification audit to keep delivering SIL. This includes sole traders who deliver, manage and coordinate a participant’s SIL supports.
The NDIS Commission has noted there are serious penalties for delivering SIL without being registered once the new rules apply. Because the exact transition journey depends on your situation, check directly with the NDIS Commission so you get the date that applies to you. You can also refer to the NDIS Commission’s website for the specific transition pathway and deadlines that apply to you here: Mandatory registration and transition pathways for supported independent living (SIL) | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
If you have applied to register and your audit is booked prior to the 1st of July, the new SIL practice standards will not form part of your audit. If your audit is booked after the 1st of July, you will need to be audited against the new SIL practice standards.
Providers can continue to deliver Supported Independent Living (SIL) during the application for registration process if they apply by 1 October 2026.
Details of the NDIS Commission’s contact centre are also provided below.
If you want to start delivering SIL in the future
If you’re a registered provider who doesn’t currently hold group 0115, or you’re not an NDIS provider yet, you’ll need to apply to have SIL (group 0138) added through the normal application/variation and audit process before you can deliver it. From the 1st of July, you must not deliver SIL unless you are registered to do so.
The key dates
| When | What happens |
| June 2026 | The Commission writes to registered providers to add the new SIL group (0138). |
| 1 July 2026 | SIL registration becomes mandatory. The new SIL Practice Standards apply. |
| Your next Midterm or Re-Certification | Providers already registered for 0115 your auditor checks that you meet the additional requirements of the new SIL standards. |
What happens if I choose not to apply, or I don’t apply by 1st of October?
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. You will need to follow transition and notification arrangements to ensure participants are safe.
Providing SIL without registration is a serious offence and penalties apply. Further information can be found on the NDIS Commission’s website under the Reform Hub.
What about the detail of the new standards?
A draft copy is publicly available on the NDIS Commission’s website here: NDIS Practice Standards reform | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Note the standards are still in draft format, and there may be minor changes prior to the final implementation date.
As an Approved Quality Auditor, our role is to assess your compliance, not to advise you on how to meet the standards. For guidance on preparing, the NDIS Commission’s website is the place to start, and it’s where the full standards and supporting material will be published.
Where to get answers
For questions about the rules, deadlines and registration, go straight to the source:
NDIS Commission website: www.ndiscommission.gov.au
If you’d like to talk about your audit, Global Compliance Certification is Australia’s largest NDIS Approved Quality Auditor. We’re here to make the audit itself as straightforward as possible.
