Unregistered Provider Planning to Deliver SIL? Your Registration Pathway

In short: If you are an unregistered NDIS provider planning to start delivering Supported Independent Living (SIL), you apply for fresh registration before you can deliver it. There is nothing to vary, because you hold no registration yet. If you apply before 1 July 2026 you apply under group 0115 with 0138 added on approval; from 1 July you apply directly for 0138. Either way, you cannot deliver SIL until your registration is approved.

Status update, 19 June 2026: The new SIL Practice Standards are in final draft, with the final version expected before 1 July 2026. You will be assessed against them, so prepare against the draft now. We'll update this guide when the final standards land.

You already know your way around the NDIS. You are delivering supports, you understand how participants and plans work, and you have a business up and running. What you do not yet have is registration, and that is the thing standing between you and offering SIL. The good news is that you are not starting from nothing. You are formalising what you already do and extending it into a new, higher-responsibility support.

This guide is written for exactly that position. It explains why registration comes first, what you apply for depending on when you move, and the one expectation that trips up providers in your situation. For the wider context and the reasons behind the reform, see our main guide to SIL mandatory registration.

Does this pathway apply to me?

This guide is for you if all three of these are true:

• You are an unregistered NDIS provider (you may deliver other supports on an unregistered basis).
• You are not currently delivering SIL, but you plan to start.
• You therefore need registration before you can offer it.

Two quick course-corrections, so you are in the right place. If you are already delivering SIL without registration, you are in a different and more time-pressured situation, covered in our guides for currently-delivering providers applying before 1 July and after 1 July. And if you are completely new to the NDIS rather than an existing unregistered provider, our new-to-the-NDIS guide speaks more directly to your setup.

Why do I need to register before I start SIL?

A moment under the hood makes the rest of this clearer. SIL is treated as one of the higher-risk supports in the scheme, because it is delivered in people's homes, often overnight, for people who depend on it. The Commission's approach is to confirm a provider can deliver it safely before they begin, not after. So for SIL specifically, registration comes first and delivery comes second, even for a provider who already operates comfortably in the unregistered space. Your experience helps, but it does not substitute for the registration step.

Do I apply fresh, or vary something I already have?

You apply fresh. Variation is the lighter route available to providers who already hold NDIS registration and simply add a group to it. Because you are unregistered, there is no existing registration to vary, so you make a full registration application as a new registered provider would. Your existing operations and systems will help you move faster through it, but the route itself is the full one.

What do I apply for, before or after 1 July?

This is where timing changes the detail. The path is the same shape either way, but the registration group and the audit scope differ.

If you apply before 1 July 2026

You apply under group 0115 (Assistance with Daily Life Tasks in a Group or Shared Living arrangement), along with any other relevant support classes, because the new group 0138 does not formally exist yet. The Commission then automatically updates your application to 0138 (Assistance with supported independent living) from 1 July — you don't lodge anything separately to get there. You also get a choice about audit timing: an audit before 1 July does not include the new SIL Practice Standards, so its scope is lighter, while an audit after 1 July includes them in full.

If you apply after 1 July 2026

You apply directly for group 0138, plus relevant classes, because the new group already exists. There is no 0115-to-0138 step. Your audit will include the new SIL Practice Standards in full, with no lighter-scope option.

In both cases you receive a scope of audit once your application is lodged, then engage an Approved Quality Auditor to complete a certification audit.

Can I deliver SIL while I wait?

No, and this is the expectation to set firmly. Because you are not already delivering SIL, there is no transitional allowance to begin before approval, and the 1 October 2026 date does not apply to you. That date exists to let providers already delivering SIL keep going while they register. You are planning to start, so your start has to wait until your registration is approved. Line up your first SIL participants for after that point, not before.

It is worth adding that this does not touch your existing unregistered supports. Those continue as they are. It is only SIL that waits on approval.

What will I be audited against?

The draft SIL Practice Standards rest on four outcomes, and an auditor draws evidence from four places: your documents, your records, what they observe in the service environment, and what your workers and participants say. Since SIL is new for you, this is where to concentrate.

• Supported decision-making. Decisions about a participant's home, routines and relationships are made by them, not for them, with a trail showing how a decision was reached and who was involved.
• Safeguarding. How you prevent, identify and respond to harm: incidents, complaints, risk and restrictive practices, supported by a working incident register.
• Practice governance. Whether your policies, supervision and training describe what actually happens, version-controlled and reviewed.
• Agreements about tenancy, housing and support. Separating the tenancy agreement from the service agreement where you are both landlord and provider, and treating the home as the participant's home first.

These sit alongside the Core Module, which you will be assessed against as part of becoming registered. Most SIL providers also need the high intensity daily personal activities module, and the behaviour support module if restrictive practices apply. Every worker in a risk-assessed role needs a valid NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance, and clearances take weeks, so start them early.

What does it cost and how long does it take?

The NDIS Commission charges no fee for the application itself. The real costs sit with the auditor, insurance, worker screening and preparation. Because SIL requires the more thorough certification pathway, audit fees run higher than for low-risk verification. The Commission does not set those fees, so they vary by auditor and by the size and complexity of your service, which makes getting more than one quote worthwhile. One advantage of your position: if you already carry appropriate insurance and have some systems in place from your unregistered operations, you are not building everything from zero.

On timing, allow six to twelve months end to end, from starting preparation to holding a certificate. Since you cannot deliver SIL until approval, that timeline is your runway, so beginning early is what lets you start sooner.

What if I'm not approved?

If your application is not approved, you cannot deliver SIL. Your existing unregistered supports are unaffected, so this is a delay to your SIL plans rather than a threat to your current business. The way to avoid it is the same as for any provider: prepare thoroughly against the four standards and put strong evidence in front of your auditor.

What should I do now?

1. Confirm the registration groups you need for the SIL supports you plan to deliver.
2. Decide your timing, weighing an earlier application (and possible lighter audit) against applying after 1 July.
3. Build your SIL practice around the four Practice Standards from the start.
4. Lodge worker screening applications for your team early.
5. Plan your SIL launch around your approval date, keeping your existing supports running in the meantime.

How Provider+ can help

Provider+ helps unregistered providers register to deliver SIL: confirming the right registration groups, building the policies and evidence the new SIL Practice Standards require, and guiding you through the certification audit so you can add SIL on solid ground.

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Frequently asked questions

I'm an unregistered provider. How do I start delivering SIL? You apply for full NDIS registration before delivering any SIL, because you have no existing registration to vary. If you apply before 1 July 2026 you apply under group 0115 with 0138 added on approval; from 1 July you apply directly for 0138. You cannot deliver SIL until registration is approved.

Do I vary my registration or apply fresh? You apply fresh. Variation is only available to providers who already hold NDIS registration. As an unregistered provider, you make a full registration application.

Can I deliver SIL while my application is processed? No. Because you are not already delivering SIL, there is no transitional allowance, and the 1 October 2026 date does not apply to you. You must wait until your registration is approved. Your existing unregistered supports can continue.

Do I apply for 0115 or 0138? If you apply before 1 July 2026, you apply under 0115 and 0138 is added on approval. If you apply after 1 July, you apply directly for 0138.

What happens if my application isn't approved? You cannot deliver SIL, though your existing unregistered supports are unaffected. Thorough preparation against the four SIL Practice Standards is how you get approved on the first attempt.
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This guide is general information for SIL providers. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for the NDIS Practice Standards, the NDIS Act, or guidance from your approved quality auditor. For the authoritative and current position, see the NDIS Commission Reform Hub.

This article was published on 19/06/2026. We strive to keep our content accurate and up to date; however, NDIS Commission rules and requirements can change. For the latest information, visit the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website or contact our team.