Unregistered Provider Planning to Deliver SIL? Your Registration Pathway

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 explains why registration comes first, how to apply for SIL registration, and what to expect during the registration and certification process.

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 under the transition arrangements, refer to our guide for existing SIL providers. If you are completely new to the NDIS, our guide for new NDIS providers is likely to be a better fit. 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?

You apply directly for Registration Group 0138 (Assistance with Supported Independent Living) together with any other applicable registration groups relevant to the supports you intend to deliver.

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?

Build your SIL practice around the SIL Practice Standards from the start, 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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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.

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.