NDIS SIL Registration in 2026: What Participants Need to Know

The NDIS doesn't exactly have a track record of quiet, simple updates, and this one's no different. As of 1 July 2026, every Supported Independent Living provider in the country has to be registered, or have applied to register, with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. If that sentence just triggered a small wave of concern, take a breath. Most of what's shifting here is happening behind the scenes, in provider paperwork and audits. Your plan or the support you get day to day remains unaffected.

Here's what's actually changed, what hasn't moved an inch, and what it means if you or someone in your family relies on SIL.

Reviews into the sector turned up higher risks to participant safety and care quality in SIL, along with NDIS digital platform providers, and the Commission's answer was to stop letting SIL run on the honour system. From 1 July 2026, every provider delivering SIL has to be registered and answerable to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, full stop.

Providers who weren't already registered got a grace period, not an exemption. They have until 1 October 2026 to lodge an application. Miss that date, and they can still bill for supports delivered up to 30 September 2026, but after that, they're locked out of delivering SIL altogether.

	Before 1 July 2026	From 1 July 2026
Who can deliver SIL	Registered and unregistered providers	Registered providers only, with a transition window to 1 October 2026 for those still applying
Claim code	0115 – Assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement	0138 – Assistance with Supported Independent Living
Practice standards	Standard NDIS provider requirements	New, stronger SIL-specific Practice Standards covering person-centred support, participant rights and continuous improvement
Audits	Registration audits for registered providers only	Certification audits now apply to all SIL providers under the new standards
Participant funding and plans	Set through the participant's NDIS plan	No automatic change. Registration status doesn't touch your plan, goals or funding
Self-managed arrangements	Participants organising or employing their own support workers weren't affected by provider registration rules	Still not affected. If you employ your own workers directly, there's nothing you need to do

If your provider is already registered, honestly, not much. Alive4Life falls into that camp. We're a registered NDIS provider, so our SIL services already sit inside the standards this whole reform is chasing. Nothing about your support, your roster, or your goals shifts because of a rule that's really aimed at tightening up the rest of the market.

If your provider isn't registered yet, ask them about it now, don't wait for a letter in the mail. Have they applied? A provider with an application in before 1 October can keep supporting you while it's assessed. One that hasn't applied by then simply can't keep delivering SIL, and you'd be looking at a new provider on a deadline instead of on your own terms. Sorting that out now beats scrambling in September.

Does this touch my funding?
No. This reform is about who's allowed to deliver SIL, not what you're funded for. Your plan, your SIL budget, and your goals stay exactly as they were set with your planner. The registration rule sits entirely on the provider's side of the ledger.
My provider's registered. Do I need to do anything?
Nope, carry on as normal. Worth confirming with them once that their registration is current if you want extra peace of mind, but there's no form to fill out or action required from you.
I hire my own support workers directly. Does this apply to me?
No. Self-managed, independently employed arrangements were never part of this rule. This reform is aimed at businesses and organisations delivering SIL as a service, not at participants who employ their own staff and manage that relationship themselves.
What's this 0138 code I keep seeing?
It's the new claim code providers use for SIL delivered from 1 July 2026 onward, replacing the old 0115 code. For supports delivered before that date, providers still bill under 0115. It's purely an invoicing and claims change on the provider's end, so it won't show up as a change to your entitlements or the amount of support you're funded for.
Is Alive4Life registered?
Yes. Alive4Life is an NDIS registered provider, so our SIL services already operate under the standards this reform is built around. There's no transition period or registration gap for us to work through, and no disruption for the participants and families we support.