New SIL Registration (Group 0138): What Providers Must Do

From 1 July 2026, SIL registration is mandatory. Every provider delivering supported independent living (SIL) in Australia must now be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission under a new, dedicated registration group — Group 0138 (Assistance with supported independent living). This is one of the most significant regulatory shifts the SIL sector has seen, and it lands alongside a new supplementary module of the NDIS Practice Standards written specifically for SIL.

If you deliver SIL, the practical question is simple: are you registered (or on a valid pathway to registration), and can your day-to-day practice stand up against the new SIL Practice Standards? This guide sets out what Group 0138 is, the key 2026 dates, who must register, how you will be assessed, and a clear checklist of what providers must do now.

What is Group 0138 and why did it change?

Registration Group 0138 — Assistance with supported independent living — is the new registration class created specifically for SIL providers. Previously, SIL supports sat within the broader Group 0115 (assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement). Carving out a dedicated group lets the Commission identify SIL providers precisely and apply the new SIL Practice Standards to them.

The change matters because SIL is delivered in people's homes, often around the clock and in shared arrangements, where quality and safety risks can be harder to see. Until now, SIL could be delivered by both registered and unregistered providers. From 1 July 2026 that is no longer the case: anyone delivering SIL must be registered for it. Delivering SIL without the required registration on or after that date may breach the NDIS Act, and the Commission has flagged serious penalties for non-compliance.

The key 2026 dates SIL providers must know

There are two dates that matter most, and it is important not to confuse them.

• 1 July 2026 — the commencement date. Mandatory SIL registration takes effect, Group 0138 is added to the registration system, and the new SIL Practice Standards supplementary module applies.
• 1 October 2026 — the apply-by date for currently unregistered SIL providers. If you were already delivering SIL without registration, you can keep operating during the transition only if you have lodged a registration application by this date.

An important nuance: providers do not need to be fully registered by 1 July 2026. Existing unregistered SIL providers must have applied by 1 October 2026 and may continue delivering during the assessment process. New entrants, by contrast, get no grace period — a provider that is not already delivering SIL cannot start until its registration is approved. Providers already registered under Group 0115 are generally expected to receive an updated registration certificate that adds Group 0138, and must comply with the new module from 1 July.

The new SIL Practice Standards (the supplementary module)

Registration is only half the story. From 1 July 2026, registered SIL providers must also meet a new supplementary module of the NDIS Practice Standards, adopted specifically for supported independent living. This module does not replace the Core Module that every registered provider must meet — it sits on top of it. In other words, a SIL audit now covers the Core Module plus the SIL-specific standards.

The supplementary module is built around four participant-centred outcomes, co-designed with people with disability:

1. Supported decision-making — showing that participants lead the decisions about their own home, routines and supports, with dignity of risk built in rather than provider-led defaults.
2. Safeguarding — proactively identifying and responding to abuse, neglect and harm in the specific setting of shared, in-home support, including risks between co-residents and around personal care, medication and restrictive practices.
3. Practice governance — the supervision, training and competency systems that keep support quality consistent across every worker and every house.
4. Tenancy, housing and support agreements — keeping a participant's housing separate from their support so they never feel that questioning their supports puts their home at risk.

The consistent message from the Commission's guidance is that these standards are about demonstrated practice, not paperwork. Auditors want to see how you actually support people in shared living — not just a folder of policies that says the right things.

Who must register under Group 0138?

The mandate is broad. If your organisation delivers SIL — the in-home supports that help a person with disability live as independently as possible, whether in private homes or shared accommodation — you fall within scope. That includes:

• Providers currently delivering SIL as unregistered (self-managed or plan-managed) providers.
• Providers already registered under Group 0115 who deliver SIL supports.
• New entrants who intend to start delivering SIL.

If you are already registered for 0115 but do not intend to keep delivering SIL, the Commission's process generally allows you to opt out of adding the new group — but opting out means you can no longer deliver SIL supports. If you are unsure whether a support you deliver counts as SIL, treat the definition seriously and seek guidance rather than assume you are outside scope.

How you will be assessed against the new standards

You are not assessed against the SIL module through a separate, one-off process. The standards are checked at your next scheduled audit. For a provider registering for the first time, that is your initial certification audit. For an existing SIL provider already registered under 0115, it is your next mid-term or recertification audit, at which your auditor checks that you also meet the additional requirements of the new SIL standards.

Expect an approved quality auditor to interview participants and workers, review support plans and rosters of care, and test how decisions are actually made in each house. Because the standards are evidence-led, the practical work is to close the gap between what your policies say and what happens in the home. A clean, accurate roster of care that reflects the participant's real support needs is one of the clearest pieces of evidence you can put in front of an assessor — which is where good NDIS rostering and workforce software earns its keep.

What SIL providers must do now: a checklist

Whether you are registering for the first time or preparing for a mid-term audit, the work is the same — map your service to the requirements and fix the gaps before an auditor finds them (our partner AuditCore’s SIL compliance guide maps every requirement).

1. Confirm your registration position. If you deliver SIL and are not registered, lodge your application under Group 0138 by 1 October 2026 so you can keep operating during assessment.
2. Check your Group 0115 certificate. If you already hold 0115, confirm Group 0138 is being added and that you understand your next audit will include the SIL module.
3. Run a gap analysis against the four standards. Review your policies and, more importantly, your day-to-day practice against supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance, and tenancy, housing and support agreements.
4. Strengthen in-home safeguarding. Document how you identify and respond to risks specific to shared living, personal care, medication and restrictive practices.
5. Tighten practice governance. Make sure supervision, training and competency systems keep support quality consistent across every worker and every house.
6. Separate housing from support. If you deliver both accommodation and SIL, evidence a genuine separation so participants keep real choice over their supports.
7. Get your rosters of care audit-ready. Collect support plans, rosters of care, supervision records and participant feedback that show the standards in action, ready for your next audit.

For providers weighing the wider registration journey, our guide on NDIS rostering software for SIL providers covers how the right systems support both compliance and quality of care. You can also review Rostery pricing to see how a purpose-built platform fits a SIL service of your size.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does mandatory SIL registration start?

Mandatory SIL registration commenced on 1 July 2026. From that date, SIL is a registered support under Group 0138 and the new SIL Practice Standards supplementary module applies. Currently unregistered providers already delivering SIL can continue during the transition provided they lodge a registration application by 1 October 2026.

What is registration Group 0138?

Group 0138 (Assistance with supported independent living) is the new, dedicated registration group for SIL. SIL previously sat within Group 0115. Giving it its own group lets the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission apply the SIL Practice Standards and identify SIL providers specifically.

Do I still use Group 0115?

Providers already registered under Group 0115 will generally have Group 0138 added to their registration certificate rather than losing 0115. If you deliver SIL, you must be covered by 0138; if you no longer wish to deliver SIL you can opt out of adding the new group, but you then cannot deliver SIL supports.

What happens if I do not apply by 1 October 2026?

The 1 October 2026 date is the apply-by milestone for currently unregistered SIL providers who want to keep operating during assessment. If you continue delivering SIL without being registered or having a valid application in progress, you may be in breach of the NDIS Act, which the Commission has flagged carries serious penalties.

Are the SIL Practice Standards separate from the Core Module?

Yes. The SIL Practice Standards are a supplementary module that sits on top of the NDIS Practice Standards Core Module — they do not replace it. A SIL audit therefore covers the Core Module plus the four SIL-specific standards, assessed at your next scheduled audit.