NDIS SIL registration, step by step
If you deliver Supported Independent Living, registration is now mandatory. SIL and platform providers must be registered from 1 July 2026, and currently-unregistered SIL providers must apply by 1 October 2026 to keep delivering SIL during the transition. This guide walks through the whole process.
Step 1: Confirm you're in scope (and on the certification track)
If you deliver SIL, you're in scope — and SIL is a certification audit (the rigorous, two-stage kind with an on-site visit and interviews). Our free quiz confirms this and lists the documents you'll need.
Step 2: Get your business basics in order
- An active ABN
- NDIS Worker Screening Checks for everyone in risk-assessed roles (valid up to 5 years; renew up to 90 days early)
- Insurance — public liability and professional indemnity
- Key personnel identified, and your workforce records (screening, qualifications, training) in order
Step 3: Prepare your documents — the biggest job
SIL certification expects more than a basic policy set. Alongside the Core Module policies (incident management, complaints, risk, privacy, code of conduct, HR, continuity, emergency), you need:
- The new SIL Practice Standard documents — supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance
- SIL service agreements that keep tenancy separate from support
- Per-participant support plans, risk assessments, PEEPs and compatibility assessments (for shared dwellings)
- Medication and mealtime management plans where relevant
- A Roster of Care that reconciles with each participant's plan funding
- A restrictive practices register and behaviour support arrangements, if applicable
Step 4: Apply through the NDIS Commission
You apply online through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, selecting your registration group (SIL), providing your business details, and completing a self-assessment against the Practice Standards.
Step 5: Complete your certification audit
You engage an approved quality auditor for the two-stage audit (document review, then an on-site visit with interviews). Budget realistically — auditor availability tightens as the October 2026 deadline approaches.
Step 6: Commission decision and ongoing obligations
Once registered, you have ongoing obligations: keeping documents current, maintaining registers, notifying reportable incidents (within 24 hours / written report within 5 business days), monthly restrictive-practices reporting if applicable, a mid-term audit (~18 months), and re-certification every 3 years.
How long does it take?
SIL certification typically runs 8–12 months end-to-end, with document preparation taking days with a personalised pack versus weeks from scratch. With the 1 October 2026 application deadline, starting in mid-2026 is realistic, not paranoid.
Where SILReady fits
SILReady generates the full SIL document set — personalised to your service — for a fraction of consultant prices. Take the free quiz to see what you'd need.