Why SIL registration is a certification audit
To register as an NDIS provider you must pass an audit against the NDIS Practice Standards. There are two types — verification and certification — and Supported Independent Living always sits on the certification track, the more rigorous of the two. Here's what that means.
Verification vs certification
A verification audit is a desktop review. An approved auditor checks your documents — they don't visit you or interview anyone. It's used for lower-risk supports like household tasks (registration group 0120) and transport (0108).
A certification audit is a full, two-stage review against the Core Module of the Practice Standards plus any supplementary modules that apply. It's used for higher-risk supports — and SIL (group 0115, becoming 0138 from 1 July 2026) is certification. The Commission varies existing 0115 registrations to add the new 0138 group.
What a SIL certification audit involves
- Stage 1 — document review: the auditor reviews your policies, procedures, participant-level plans and registers off-site.
- Stage 2 — on-site visit: the auditor visits, observes, and interviews you, your workers, and participants about how supports actually happen. They're checking that you do what your documents say — not just that the documents exist.
On top of the Core Module, SIL is assessed against the SIL Practice Standards — final and in force from 1 July 2026 — covering supported decision-making, safeguarding, practice governance, and tenancy/housing & support agreements. See our full guide to the new standards.
Typical cost: SIL certification audits commonly run $7,000–$20,000 depending on the number of dwellings, sites and modules — and that's before any consultant fees ($3,000–$10,000+ if you outsource document preparation).
What auditors most often pull people up on
- Vague or copied policies that don't match how the service actually runs
- Participant plans, risk assessments and PEEPs that are missing or out of date
- Progress notes that don't link to goals, or are copy-pasted across shifts
- Restrictive practices used without authorisation or monthly reporting
- A Roster of Care that doesn't reconcile with plan funding
Be ready before the deadline
SIL is mandatory-registration from 1 July 2026, and currently-unregistered SIL providers must apply by 1 October 2026 to keep operating — see what the deadlines actually mean. Certification runs ~8–12 months end-to-end, so the documents need to be ready now.
That's what SILReady gives you: a personalised, comprehensive SIL document set — policies, participant-level plans, registers and a Roster of Care guide — structured around the SIL Practice Standards. Take the free quiz to see exactly what you'd need.