The new registration rules for SIL and platform providers are here

The wait for detail is over. The NDIS Commission has now published the final registration rules and the new SIL Practice Standards. The draft has become the published standard you will be registered and audited against.

If you deliver supported independent living (SIL) or run a digital platform, this is the piece to read. No legalese, just what has actually changed and what to do about it. And if you are not sorted yet, take a breath: the requirement has only just begun, and there is a clear path forward.

What's confirmed

The headline dates are locked in:

●      Registration is mandatory for SIL and platform providers from 1 July 2026.

●      If you were already delivering SIL before 1 July, you have a three-month window: lodge your application by 1 October 2026, and you can keep operating while it is assessed.

●      If you do not apply by 1 October, you must stop delivering SIL.

●      New entrants get no grace period. You must be registered and audited before you can deliver SIL at all.

The new definition of SIL: are you captured?

The definition of SIL is now broader than the old registration group 115. In plain English, SIL is where a participant needs constant or immediately available person-to-person support for all or a substantial part of the day, delivered as a managed package that helps them live as autonomously as possible at home and access the community.

Two things to note. The rules do not tightly define what counts as a “substantial part of the day,” and arrangements where a participant chooses and manages their own workers are treated differently. So if you are not certain whether you are captured, that is worth confirming rather than assuming either way.

The four new Practice Standards, and how they fit

The SIL standards are a new supplementary module (you may see it referred to as Module 5A). The important thing to understand is that they sit alongside the Core Module you already know, not instead of it. Your audit assesses you against both.

The four standards, in plain English:

●      Supported decision-making: decisions are made by participants, not for them, including decisions about their home and daily life.

●      Safeguarding: participants are safe from harm, while still being supported to have choice and dignity of risk.

●      Practice governance: strong governance and practice leadership that upholds participants' rights and protects their safety.

●      Agreements about tenancy, housing and support: clear, separate and transparent agreements, so a participant's housing is not tangled up with their support.

These apply from 1 July, regardless of when your next audit falls.

Platform providers: what's specific to you

A digital platform, in plain terms, is an online system that connects participants with people providing supports and processes NDIS payments for those supports. If that is your model, you will need to register (group 0137) before 1 October.

Worker screening obligations apply from 1 January 2027. Platforms will need to verify that workers hold an NDIS Worker Screening Check, are not subject to a banning order, and hold the qualifications they claim, and publish how they verify all of this. Start early: key personnel need a clearance or a submitted application before you can lodge your registration, and screening checks can take weeks to months depending on the state or territory.

What this actually means for your operations

The standards are about outcomes, not just having a policy on file. These are the gaps auditors most often find, and the ones worth closing first:

●      Incident registers that record incidents but not the follow-up or corrective action.

●      Service agreements that do not clearly separate tenancy from support.

●      Governance that is real in practice but undocumented.

●      Worker screening records that are incomplete or scattered across spreadsheets.

●      Staff who cannot describe the complaints or incident process when an auditor asks.

Every one of these is fixable with a bit of preparation time. That is exactly why starting now beats waiting until the audit is booked.

One more change worth knowing: selling or restructuring your business

The new rules also tighten the screws on ownership changes. From 1 July, providers must notify the Commission as soon as they become aware a sale is going to happen, and a certification audit can be triggered where there are significant changes to governance or operations. It's aimed at stopping the practice of buying and selling "shelf" registrations to sidestep proper scrutiny. If a sale, merger or restructure is on your horizon, factor this in early.

What to do now

1.     Confirm whether you are captured by checking your delivery model against the new SIL definition.

2.     Get your systems in one place: policies, procedures, version control and evidence. This is where Centro QMS does the heavy lifting for you.

3.     Run a gap analysis against both the Core Module and the four new SIL standards, so you know where you actually stand.

4.     Sort worker screening early, especially for key personnel.

5.     Lodge before 1 October if you were already delivering, or register before you deliver if you are new to SIL.

The bottom line

The rules being final is actually good news. The guessing is over, the standards are knowable, and the path is clear. The providers who act now get the calm, considered run at it, rather than a scramble in September.

Want to see where you stand? Book a demo and we'll walk you through your gaps against the new standards. Or grab the free SIL Starter Pack to see exactly what you need to get moving.