The NDIS Amendment (Integrity and Safeguarding) Act 2026 includes a provision that will directly affect thousands of Australians working in the disability sector: from 1 July 2026, delivering Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports without NDIS registration is a criminal offence.

This isn’t administrative. It’s not a soft compliance obligation. It’s a criminal penalty, and the deadline is firm.

If you deliver SIL supports and you’re not registered, here’s what you need to know.

Who Does This Apply To?

The mandatory registration requirements introduced by the 2026 Act affect two categories of providers:

1. Supported Independent Living (SIL) Providers

SIL is the NDIS support category covering residential supports for participants who need assistance with daily living in a home they share with others. It’s one of the most significant, and most heavily funded, categories in the scheme.

Previously, some SIL supports were delivered by unregistered providers, particularly where participants were self managing or plan managing their funds and chose to engage unregistered providers directly. From 1 July 2026, this is no longer permitted.

If you deliver any form of SIL supports, you must be a registered NDIS provider. Full stop.

2. Platform Providers

Platform providers are entities that operate digital platforms, apps, websites, online marketplaces, that connect NDIS participants with support workers or service providers.

This category has grown significantly as technology enabled support models have expanded. The 2026 Act brings them into the registered provider framework with explicit obligations, including registration, worker vetting, incident reporting, and record keeping.

What Happens If You’re Not Registered by 1 July?

This is where the 2026 Act takes a sharp turn from previous NDIS regulation.

Delivering SIL supports without registration after 1 July 2026 is classified as a criminal offence under the Act. Criminal liability can attach to:

• The individual delivering the support
• The organisation or business entity
• Directors and key management personnel who allowed or facilitated the delivery of unregistered supports

Penalties: Criminal penalties under Commonwealth law can include fines and imprisonment, depending on the nature and extent of the offending. Civil penalties under the “serious contravention” framework can reach up to 10,000 penalty units.

Beyond the legal consequences, continuing to operate without registration will result in:
– Inability to receive payment from the NDIS for those supports
– Commission enforcement action including suspension and banning orders
– Reputational damage that is very difficult to recover from

How Long Does NDIS Registration Take?

This is the critical practical question, and the honest answer is that you may already be running short of time.

NDIS registration is not a quick process. The timeline varies based on:

• Which registration groups you’re applying for
• The complexity of your organisation
• Whether you’re applying for a verification or certification audit
• The availability of approved NDIS auditors in your area
• The time taken for the NDIS Commission to assess your application

Typical timeframes:

Some applications take longer, particularly for larger or more complex organisations, or where auditor availability is limited.

If you need to be registered by 1 July 2026 and haven’t started, you should begin immediately. Every week of delay reduces your buffer and increases the risk you won’t be registered in time.

What Registration Involves, An Overview

NDIS registration is a structured process managed by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. At a high level, it involves:

Step 1: Preparing Your Documentation

Before you can lodge an application, you need to have policies and procedures in place that meet the NDIS Practice Standards. These cover:

• Rights and responsibilities
• Governance and operational management
• The provision of supports
• Support provision environment
• Specific support standards relevant to your registration groups (including SIL specific requirements)

Step 2: Lodging Your Application

Applications are lodged through the NDIS Commission’s online portal. You’ll need to nominate your registration groups, SIL falls under Group 2: Daily Activities (among others) and carries specific audit requirements.

Step 3: NDIS Audit

All providers must undergo an independent NDIS quality audit conducted by an approved audit body. For SIL providers, this is a certification audit, the more rigorous level of audit that involves:

• Desktop review of your documentation
• Site visits
• Interviews with staff and, where possible, participants
• Assessment against the NDIS Practice Standards

Step 4: Commission Assessment

After your audit report is submitted, the NDIS Commission assesses your application and audit findings. If all requirements are met, your registration is granted.

What Are the SIL Specific Requirements?

SIL providers face some of the most stringent requirements in the NDIS registration framework, reflecting the intensity and vulnerability of the supports involved. Key requirements include:

Governance and management: Documented governance structures, clear decision making processes, and leadership with appropriate experience and oversight.

Participant rights: Robust policies on participant rights, choice and control, and how residents in SIL settings can raise concerns or make decisions about their living arrangements.

Incident management: Detailed incident management and reporting systems, including mandatory reporting of NDIS reportable incidents (which must be reported to the Commission within specific timeframes).

Worker screening: All workers in risk assessed roles must hold a current NDIS Worker Screening clearance before commencing work. No exceptions.

Restrictive practices: If any restrictive practices are used in your SIL setting, you must have explicit authorisation and reporting processes in place. This is a high risk area for audit findings.

Environment standards: SIL settings must meet specific requirements for safety, accessibility, and participant privacy.

What About Existing Arrangements?

Some providers currently operating SIL supports have informal or loosely structured arrangements, including setups that may have grown organically without the formal structure registration requires.

The 2026 Act does not provide a grandfather clause for existing unregistered SIL delivery. The obligation is clear: register, or stop delivering SIL supports.

If you have participants currently in your care in a SIL arrangement and you’re not registered, you face a significant responsibility, both to those participants and to ensure your own compliance. Transitioning participants to other arrangements is complex and requires careful handling in their best interests. Registering is almost always the better path for everyone involved.

Getting Help with Registration

NDIS registration has a reputation for being complex and time consuming, and that reputation is not entirely undeserved. Navigating the practice standards, preparing compliant documentation, and managing the audit process is a genuine undertaking.

Many providers benefit from working with a registration support service that can:

• Assess your current state of readiness
• Develop compliant policies and procedures tailored to your services
• Help you understand what the auditor will be looking for
• Guide you through the application and audit process
• Provide support if questions or issues arise during assessment

Given the criminal liability at stake for SIL providers who aren’t registered by 1 July 2026, the cost of getting professional support is modest compared to the cost of getting it wrong.

Platform Providers: What You Need to Know

If you operate a digital platform connecting participants with support workers or other NDIS services, the 2026 Act creates explicit obligations including:

• Mandatory registration with the NDIS Commission
• Worker vetting requirements, workers listed on your platform must meet relevant standards
• Incident reporting, you must report incidents that occur through your platform
• Record keeping, documentation of participant and worker connections and interactions

The specific requirements for platform providers are newer and the Commission is developing detailed guidance. If you operate in this space, monitoring Commission communications and seeking specific advice is important.

Key Dates at a Glance

The Bottom Line

1 July 2026 is not a soft deadline. It is the date after which delivering SIL supports without registration becomes a criminal offence under Australian law.

If you deliver SIL supports and you’re not registered, the time to act is now, not next month, not after you’ve had time to think about it. The registration process takes months, auditor availability can be limited, and the Commission is not in a position to expedite applications on the basis that a provider started too late.

Take stock of where you are, understand what registration involves, and get the process started.