SIL registration group 0138: what it means for plan managers

Written 13 October 2026 from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's pages as they read that day. Rules change, so follow the links to check the current wording.

Since 1 July 2026, providers of supported independent living (SIL) under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) have had to register with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, with a transition period for providers who applied in time. This page sets out what the Commission says, in its own words where it matters, and what that means when an invoice from a SIL provider reaches a plan manager.

What changed on 1 July 2026

The Commission's page on mandatory registration for SIL opens with:

"From 1 July 2026 some supported independent living (SIL) providers must register with the NDIS Commission. We have developed transitional arrangements for providers who are or plan to provide supported independent living."

It also lists SIL among the supports that only registered providers may deliver, next to specialist disability accommodation, specialist behaviour support and plan management itself.

What 0138 is

0138 is the number of a registration group: the class of support a provider is registered (or has applied) to deliver. The Commission says:

"A new registration group will be added to registration certificates of approved providers. The new class of support is 0138 – Assistance with supported independent living."

The older group 0115 (assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement) still appears in the Commission's SIL applicant file. That file lists applications under 0115, 0138 or both, so a provider can have two rows, one per group. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) sets which support items are claimed under which group, in its NDIS Support Catalogue.

What counts as SIL

The Commission's summary of the definition, based on draft amendments to the Provider Registration Rules, says SIL "is a package of home and living support for people with higher support needs", where the person needs support "at all times of the day, or for most of the day" and the provider is "managing and delivering" the supports. It says it is not SIL if:

• "a person only receives a few hours of support a day or week, or
• a person chooses and manages their own support workers (this includes directing, planning and rostering their own support workers)."

Whether a particular arrangement is SIL is a question for the provider, the participant and the Commission. This site doesn't decide it.

The 1 October 2026 application cut-off

Providers already delivering SIL without registration could keep going while they applied, but only if they applied in time. From the Commission's transition pathway for unregistered providers:

"Providers can continue to deliver supported independent living (SIL) during the application for registration if they apply by 1 October 2026."

And from the main SIL page, for providers who didn't apply:

"If you are currently delivering supported independent living (SIL) and chose not to apply for registration, you will need to stop providing supported independent living supports."

The same page says delivering SIL without registration on or after 1 July 2026 may breach the NDIS Act, with a maximum penalty of 2 years' imprisonment, a fine of 120 penalty units, or both.

What this means for a plan manager

A SIL invoice now comes from one of three kinds of provider:

• Registered for SIL. They appear in Part 1 of the NDIS Provider Register, the list of registered providers, with SIL among their approved registration groups.
• Unregistered but applied. They appear in Part 3, the Commission's list of SIL providers "who are currently unregistered and have applied for registration". Part 3 is published as a CSV file with one row per registration group, keyed by Australian Business Number (ABN).
• In neither list. Not finding a provider is not proof of anything on its own: the ABN may be mistyped, or the provider may trade under another ABN. It is a reason to look closer before paying.

For Part 3 providers, the Commission spells out when a claim is eligible, on its find a registered provider page:

"To be eligible to claim payment for supported independent living services:

Column C: The progress of their application must be ‘Ongoing’ or ‘Approved’, and

Column F: Their registration group status must be ‘Submitted’ or ‘Approved’."

A provider that removed SIL from its application during audit may still be able to claim for services delivered between 1 July 2026 and the removal date. What Submitted, Approved, Removed and Refused mean quotes the Commission's definitions for each status and column.

The NDIA handles payments and publishes its own guidance on SIL claims. Read its news and updates alongside the Commission's register.

Checking many providers at once

Looking up providers one at a time on the Commission's search page works for a handful. For a full provider list, see how to check SIL providers' registration in bulk, or use the SIL register sweep. It reads the Commission's own Part 3 file in your browser and gives each row of your list the status the Commission published.

This page explains what the Commission has published. It isn't legal or financial advice. For a decision about a particular claim, go to the Commission's and the NDIA's own pages.