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Provider Transitions in 2026 - Mandatory Registration and Continuity of Care

sc-webinar-Feb2026-NDIS-provider-transitions-m

Our Support Coordinator webinar series explores topics that matter most to your role.

In February, we focused on Provider Transitions in 2026: Mandatory Registration and Continuity of Care. You can watch the recording below.

This session unpacked what mandatory registration means in practice, how different support types may be affected, and what this could mean for providers, funding and service continuity.

In this Q&A-style article, Mary Ingerton from Support Coordination Academy answers the most common questions raised by Support Coordinators, covering registration, sustainability, Home and Living supports and what to expect as reforms roll out.

Webinar: Provider Transitions in 2026: Mandatory Registration and Continuity of Care

Your Webinar Questions Answered

These are some of the real questions Support Coordinators raised – and the expert guidance provided in response.

At this stage, mandatory registration focuses on provider oversight, safeguarding, and quality assurance rather than directly addressing pricing or plan allocation levels. Any changes to pricing limits or plan funding would be considered separately through NDIS pricing reviews and policy reform processes.

Providers are encouraged to continue raising sustainability concerns through formal consultation channels. For up-to-date information on pricing arrangements and reform updates, visit:

Yes, a sole trader can apply to become a NDIS-registered provider, including to deliver Supported Independent Living (SIL). However, SIL is considered a higher-risk support and is subject to stricter registration requirements.

This generally includes:

  • Audit requirements through a NDIS-approved quality auditor
  • Demonstrating compliance with the NDIS Practice Standards
  • Meeting worker screening and safeguarding requirements
  • Evidence of appropriate skills, governance systems, incident management, and quality assurance processes

Because SIL involves 24/7 or shared living arrangements, providers must demonstrate robust systems to ensure participant safety and quality of care.

Further details are available at:

At present, applications for NDIS provider registration (including for Support Coordination) continue to be processed under the existing arrangements.

If you apply now, your application will be assessed according to the current registration framework. Mandatory registration reforms are being progressively implemented, and transitional arrangements will be communicated by the NDIS Commission and NDIA.

For current information on registration requirements and processing, visit:

NDIS Commission – How to Register

My understanding is that all SIL providers operating within the NDIS environment, providing support to participants of the NDIS, whether they are sole traders or larger organisations, will come under the mandatory registration requirement.

Find more information about mandatory registration for SIL providers here.

The NDIA reviews pricing arrangements annually and may adjust price limits based on market analysis, wage changes and sector feedback.

Concerns about sustainability, including SCHADS award wages, reduced plan budgets, shorter plan durations, and unrealistic billable expectations, are frequently raised during pricing reviews. Any changes to hourly rates would occur through the official NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits process.

Providers can monitor updates and consultation opportunities here:

Home and Living supports are a high level category of supports available through the NDIS, which includes Supported Independent Living, Specialist Disability Accommodation and Assistance with Daily Living.

Only Specialist Disability Accommodation have mandatory registration at this stage, with SIL providers transitioning into mandatory registration from 1 July 2026.

Always check the relevant registration group and funding category requirements via:

A consultation process was facilitated between 29 November 2024 and 7 February 2025 around self-directed supports. Self-directed supports referred to those supports (e.g. independent Support Workers) who were engaged directly by a participant/their families for the provision of personal care, community access and daily assistance, as opposed to engaging an organisation/service provider to organise these supports.

Engage – Department of Social Services – Consultation on Self Directed Supports Registration

Whether registration is worthwhile depends on:

  • The types of supports you deliver
  • Your target participant cohort
  • Your business model and sustainability
  • Future compliance obligations

NDIS registration provides access to agency-managed participants and higher-risk support categories, but it also involves audit costs and compliance obligations.

Providers should review reform updates and carefully consider business viability in light of the proposed changes. We will likely see more information about the proposed mandatory registration process within the next couple of months.

Mandatory registration primarily relates to compliance, governance and safeguarding obligations. It does not relate to participant budget allocations as these are determined and based on evidence of participant support needs.

If reporting and documentation expectations increase, funding levels would only change if the NDIA adjusted pricing limits or plan-building processes. These changes would be communicated through official pricing reviews and reform announcements.

The intent of Assistance with Daily Living (ADL) support is to:

  • Enable participants to complete daily personal tasks
  • Support safety and functional independence
  • Provide flexible, task-based assistance
  • Fund support only when required (e.g. not 24/7 support).

ADL is designed as a responsive, activity-based support, delivered as separate, flexible hourly supports that can be used flexibly as required within the funding limit (support provided flexibly during the day, does not require a roster of care).

The intent of Supported Independent Living (SIL) support is to provide ongoing and a structured support model for participants who require significant daily support, typically including overnight support.

  • Support people with higher support needs (requires more than 8 hours of active support each day and often overnight)
  • Provides structured support 7 days per week
  • Enable shared living models where appropriate
  • Promote skill development while ensuring safety
  • Fund support based on a roster of care (intensity of 24/hr support required)

In summary, if a participant requires more than 8 hours of active support (direct support meaning hands on assistance and monitoring support meaning supervising and being ready to assist if required) each day, and some level of support for the remaining hours (e.g. effectively 24/7 support), a Support Coordinator needs to gather evidence and assessments (Occupational Therapy Functional Capacity Assessment focused on SIL supports required) to demonstrate a participant’s home and living support needs, and apply for SIL funding to meet those functional needs.

Refer to NDIS Operational Guidelines – Supported Independent Living

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