If you're sitting in front of the NDIS Commission's My Provider Portal and trying to work out which question to answer first, you're not the first SIL provider this has happened to. The application form looks like it should be a checklist — and it is — but every field assumes you've already made 10 decisions outside the portal. Get those wrong and the application either won't submit, won't pass the desktop audit, or will pass into the wrong scope of supports and force you to re-apply later.
The good news is the 10 decisions are stable. They don't change as the Commission updates its guidance. Get them right once and the actual portal submission takes 2-4 hours of typing. Get them wrong and you spend a week per decision, redoing work.
Start here: the order that actually saves time
Most help articles list the decisions in the order the portal asks for them. That's not the order in which you actually need to make them. The dependency chain is: business structure → registration groups → key personnel → documents → AQA → screening → insurance → internal audit. Worker screening, for example, takes 21-90 days to complete; if you wait until after you've drafted your policies to start it, you'll be holding up the audit by months.
For the full Commission process from end to end, our SIL provider registration guide 2026 walks through the 7-step Commission workflow. This article focuses on what to do before step 1, when you're at the kitchen-table stage and not sure what to write down first.
Decision 1: pick (or confirm) your business structure
The Commission asks for your legal entity type early. Sole trader, company, incorporated association, partnership, or trust — the structure you choose has flow-on effects across insurance, key-personnel declarations, and audit cost. For most small SIL providers the choice is sole trader (fastest) or proprietary limited company (recommended once you have any staff or assets to protect). Our NDIS provider business structure guide walks through the trade-offs in detail; the short version is: if you'll have staff working in participants' homes, a company structure ring-fences personal liability.
Decision 2: identify your registration groups
The Commission registers you against specific "registration groups" — categories of supports. SIL is registration group 0115 (Supported Independent Living). If you also deliver other supports (community participation, daily personal activities, support coordination), each is a separate group and each adds to your audit scope.
Our recommendation: register for the minimum scope you'll actually deliver in the first 12 months. You can add registration groups later via a mid-term registration update — but every additional group adds to your initial audit cost and document scope. For a deeper breakdown, see our NDIS registration groups guide.
Decision 3: nominate key personnel
Every registered provider must nominate at least one "key personnel" — the person(s) the Commission considers responsible for the organisation. For sole traders that's you. For companies it's typically the directors and any senior manager with operational authority. Each key person must hold a current NDIS Worker Screening Check, complete a "fit and proper person" declaration, and disclose any prior corporate disqualifications, insolvencies, or relevant criminal matters.
Get this list locked down early — adding a key person mid-application triggers re-submission of supporting documents. Our key personnel requirements guide covers the fit-and-proper test in practice.
Decision 4: complete the self-assessment honestly
The Commission provides a self-assessment questionnaire that rates your current compliance against each Practice Standard outcome. The instinct is to mark yourself "fully compliant" everywhere to look professional. Don't. Auditors use the self-assessment to calibrate their review scope; overstating compliance creates credibility problems during the audit. Understating creates extra review work. Honesty here saves auditor time and protects your audit recommendation.
Decision 5: gather (or build) your documentation suite
This is the largest single workstream. The Commission expects a comprehensive policy and procedure suite, mapped to the NDIS Practice Standards Core Module and (for SIL) usually the High Intensity Daily Personal Activities supplementary module. Most SIL providers need 25 policies + 25 forms + 10 registers + 3-5 guides as a baseline — see our 25-policy checklist for the exact breakdown.
Three paths exist for this workstream:
- Build from scratch. 40-100 hours of focused work for a small provider. Free in cash terms; expensive in time.
- Hire a consultant. $4,400-$8,000+ for a full document package. Fast in calendar terms; expensive in cash.
- Use a pre-built kit. $297 for the Complete SIL Kit (74 documents pre-mapped to Practice Standards). 4-8 hours to customise. Fastest combination of time and cash.
For the full DIY vs consultant vs kit breakdown, see our NDIS consulting vs DIY cost comparison.
Decision 6: book your Approved Quality Auditor
This is the decision most providers leave too late. SIL registration requires a certification audit conducted by an NDIS Commission-approved AQA. The Commission maintains a public AQA register. As of Q2 2026, auditors are booking 8-12 weeks ahead and many are fully booked through July. Contact three AQAs simultaneously rather than sequentially — the difference between three quotes in parallel vs sequential is roughly six weeks of calendar time.
Our approved quality auditor guide covers the questions to ask each AQA before booking.
Decision 7: open the Worker Screening pipeline
Every worker in a risk-assessed role must hold an NDIS Worker Screening Check. Processing times vary by state — Victoria typically 21-30 days, NSW 30-60 days, Queensland sometimes 60-90 days during peak periods. Start screening applications the same week you make Decision 1 — they run in parallel with everything else and they're the most common cause of audit delay if missed.
Our NDIS Worker Screening Check guide walks through state-by-state submission.
Skip the document-building phase
The Complete SIL Kit is 74 audit-mapped documents pre-mapped to NDIS Practice Standards. Replaces 40-100 hours of policy writing for $297. 30-day guarantee.
See what's in the kit →Decision 8: lock down insurance and key contracts
Auditors check that you hold current public liability insurance (minimum $20 million is the AU sector standard), professional indemnity (relevant for any clinical or behaviour-support practice), and workers compensation for any staff. They also check service agreements with participants and employment contracts with staff. Get these in place before the desktop audit phase or you'll be chasing certificates of currency at the worst possible time. Our NDIS provider insurance requirements article covers what each policy must include.
Decision 9: schedule your first internal audit
The most-flagged non-conformity in NDIS audits is "no evidence of internal audit." The fix is operational: schedule and conduct one internal audit before the AQA arrives, document the findings, and remediate them. This proves to the auditor that your quality management system is real, not just written down. Our top 5 reasons SIL providers fail NDIS audits article goes deeper on this and four other audit-killing gaps.
Decision 10: plan your real cost
The Commission application is free. The realistic total spend for a small SIL provider is $5,000-$12,000: AQA audit fee (3k-15k+ depending on scope), document preparation ($297 for a pre-built kit, or $0 + 40-100 hours DIY, or $4,400-$8,000+ for a consultant), staff time, and insurance premiums. Knowing this upfront prevents the "we ran out of money mid-audit" failure mode. Our NDIS registration cost guide breaks down every line item.
Getting unstuck if you're already mid-process
If you're already partway through and stuck on a specific blocker, the highest-leverage moves we've seen are:
- Stuck on documentation: stop writing from scratch. The Complete SIL Kit compresses the build phase from months to days. The 30-day guarantee makes it risk-free to check the contents against the gap you're trying to close.
- Stuck on AQA selection: contact three at once. Ask each: earliest desktop-review slot, SIL audit experience in last 12 months, fee structure. Decide in 48 hours.
- Stuck on staff documentation: the free Notes Rewriter rewrites shift notes into Practice-Standards-aligned language. Use it as the operational tool for Outcome 3.2 evidence; auditors look at this in the on-site visit.
- Stuck on audit prep: our SIL audit survival guide is the cornerstone reference. Print it, tick documents off as you customise them.
Registration is a paperwork-and-decisions exercise. The decisions are knowable. The paperwork is buildable. The deadline is fixed. Start with Decision 1 today; the rest follow in order.
Important: This article provides general guidance about NDIS compliance requirements. It is not legal or professional advice. Requirements may change as the NDIS Commission updates its policies and Practice Standards. Always verify current requirements with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission or a registered NDIS consultant before making compliance decisions.