Unregistered NDIS provider: what you can and cannot do in 2026
Being unregistered is a lawful way to deliver many NDIS supports, with limits that the regulator states plainly and a list that is about to grow. This page sets out who you can serve, what you cannot deliver, the obligations that apply regardless, and the dates already published for the expansion of mandatory registration.
Published 25 September 2026. Every statement below was read at its own source on that date; the numbered links take you there.
What an unregistered provider can do
Unregistered providers can deliver supports and services to participants, except those reserved for registered providers, and only participants who self-manage or plan-manage their NDIS funding can choose them.[1] The NDIA's guide describes providers as a person, business or organisation, registered or unregistered, and lists the benefits registration adds: a wider range of participants, branding as registered, visibility in the provider finder and access to updates and tools.[2]
What needs registration
You must be registered to provide specialist disability accommodation, specialist behaviour support services, supports or services to participants with NDIA-managed funding, plan management, supported independent living and NDIS digital platform services, and to use regulated restrictive practices; residential aged care providers supporting participants must also be registered.[1] SIL and platform registration became mandatory on 1 July 2026, with two new classes of support, 0137 and 0138.[4] Unregistered SIL providers who did not apply by 1 October 2026 can only claim for services up to 30 September 2026.[6]
Obligations that apply anyway
The NDIS Code of Conduct applies to registered and unregistered providers.[2] The Commission's reform hub repeats it: registered and unregistered providers still need to follow the Code and deliver safe, high-quality supports.[4] Worker screening is not legally required for unregistered providers' staff, but the Commission recommends that all workers hold an NDIS worker screening clearance; a clearance lasts 5 years, and unregistered providers can apply for access to the worker screening database through the Unregistered providers portal, link their workers and monitor clearance status.[3]
Working under someone else's registration
Some providers deliver supports under another provider's registration, in facilitation or brokerage arrangements; the unregistered party may be an entity, a sole trader or a subcontracted worker. In that case the registered provider must be the one that claims payment, is responsible for all supports delivered under its registration, must make sure everyone delivering them complies with the conditions of registration including the Code of Conduct, and must make the arrangement transparent to participants.[1]
What is coming
Under the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act 2026, mandatory registration will be expanded to all providers delivering higher-risk supports, with personal care, daily living supports and supports in closed settings given as examples; a list will be published, expanded requirements begin to roll out from 1 July 2027, and all providers in scope must be registered by December 2030. Most providers will also need to enrol with the NDIA with identifiable information and a validated bank account, keep records of NDIS payments for 7 years, and from 1 December 2026 claim within 90 days.[5] Our page on the Act's provider changes lists every date.
If your services sit near that list, the sensible move is to scope registration now rather than in 2027: the 38 registration groups and the registration steps are the two pages to read next.
Questions providers are asking
Can an unregistered provider work with any participant?
No. The Commission says only participants who self-manage or plan-manage their funding can choose supports from unregistered providers; NDIA-managed participants must use registered providers.[1]
Does the NDIS Code of Conduct apply to me if I am unregistered?
Yes. The NDIA's guide states the Code of Conduct applies to registered and unregistered providers, and the Commission says both still need to deliver safe, high-quality supports.[2][4]
Do my workers need an NDIS worker screening clearance?
Unregistered providers are not legally required to ask staff for a clearance, but the Commission recommends that all workers have one; a clearance is valid for 5 years and unregistered providers can access the worker screening database through the Unregistered providers portal.[3]
Can I deliver SIL without registering?
Not after 1 October 2026 unless you have applied. Unregistered SIL providers who do not apply by that date can only claim for services up to 30 September 2026.[6]
Can I work under another provider's registration?
The Commission describes facilitation or brokerage arrangements where an unregistered provider delivers supports under a registered provider's registration; the registered provider claims payment, is responsible for those supports and must make the arrangement transparent to participants.[1]
Will more supports become registration-only?
The government says mandatory registration will expand to all providers of higher-risk supports, such as personal care, daily living supports and supports in closed settings, rolling out from 1 July 2027 with everyone in scope registered by December 2030, and that most providers will need to enrol with the NDIA.[5]
Sources
Each numbered line is the page a statement above was taken from, with the date we opened it. Read the source before you act; we summarise, the source decides.
- About registration, NDIS Commission, last updated 7 August 2026, opened 25 September 2026.
- Guide to becoming a provider, NDIA, current as of 23 June 2026, opened 25 September 2026.
- Worker screening for unregistered providers, NDIS Commission, last updated 1 December 2025, opened 25 September 2026.
- Mandatory registration, NDIS Commission reform hub, last updated 8 September 2026, opened 25 September 2026.
- About the changes to the NDIS, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, opened 25 September 2026.
- SIL claims and payment changes from 1 July 2026, NDIA news, 24 June 2026, opened 25 September 2026.