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The NDIS reforms are moving the scheme towards a more targeted and regulated operating model, and the legislation behind them is no longer just proposed.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 passed Parliament on 19 August 2026, though it is still awaiting Royal Assent at the time of writing. The Bill provides the legislative framework for reform, while significant practical detail will still be established through further rules, assessments and implementation guidance.
The reforms are unlikely to affect all NDIS businesses equally. Providers servicing participants with significant and permanent disabilities may be comparatively well positioned, while businesses exposed to lower-support-needs participants, unregistered higher-risk services or concentrated NDIS revenue may face greater risk. At the same time, the expansion of mandatory registration creates opportunities for businesses that can provide complex supports, meet higher compliance standards and operate profitably in a more regulated market.
If you have a specific question, jump straight to the FAQs.
The Bill has passed Parliament (19 August 2026) and is awaiting Royal Assent.
Access changes for new applicants begin from 1 January 2028; existing participants are reassessed over three years.
Supported Independent Living (SIL) and platform providers have needed to be registered since 1 July 2026.
Mandatory registration for other higher-risk supports (personal care, daily living supports, supports in closed settings) rolls out from 1 July 2027, with all providers in scope registered by December 2030.
The Government is aiming to reduce participant numbers from around 760,000 to around 600,000 by 2030.
Many of the rules, assessments and transition arrangements are still being developed.
The reform program includes:
A stronger focus on people with permanent and significant disability
Future changes to how NDIS access is assessed
A new support-needs assessment to inform plan budgets
Expansion of mandatory registration for certain providers
Stronger fraud and enforcement measures
Changes to provider and payment systems
A greater role for mainstream and state-based services.
The Government has indicated an objective of reducing participant numbers from approximately 760,000 to around 600,000 by 2030 as the reforms are implemented. Access changes commence from 1 January 2028, with existing participants progressively reassessed over three years. The final access assessment and transition arrangements are still being developed.
Businesses should distinguish between confirmed reforms, proposed policy settings and potential commercial consequences.
Talk to your Findex advisor about how these NDIS reforms apply to your business.
There is a clear policy direction towards a more regulated provider market. However, it is not currently correct to say that every NDIS provider must immediately become registered.
The confirmed direction is a staged expansion of mandatory registration:
Mandatory registration for Supported Independent Living and platform providers began rolling out from 1 July 2026.
Expanded mandatory registration for providers delivering higher-risk supports will begin to be rolled out from 1 July 2027.
All providers in scope will be required to be registered by December 2030.
Higher-risk supports are expected to include personal care, daily living supports, supports delivered in closed settings and services provided to participants who may be at greater risk of abuse or exploitation. The Government is expected to provide further detail about the relevant support categories and transition process.
This is something we've been flagging with clients for two to three years now: as the scheme matures, stronger governance, increased scrutiny and a more structured provider environment were always likely to emerge. These reforms are consistent with that direction.”
For providers delivering supports that become subject to mandatory registration, registration may become necessary to continue operating in that service category.
Registration may protect market access, but it does not guarantee participant numbers, plan funding, referrals, pricing, profitability or business value. Providers delivering lower-risk supports may continue to operate without registration where permitted, although participants and referral partners may increasingly prefer registered providers.
The commercial question is therefore not simply whether a provider should register under these NDIS reforms. It is whether the cost of registration is justified by the revenue and market access it protects or creates.
The reforms are intended to refocus the NDIS on people whose disability is permanent and has a significant effect on daily life.
The reforms also include a new plan variation pathway for high-support-needs participants who require continuous 24-hour care. This pathway is intended to allow funding to be increased where necessary to maintain that care.
Businesses primarily supporting participants with significant and permanent disability may therefore be less exposed to broad reductions in participant numbers than businesses focused mainly on lower or moderate support needs. This is a commercial assessment, not a guaranteed protection. Final access criteria, reassessment processes and plan-budget arrangements remain subject to further development.
Potentially better-positioned service areas may include:
Complex personal care
High-intensity daily living support
Supported Independent Living
Specialist disability accommodation-related services
Complex behavioural support
Services involving significant supervision, communication or safety requirements.
These services may be more closely aligned with the future NDIS focus, but they can also involve higher staffing, supervision, training, insurance, incident-management and compliance costs. The key question is whether the business can deliver those services profitably under the future regulatory framework.
Registration and participant eligibility should not be confused.
| Issue | What it determines |
|---|---|
| Participant eligability | Whether a person can access the NDIS |
| Plan funding | The amount and type of support available to the participant |
| Provider registration | Whether a provider is authorised to deliver supports that require registration |
| Support classification | Whether a particular support is categorised as higher risk or otherwise subject to registration |
A registered provider may still be affected if a participant does not meet future access requirements, a plan budget is reduced, a service is no longer funded in its current form, pricing or claims rules change, or demand declines.
An unregistered provider may continue to deliver lower-risk supports where permitted. Registration under the NDIS reforms is therefore best viewed as a potential condition of operating in particular markets, rather than a guarantee of revenue.
Businesses should review their dependence on:
A small number of participants
One support category
Supported Independent Living
One referral source
One geographic area
NDIS-funded revenue generally
A provider may have strong current revenue but remain vulnerable if one participant or referral relationship represents a material proportion of turnover.
Talk to your Findex advisor about reviewing your revenue concentration under the NDIS reforms.
Changes to plan approvals, reassessments, claiming arrangements or service volumes may affect both the timing and amount of receipts. Businesses should monitor debtor days, rejected or delayed claims, plan renewal dates, cash reserves, payroll commitments, worker utilisation and unused capacity.
Profitability should be assessed by service line and participant cohort after allowing for:
Wages and contractor costs
Travel and cancellations
Supervision and training
Administration and insurance
Compliance and incident management
Management time
High-needs services may generate larger plans but also require more intensive delivery models. High revenue does not necessarily mean high profitability.
Businesses with appropriately skilled workers, robust systems and experience supporting complex participants may be well placed as the NDIS focuses more heavily on significant and permanent disability. The opportunity is to provide services that are safe, reliable, appropriately staffed, well documented and capable of demonstrating participant outcomes.
Businesses that register successfully may be better positioned to retain higher-risk work, accept referrals requiring registered providers, compete for formal service arrangements and expand into service categories that unregistered providers cannot deliver. This should not be treated as guaranteed additional demand. In some cases, registration may simply preserve the business's ability to participate in its existing market.
The cost of registration, governance and compliance may encourage consolidation in parts of the sector. Potential strategies may include acquiring a specialist provider, merging to share compliance infrastructure, acquiring a registration-ready business or expanding geographically.
For buyers, registration status, audit history, participant concentration, workforce capability and compliance systems will be important due diligence matters. For sellers, strong systems and registration readiness may improve credibility and transferability, but will not automatically increase value.
The reforms are expected to involve greater responsibility for states and territories and a broader range of mainstream and community supports. Businesses may consider services for state and territory disability programs, health and hospital services, mental-health programs, schools, employment services, aged care, insurers, employers, private clients and community organisations.
Diversification should be assessed commercially because each funding source may involve different eligibility requirements, payment terms, pricing and reporting obligations.
Registration may become increasingly relevant to the value of an NDIS business, particularly where it provides higher-risk supports. A buyer or lender may consider:
Whether registration is already held and which groups are covered
Whether registration will be required in the future
The cost of maintaining registration
The proportion of revenue from high-needs participants
Participant and referral concentration
Sustainable margins and compliance history
Workforce stability and owner dependence
Revenue outside the NDIS.
A registered, well-governed business may be better positioned than an unregistered business facing substantial future investment. However, registration alone does not establish goodwill or guarantee a higher valuation. Value will ultimately depend on sustainable earnings and the regulatory, participant and workforce risk attached to those earnings.
Talk to your Findex advisor about what these NDIS reforms could mean for your business's value.
Identify whether services are likely to fall within higher-risk categories and separate services that may require registration from those that may continue without it.
Estimate the costs of registration, audits, policies, worker screening, training, incident management and ongoing compliance. Compare these with the revenue and market access registration may protect.
Review the proportion of revenue generated by high-needs and lower-support-needs participants, higher-risk supports, SIL, different service categories and non-NDIS customers.
Model lower participant numbers, reduced service hours, pricing changes, increased compliance costs, delayed payments, higher wages and the loss of a major participant.
Ensure the business can demonstrate accurate claims, appropriate service delivery, participant consent, worker competency, incident management, complaints handling and governance oversight.
Assess whether to pursue registration, expand into higher-needs services, acquire or merge with another provider, diversify into other funding markets, invest in compliance systems or prepare the business for a future sale.
The table below sets out the confirmed NDIS reforms 2026 timeline so far.
1 July 2026 — Mandatory registration in effect for Supported Independent Living and platform providers.
1 October 2026 — Funding for some social, civic and community participation supports begins progressive adjustment.
1 July 2027 — Expanded mandatory registration for higher-risk supports (personal care, daily living, closed settings) begins rolling out.
1 January 2028 — Access changes begin for new applicants; existing participants start being reassessed, over a three-year period.
December 2030 — All providers in scope must be registered; Government's target date for reducing participant numbers to around 600,000.
The NDIS reforms are likely to create a more targeted and regulated provider market.
Businesses supporting participants with significant and permanent support needs may be comparatively less exposed to broad reductions in participant numbers. However, they may also face higher staffing, compliance and registration costs.
The Government is expanding mandatory registration, but the current confirmed position is a staged approach focused initially on SIL, platform providers and higher-risk supports. It is not yet an immediate requirement for every NDIS provider.
For business owners, registration should be assessed as a commercial decision involving market access, compliance investment and future business value. The businesses best placed to adapt are likely to have a participant base aligned with the future NDIS focus, appropriate registration or a clear registration plan, strong governance, reliable workforce capability, sustainable margins and diversified revenue.
The immediate priority is to assess likely registration requirements, model the financial impact and determine whether the business should invest in registration, specialise in higher-needs supports, diversify, acquire capability or pursue another strategic option.
Yes. The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 passed Parliament on 19 August 2026. It is still awaiting Royal Assent at the time of writing, and a number of practical details are yet to be settled through further rules and guidance.
Only if you deliver Supported Independent Living or platform services — NDIS mandatory registration for these categories has applied since 1 July 2026. Broader mandatory registration for higher-risk supports (personal care, daily living, closed settings) doesn't begin rolling out until 1 July 2027, with full implementation by December 2030.
Not immediately. Access changes for new applicants don't start before 1 January 2028, and existing participants are reassessed progressively over three years from that date, not all at once.
The Government's own guidance points to personal care, daily living supports, and supports delivered in closed settings, along with services provided to participants at greater risk of abuse or exploitation. Further detail on the exact categories is still to come.
No. Registration may protect access to a market or service category, but it doesn't guarantee participant numbers, referrals, pricing or profitability. The commercial question is whether the cost of registration is justified by the revenue and access it protects.
Registration status, participant and referral concentration, revenue diversification and workforce stability are all live inputs to how a buyer or lender will assess an NDIS business now. Registration alone doesn't create goodwill or guarantee a higher valuation — sustainable earnings and risk still drive value.
The NDIS reforms raise real questions about registration, cash flow, service mix and business value, and the answers will differ for every provider.
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Adam joined Findex in 2013 having previously worked in Melbourne for over nine years where he gained considerable experience in business advisory. Adam provides advice and guidance to businesses so that they can achieve their goals and full potential.
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