Selling a registered disability provider

The NDIS Commission's position is that a registration can't be transferred to a different ABN, so a buyer of the business's assets would need its own registration covering the right registration groups, or would need to apply for one and go through an audit. If the shares are sold instead, the registration stays with the entity, although the change of ownership and any changes to key personnel have to be notified to the Commission and the new people need to meet the suitability and worker screening requirements. A significant change can also lead the Commission to require a new audit.

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Participants don't move automatically under either structure, since they choose their provider and remain free to choose a different one. For most buyers of a provider delivering higher-risk supports, this makes a share sale the more practical option, and it means that keeping participants through the transition is usually the main risk the buyer is trying to manage.

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What changed in 2026

From 1 July 2026 new providers of Supported Independent Living have had to be registered, and existing unregistered providers had until 1 October 2026 to apply or stop. The government has announced that personal care, daily living and closed-setting supports will also need registration from 1 July 2027, although that is not yet legislated. In August 2026 Parliament also passed the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act, which allows the Minister to set maximum prices and adds new offences, civil penalties and record-keeping duties. Taken together, these changes tend to increase the value of providers that are already registered and compliant, and make it harder for those that aren't.

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What buyers will check

A buyer will start with your registration groups, your audit history and anything on the public register, and then look closely at how long participants stay with you and whether those relationships sit with the business or with you personally. If you deliver SIL, occupancy will be important because the NDIS funds participants rather than providers and doesn't cover vacancy costs, and buyers will also look at how much of the business depends on a single type of support or a small number of participants, as well as at worker screening, staff turnover and the share of shifts filled by agency staff. It's common for part of the price to be deferred until participants have stayed through the transition.

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Who is buying

Much of the recent consolidation has come from not-for-profit providers combining to share the cost of compliance and governance, as The Disability Trust and LEAD did in 2026, alongside private equity backed platforms that bring home care and disability supports together.

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Preparing in the year before a sale

It helps to be clear about which registration groups the business actually needs and to close out any open audit findings, and to have a documented picture of how participants are engaged and how long they stay. If you deliver SIL, reviewing occupancy and the underlying agreements is worthwhile, as is confirming that every key person's screening is current and reducing how much of the day-to-day participant relationship runs through you.

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How we work with disability providers

We work through structure, timing and buyer selection with you before a process begins, and we stay involved through the transition of participants and staff after completion.