NDIS Provider Registration Checklist 2026

1. Business setup and entity basics

Registration is granted to a legal entity, not to a person or a trading name. Get this settled before anything else, because it flows into every document you produce.

• Confirm the legal entity that will hold the registration

  Sole trader, company, partnership, trust or incorporated association. If a trustee company acts for a trust, be clear which entity applies.

• Active ABN recorded and matching the entity name

  Check the entity name on the ABN Lookup record exactly matches what you will type into the application.

• ACN / registration numbers and any business (trading) names recorded

  Keep certificates together — auditors routinely ask for them.

• Business address, service delivery states/territories and contact details settled

  Registration is national but some obligations (worker screening, incident reporting interfaces, state licensing) are state-specific.

• Insurances arranged: public liability, professional indemnity, workers compensation where applicable

  Certificates of currency are standard audit evidence.

• Bank account, accounting and record-keeping systems in place

  You need to demonstrate financial and governance capability appropriate to the size of the business.

2. Intended services and registration groups

What you intend to deliver determines your registration groups (classes of support), which in turn determine your audit type and cost.

• List every support you intend to deliver, in plain words first

  For example: 'domestic cleaning in participants' homes', 'transport to appointments', 'physiotherapy in clinic'.

• Map each support to the applicable registration group / class of support

  Do not apply for groups you do not intend to deliver — each additional group widens the audit and increases auditor fees.

• Identify whether any intended group is higher risk

  Supported Independent Living, specialist behaviour support, high intensity daily personal activities and early childhood supports carry additional requirements.

• Check whether you must register at all

  Providers supporting NDIA-managed participants, and providers delivering supports where registration is mandatory, must be registered. Self-managed and plan-managed participants may use unregistered providers for many supports.

• Confirm any non-NDIS requirements for your trade or profession

  Licences, AHPRA registration, state building/electrical/plumbing licensing, food safety, vehicle accreditation.

3. Self-assessment against the NDIS Practice Standards

The application includes a self-assessment. It is the document that shapes your entire audit, so treat it as the core piece of work.

• Identify which Practice Standards modules apply to your registration groups

  Core module plus any supplementary modules (for example Implementing Behaviour Support Plans, High Intensity Daily Personal Activities, Specialist Support Coordination).

• Rate yourself honestly against each applicable outcome and indicator

  Overstating readiness is the most common cause of non-conformities at audit.

• Record the specific evidence that supports each rating

  Name the policy, form, register or record — auditors will ask to see exactly what you cited.

• Write an action plan for gaps with owners and dates

  A credible improvement plan is better received than a claim of full compliance.

4. Policies, procedures and forms

Policies must reflect what your business actually does. Generic templates that name the wrong services or reference processes you do not run are a common audit failure.

• Governance and operational management, including delegations and business continuity

  Show who decides what, and what happens if a key person is unavailable.

• Risk management and workplace health and safety

  Include participant-level and organisational risk assessment.

• Incident management system, including reportable incidents

  Must cover identifying, recording, managing, resolving and reporting incidents, plus participant support after an incident.

• Complaints management and feedback

  Participants must be told how to complain to you and to the NDIS Commission.

• Participant rights: privacy, dignity, choice and control, independence, informed consent

  Include an accessible participant handbook or service agreement pack.

• Service agreements, intake, assessment, support planning and exit

  Show the full participant journey end to end.

• Human resources: recruitment, screening, induction, supervision, training, performance

  Cover contractors and labour hire if you use them.

• Records and information management, including retention and confidentiality

  Note where records live and who can access them.

• Continuous improvement and internal audit

  Include a schedule and evidence of at least one cycle before audit if possible.

• Version control applied: document owner, version number, approval date, review date

  Undated, unversioned documents undermine otherwise good content.

5. Key personnel and suitability

Key personnel are the people who make or participate in decisions that affect the whole business — directors, partners, the CEO, and equivalent roles.

• Identify every key person and record their role and responsibilities

  Include a simple organisational chart.

• Collect qualifications, experience and role-relevant CVs

  The Commission assesses suitability of the provider and its key personnel.

• Complete required declarations, including any relevant history

  Bankruptcy, insolvency, banning orders, disqualifications and relevant convictions must be disclosed.

• Arrange criminal history checks and, where required, NDIS worker screening for key personnel

  Requirements vary by state or territory and by role.

• Nominate the person responsible for compliance and the Commission relationship

  One named contact avoids missed correspondence during assessment.

6. Workforce and worker screening

• Identify risk-assessed roles that require an NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance

  Roles with more than incidental contact with participants are generally risk-assessed roles.

• Register as an employer with your state or territory worker screening unit

  Workers link their application to you; you verify and monitor clearance status.

• Maintain a worker register recording clearance numbers, expiry dates and monitoring

  Auditors check that the register is current, not just that it exists.

• Confirm NDIS Worker Orientation Module completion where applicable

  'Quality, Safety and You' is a common expectation for direct support workers.

• Record role-specific training: manual handling, medication, mealtime management, infection control, behaviour support

  Only include what applies to your registration groups.

• Document supervision arrangements and induction for new workers and contractors

  Include evidence of a completed induction for at least one worker.

7. Evidence pack for the audit

Assemble evidence in one indexed folder before the audit is booked. Auditors sample; a clear index shortens the audit and reduces follow-up.

• Entity documents: ABN record, certificate of registration, insurances

  Current and in the registered entity's name.

• Approved policy suite with version control and an approval record

  Plus the forms and templates each policy refers to.

• Registers: incidents, complaints, risks, continuous improvement, conflicts of interest

  New providers can present empty but properly designed registers, plus a worked example.

• Worker files: screening, qualifications, induction, training, supervision records

  For new providers, at least one complete sample file.

• Participant-facing material: handbook, service agreement, consent forms, easy-read information

  Show how participants are informed of their rights.

• Self-assessment and gap action plan

  Bring the version you submitted plus evidence of progress since.

8. Scope of audit, auditor and audit type

After you submit, the Commission issues an initial scope of audit. You then engage an approved quality auditor at your own cost.

• Submit the application and receive the initial scope of audit

  The scope states your groups, the applicable modules and the audit type.

• Confirm whether you require verification or certification

  Verification applies to lower-risk supports and is largely a desktop review of documents. Certification applies to higher-risk supports and involves a Stage 1 desktop review and a Stage 2 on-site or remote assessment, usually including participant interviews with consent.

• Request quotes from at least two approved quality auditors

  Auditor fees are set by the auditor, are separate from any consulting fee, and vary with scope, sites and worker numbers.

• Engage the auditor and agree dates, sites and interview arrangements

  Book early; lead times of several weeks are common.

• Prepare participants and workers for interviews where certification applies

  Participation is voluntary and consent must be recorded.

• Close out non-conformities within the auditor's timeframes

  Major non-conformities generally require corrective action and evidence before the auditor finalises the report.

9. Suitability assessment and the Commission's decision

• Auditor submits the audit report to the NDIS Commission

  You should keep your own copy of the final report.

• Commission completes its suitability assessment of the provider and key personnel

  It considers the audit outcome, declared history, risk of the supports and your capacity to comply.

• Respond promptly to any request for further information

  Delays here are the most common cause of extended timeframes.

• Receive the decision and your certificate of registration

  The registration certificate states your approved registration groups and the registration period. The Commission — not any consultant or auditor — makes the decision.

• Check the certificate details and diarise the renewal date

  Registration periods are time-limited and renewal requires another audit.

10. Ongoing compliance after registration

• Operate the incident and complaints systems, including reportable incident timeframes

  Keep the registers live from day one of delivery.

• Monitor worker screening clearances and training currency

  Set reminders well before expiry dates.

• Notify the Commission of changes: key personnel, entity details, adverse events, changes in scale or scope

  Notification obligations have short timeframes.

• Run continuous improvement and internal audit cycles

  Document what you reviewed, what changed and what improved.

• Review policies on schedule and after any incident or regulatory change

  Record the review even where no change is made.

• Begin renewal preparation well before your registration expiry

  Mid-term and renewal audits both require current evidence, not retrospective files.