NDIS Registration
How to Become an NDIS Provider, Step by Step
The whole path, in the order it happens: what you deliver decides your registration groups, your groups decide your audit, and the audit decides what you need ready before you apply.
The Short Answer
How do I become an NDIS provider?
Work out which supports you will deliver and the registration groups they fall into, put the required policies, insurance and worker screening in place, then apply to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission through its online portal. An independent approved quality auditor assesses you, and the Commission decides whether to register you.
01The Path
Seven Steps, in the Order They Happen
- Decide what you will deliverStart from the supports you will actually provide, not from the groups you think sound right. Everything after this follows from it.
- Map supports to registration groupsEach support sits in a registration group. The groups you apply for decide whether you are audited by verification or certification, and which modules apply.
- Set up the businessAn ABN, a business structure that suits you, appropriate insurance and the records you will need from day one.
- Put your systems in writingPolicies and procedures that describe how you actually work: incidents, complaints, risk, privacy, worker screening and training. The auditor checks these against practice.
- Apply to the NDIS CommissionOnline, through the Commission’s portal, signing in with PRODA or myID. You complete a self-assessment against the standards that apply to you.
- Engage an approved quality auditorThe Commission gives you an initial scope of audit. You engage an independent NDIS-approved auditor, who quotes from that scope and audits you.
- The Commission decidesThe audit report goes to the Commission, which decides whether to register you. When it does, you receive your certificate and registration number.
02Before You Start
Do You Need to Be Registered at All?
Not every NDIS provider has to be registered. Some supports require it, such as specialist disability accommodation and implementing regulated restrictive practices, and providers who want to support NDIA-managed participants must be registered. Many others can choose.
Registration reform is live policy, so check the current position before you decide. Our guide to who must register sets out where things stand.
Registered and unregistered providers can do different things. The difference decides who you can work with.
Who must register →03Costs and Time
What It Costs, and Who You Pay
- The NDIS Commission does not charge an application fee.
- The independent auditor charges for the audit. Verification is a desktop review and generally the least expensive; certification costs more and scales with your scope.
- If you use a consultant, they charge for preparation. Our packages are fixed fees: Verification $899, Core $1,999, Specialist $2,499, SDA $1,099.
- Time depends mostly on how ready your documents are and on the auditor’s availability.
Every cost in registering, who charges it and when.
What registration actually costs →Sources
- NDIS Commission: Apply for registration
- NDIS Commission: Types of audits
- NDIS Commission: NDIS Practice Standards
- NDIS Commission: Worker screening
Checked against these sources on 13 October 2026.
Start the Right Way
Tell us what you will deliver. We will tell you which groups and which audit apply, and what it costs end to end.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I become an NDIS provider as a sole trader?
Yes. Sole traders register through the same process, against the same standards, scaled to the size of the business. See our guide for sole traders.
Do I need qualifications to become an NDIS provider?
Some supports need professional qualifications or registration with a professional body, such as allied health and nursing. Others do not. The Practice Standards also expect workers to have the skills and training for what they deliver.
Do I apply to the NDIA or the NDIS Commission?
To the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, which registers and regulates providers. The NDIA runs the scheme and pays claims.
How long does it take to become an NDIS provider?
It varies with the pathway and how ready you are. Verification is generally quicker than certification, which has a two-stage audit. The biggest variables are document readiness and auditor availability.
Keep Reading
More NDIS Guides
- NDIS Registration as a Sole Trader: What Changes and What Does NotRegistering as an NDIS provider as a sole trader: what you need, which audit applies, how the standards…Read the guide →
- How to Start an NDIS Business That LastsHow to start an NDIS business: choose your supports, decide registered or unregistered, set up the…Read the guide →
- The NDIS Commission Portal: What It Is and How to Get InWhat the NDIS Commission portal is, how providers sign in with PRODA or myID, what it is used for, and how…Read the guide →
By Profession
Checked against NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and NDIA published guidance in October 2026. NDIS rules change: confirm anything you are about to act on against ndiscommission.gov.au or ndis.gov.au, or ask us.
One Conversation Tells You Where You Stand
Fifteen minutes with someone who has done this thousands of times. We will tell you what applies to you, what it costs and how long it takes — and if you do not need us, we will tell you that too.