Registering with the NDIS Commission lets you work with NDIA-managed participants, deliver supports that only registered providers can offer, and show participants that your business has been independently audited. It also brings an audit bill, ongoing obligations and closer scrutiny of your records.
The rules are also changing. Supported Independent Living and NDIS digital platform providers have had to be registered since 1 July 2026, and the Government has confirmed that registration will become mandatory for more higher-risk supports from July 2027.
This guide explains how registration works, what drives the cost, and the financial and record-keeping side that is often left until the auditor asks for it. It is written from an accountant’s point of view, so for questions about the NDIS Practice Standards themselves, the NDIS Commission and your auditor are the right people to ask.
What is NDIS provider registration?
Registration is managed by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (the NDIS Commission), not the NDIA. A registered provider has applied to the Commission, been audited against the NDIS Practice Standards that apply to its supports, passed a suitability assessment of the business and its key personnel, and received a certificate of registration.
Registration is generally granted for three years, and registered providers appear on the public NDIS Provider Register. Before your registration period ends, you apply to renew and complete a new audit.
Every NDIS provider, registered or not, must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. Registration adds the Practice Standards, independent audits and the Commission’s conditions of registration on top of that.
Do you need to be registered?
It depends on the supports you deliver and how your participants’ plans are managed. You need to be registered to:
- deliver supports to participants whose funding is NDIA-managed
- provide specialist disability accommodation
- develop behaviour support plans or use regulated restrictive practices
- provide plan management
- deliver Supported Independent Living (SIL), since 1 July 2026
- operate an NDIS digital platform, since 1 July 2026
For most other supports, self-managed and plan-managed participants can choose an unregistered provider. Many smaller providers work this way and never need to register.
Existing unregistered SIL and platform providers had until 1 October 2026 to apply for registration or stop delivering those services.
What changes from July 2027
The Government has confirmed that providers of higher-risk supports, such as personal care, daily living supports and supports delivered in closed settings, will need to be registered. The rollout starts on 1 July 2027, and all providers in scope must be registered by December 2030.
The exact list of supports has not been published yet. If you deliver personal care or daily living supports to self-managed or plan-managed participants without registration, this is the change to plan for, because a certification audit can take months to prepare for.
How the registration process works
- Choose your registration groups. The groups (or classes of support) you apply for decide which Practice Standards apply and which type of audit you need. Applying for groups you do not deliver adds to your audit scope and cost.
- Apply through the NDIS Commission portal. You will need a myID account, your business and key personnel details, and the supports you plan to deliver. The Commission then sends you an initial scope of audit.
- Engage an approved quality auditor. You choose and pay the auditor yourself, so it is worth getting quotes from more than one.
- Complete your audit. The auditor sends its report to the Commission within 14 days of a verification audit, or 28 days of a certification audit.
- Suitability assessment and decision. The Commission assesses your business and key personnel, then decides on your application. If you are approved, your certificate lists the supports you are registered for and your registration period.
- Connect to the NDIA. To work with NDIA-managed participants, you also need a PRODA account and access to the myplace provider portal, which is where you create service bookings and submit payment requests.
Verification or certification audit?
A verification audit applies if you only deliver lower-risk supports. It is a desktop review of your documents, and many providers on this pathway, such as allied health practitioners, already meet professional registration requirements.
A certification audit applies if you deliver one or more higher-risk supports. It has two stages: a desktop review, then an onsite audit within three months that can include visiting your sites and interviewing your staff and participants. Certified providers also complete a mid-term audit 18 months into their registration period.
If the auditor finds a major non-conformity, you have three months to fix it, and your registration does not progress until you do.
What does NDIS registration cost?
There is no fee to apply to the NDIS Commission. Your main cost is the audit, which you pay to the auditor directly, and the Commission does not set audit prices.
Your audit quote will mostly depend on:
- whether you need a verification or certification audit
- how many registration groups you apply for
- the size of your organisation, the number of participants you support and how many sites you work from
- whether a mid-term audit applies during your registration period
Your budget should also cover the costs around the audit, including policies, procedures and the systems to run them, insurance, worker screening checks, staff time spent preparing evidence, and the renewal audit every three years. Ask each auditor for an itemised quote that shows every stage, so you are comparing the same scope.
If you are spending money on registration before your business starts trading, talk to your accountant about how those costs are treated for tax. The answer is not always the same as for costs you incur once you are operating.
The financial side of getting audit-ready
The core module of the Practice Standards covers governance and operational management, and the mid-term audit focuses on it. From a finance point of view, you are in a much stronger position when you have:
- a business structure that suits your plans, with your key personnel correctly identified
- a separate business bank account and bookkeeping that is up to date every month
- service agreements, invoices and claims that match the supports you deliver and each participant’s plan
- payroll records that show your team is paid correctly under the award
- current insurance certificates and worker screening records
- a budget and cash flow forecast that shows your business can carry its costs
Record keeping is getting stricter. Under the 2026 NDIS changes, providers need to keep records relating to the payment and receipt of NDIS funds for seven years, and failing to keep them carries a civil penalty.
If you are buying or selling a registered NDIS business, factor in the new rules on sales. From 1 July 2026, providers must notify the Commission once they know a sale will happen, and significant changes to governance or operations can trigger a new audit.
How registration affects GST, pricing, payroll and cash flow
GST. Registration with the NDIS Commission is not one of the conditions the ATO uses to decide whether an NDIS support is GST-free. Those conditions relate to the participant’s plan, the support itself and your written agreement, and our guide to whether NDIS supports are GST-free explains them.
Pricing. Registration opens up NDIA-managed participants, whose supports are always paid within the NDIS price limits. Your prices need to cover your audit and compliance costs within those limits, so it is worth working out your real cost per hour before you apply. The Government is also consulting on differentiated pricing, which could set different prices for registered and unregistered providers.
Payroll. Registration usually means more documented training, supervision and worker screening, and most of that time is not billable. Your cost per hour should include it, along with award obligations such as those in our guide to SCHADS Award payroll for NDIS providers.
Cash flow. From 1 December 2026, the time allowed to make a claim for supports drops from two years to 90 days. If you claim in batches or have a backlog, set up a process that gets your claims in well inside that window. Our cash flow tips for NDIS providers cover ways to manage the gap between delivering supports and getting paid.
A checklist before you apply
- Confirm the registration groups you actually need, and no more.
- Check your business structure and who your key personnel are.
- Open a separate business bank account and bring your bookkeeping up to date.
- Set up your service agreements, invoicing and claiming processes.
- Check your payroll setup against the award your team is employed under.
- Arrange your insurance and worker screening.
- Get at least two audit quotes, including any stage 2 and mid-term audits.
- Build a budget and cash flow forecast for your first registration period.
- Set up a filing system that keeps payment and claim records for seven years.
- Add your renewal date, and any mid-term audit, to your calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How much does NDIS provider registration cost?
The NDIS Commission does not charge an application fee. Your main cost is the audit, which depends on whether you need a verification or certification audit, how many registration groups you apply for and the size of your organisation, so get quotes from more than one approved quality auditor.
How long does NDIS registration take?
It depends on your audit type and how ready your documents are. A verification audit is a desktop review, while a certification audit has two stages, with the onsite stage due within three months of the first, followed by the Commission’s assessment.
Can I provide NDIS supports without being registered?
Yes, for most supports to self-managed and plan-managed participants. You must be registered to work with NDIA-managed participants, provide specialist disability accommodation, behaviour support or plan management, or deliver SIL or an NDIS digital platform, and more higher-risk supports will be added from July 2027.
How long does NDIS registration last?
Registration is generally granted for three years. If you apply to renew before your registration expires, it stays valid while the Commission makes its decision.
Do registered NDIS providers have to charge GST?
Registration does not decide whether a support is GST-free. That depends on the ATO’s conditions for NDIS supports, while whether your business needs to register for GST depends on your turnover.
Can an accountant help with NDIS registration?
An accountant can help with the financial side, such as your structure, bookkeeping, payroll, budgets and record keeping. The registration decision is made by the NDIS Commission, based on your audit against the Practice Standards.
How Schofields Accountants can help
We work with NDIS providers across Western Sydney and Australia-wide on bookkeeping, payroll, BAS, GST and tax, so we see how claiming, pricing and payroll work in practice.
Our director, Anesh Chand, is a CPA, Registered Tax Agent and Xero Certified Advisor. We can help you choose a structure, set up your accounts and payroll, budget for your audit, and keep your financial records ready for audits and renewals.
If you are thinking about registering, or need to prepare for the July 2027 changes, talk to us about NDIS registration. You can also read more about our accounting services for NDIS providers.
This article is general information only and does not take your circumstances into account. Registration requirements depend on the supports you deliver and are changing over 2026 to 2030, so check the NDIS Commission website for the current rules and seek advice about your own situation.
