What is Reportable incident?
A reportable incident is an event a registered NDIS provider must report to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The categories are death, serious injury, abuse or neglect, unlawful sexual or physical contact, sexual misconduct, and the unauthorised use of a restrictive practice. Initial reports are due within 24 hours or five business days depending on category.
The obligation sits with the provider, not the individual worker, and applies to incidents that occur in connection with the provision of supports — including allegations and suspicions, not only confirmed events.
Internal incident management is a separate obligation from external reporting: providers must have a system that records, investigates and acts on all incidents, whether or not they meet the reportable threshold.
Notification timeframes
Timeframes run from when the registered provider became aware of the incident or allegation, not from when it happened.
- Death of a person with disability: 24 hours
- Serious injury: 24 hours
- Abuse or neglect: 24 hours
- Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, a person with disability: 24 hours
- Sexual misconduct against, or in the presence of, a person with disability, including grooming: 24 hours
- Use of a restrictive practice that is unauthorised or does not follow the behaviour support plan: 5 business days, or 24 hours if the person was harmed
Missing a timeframe can lead to an infringement notice or other compliance action.
The reporting stages
- Immediate notification through the NDIS Commission portal within 24 hours of key personnel becoming aware of the incident.
- A more detailed 5-day form within five business days.
- A final report within 60 business days of the initial notification. The Commission can extend this, for example during a concurrent police investigation.
Each stage adds detail: what happened, who was involved, the immediate response, and what the provider has done to prevent it happening again.
What counts as connected with supports
A reportable incident is an act or event that happened, or is alleged to have happened, in connection with delivering NDIS supports or services. It does not have to be caused by a worker. An injury during a community outing, or an allegation made by one participant against another in a shared home, can both be reportable.
Report the allegation; do not wait to prove it. The provider's own investigation runs alongside the notification, and incidents already handled in the provider's own system must still be notified.
How Rostery helps
Rostery records incidents from the carer app or the office, works out the notification deadline from the category and the time the provider became aware, and shows open incidents against their due dates so nothing is reported late.
Compliance guides
In more depth from AuditCore, our sister NDIS compliance platform.
Questions people ask
Do unregistered NDIS providers have to report incidents?
The notification scheme applies to registered NDIS providers. Unregistered providers must still follow the NDIS Code of Conduct, which requires them to act promptly on concerns and respond to abuse and neglect.
When does the 24-hour clock start?
From when the provider, through its key personnel, became aware of the incident or allegation, not from when it happened.
Do I report an incident if I am not sure it happened?
Yes. Alleged incidents are reportable. The notification records what is known, and the investigation follows.
What is the deadline for an unauthorised restrictive practice?
Five business days, unless the person with disability was harmed, in which case it must be reported within 24 hours.
Checked against the official sources on 2 October 2026. Rules change: confirm the current position with the agency before you rely on it.
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