NDIS Worker Screening Check: who needs one and how to get it
Also known as: NDISWC
The NDIS Worker Screening Check is a national assessment of whether a person poses a risk to people with disability. It is required for workers in risk-assessed roles with registered providers, is issued by a state or territory screening unit, is valid for up to five years, and can be cancelled or revoked if new information comes to light.
Full guide: The NDIS Worker Screening Check in every state and territory: fees and rules
A clearance is portable between employers, but each provider must verify and record it against its own worker register.
Expiry management is an ongoing obligation rather than an onboarding task. A worker whose clearance lapses is not permitted in a risk-assessed role, and rostering them is a compliance breach regardless of intent — which is why expiry tracking belongs in the system that builds the roster.
Who needs an NDIS Worker Screening Check
You need a check if you are an employee, volunteer, contractor or student who works for:
- a registered NDIS provider, in a risk-assessed role or a key personnel role
- a registered provider that has decided all of its workers need a check
- an unregistered provider that has decided its workers need a check.
Self-employed workers and sole traders need one if they are a registered provider, or if they support a self-managed participant who has asked all their workers to hold one.
How to apply
- Get your employer’s NDIS Commission Employer ID. Your employer gives you this, or you can search for them in the application form where the form allows it. You must name an employer on a first application and on a renewal.
- Apply to the worker screening unit in the state or territory where you live. The check is national, so you apply in one place only.
- Your employer verifies your application in the NDIS worker screening database. The request reaches them within 48 hours and expires after 28 days, so tell them it is coming.
- The screening unit assesses you and decides whether you are cleared or excluded. The decision is recorded in the national database, where any employer you are linked to can see it.
Sole traders and self-employed workers are both the worker and the employer. They first get access to the NDIS worker screening database through the NDIS Commission’s portal, get their own Employer ID, apply, and then verify their own application within 28 days.
How long it lasts, and renewing
A check is valid for up to five years from the date it is issued, unless it is cancelled or revoked. You can apply to renew up to 90 days before it expires, with the screening unit in the state or territory where you live at the time. Employers are notified when a worker linked to them has a check that is about to expire.
Moving state, changing jobs and working while you wait
The check is recognised nationally. You do not reapply when you move to another state or territory, or when your business structure changes, for example from sole trader to company. A new employer does not need a copy: give them your worker screening number and they confirm its current status in the database.
Some states and territories let a worker start with a registered provider while their application is being assessed. Whether you can, and under what conditions, depends on where you work, so check with the screening unit and your employer before you start.
What it means for a provider
A registered provider must make sure every worker in a risk-assessed role has a current clearance, link those workers to the organisation in the NDIS worker screening database, and keep a worker register. A clearance that expires is the provider’s problem as much as the worker’s: rostering a worker without a current check into a risk-assessed role is a breach, however it happened.
This is why expiry tracking belongs in the system that builds the roster. In Rostery each worker’s clearance and its expiry date sit on their profile, the office is warned before a check runs out, and a worker whose required clearance has lapsed cannot be rostered.
Compliance guides
In more depth from AuditCore, our sister NDIS compliance platform.
Questions people ask
How long does an NDIS Worker Screening Check last?
Up to five years from the date it is issued, unless it is cancelled or revoked. You can renew from 90 days before it expires.
Where do I apply for an NDIS Worker Screening Check?
With the worker screening unit in the state or territory where you live. You need your employer’s NDIS Commission Employer ID to apply, and your employer then verifies the application in the NDIS worker screening database.
Can I use my NDIS Worker Screening Check in another state?
Yes. It is a national check, so it stays valid if you move, and a new employer confirms it using your worker screening number.
Can I start work before my check is approved?
Some states and territories allow a worker to start with a registered provider while the application is assessed. The rules differ by state, so check with your screening unit and employer first.
Is an NDIS Worker Screening Check the same as a police check?
No. A police check is a record of criminal history at one point in time. The NDIS Worker Screening Check is a risk assessment by a state or territory screening unit that decides whether you are cleared or excluded from risk-assessed roles, and a clearance can be cancelled or revoked while it is current.
How much does an NDIS Worker Screening Check cost?
Each state and territory sets its own fee, and some charge volunteers less. Check the current fee with the screening unit where you live.
Checked against the official sources on 1 October 2026. Rules change: confirm the current position with the agency before you rely on it.
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