An NDIS Worker Screening Check is a nationally recognised right-to-work check that determines whether a person is safe to work in risk-assessed roles with NDIS participants.
It was established under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Worker Checks) Act 2020 and is administered by state and territory worker screening units on behalf of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Unlike a standard police check, the NDIS Worker Screening Check is an ongoing assessment (a live check) and not a one-time snapshot.
Once issued, a check remains active for five years and is continuously monitored. A worker’s check can be suspended or excluded at anytime, and if a worker's status changes (e.g. due to a new criminal matter), linked employers should be notified. This is a primary safeguarding tool for NDIS providers across Australia.
Employees or candidates will need to provide their NDIS Check details to their employer for screening.
When a worker is cleared, their details are recorded in the national NDIS Worker Screening Database (NWSD): the authoritative register maintained by the NDIS Commission. A clearance is valid nationally and moves with the worker across employers and states.
Find out more: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
The check is required for any person working in a risk-assessed role with NDIS participants, meaning a role where the person is likely to have more than incidental contact with people with disability as a normal part of their duties.
This includes:
Employees, volunteers, contractors, and students
People working for a registered NDIS provider ina risk-assessed role or key personnel role
Key personnel (executives, senior management, or board members of a registered provider)
Workers engaged by unregistered providers or self-managed participants who have chosen to require the check Registered providers often choose to require NDIS Screening Checks across their entire workforce.
Registered providers often choose to require NDIS ScreeningChecks across their entire workforce.
Generally, a risk-assessed role is one where a worker is involved in the direct delivery of specific supports or services to a person with disability and is likely to have direct contact (physical, face-to-face, oral, written, or electronic) as a regular part of their duties. Registered providers are responsible for identifying which roles in their organisation meet this definition.
If you're unsure whether a role requires the check, the NDIS Commission provides guidance, here.
Workers apply through the worker screening unit in the state or territory where they primarily work. Each state has its own online portal and fee structure.
As a general guide, fees for paid employees typically range from approximately $100 to $145 for a five year clearance, depending on the state. Volunteers often pay a reduced fee or may be eligible for a free check. Processing times vary, but most applications are finalised within one to three weeks. Complex cases requiring manual review can take longer.
Workers should apply in the state or territory where they live and primarily work.
For more information, visit your state screening unit or NDIS Commission.
This is where compliance becomes real. Holding a check number from a worker in a spreadsheet is not enough. Registered NDIS providers have specific, ongoing obligations to verify and manage checks through the NDIS Worker Screening Database.
Identify whether the role is ‘risk-assessed’
Confirm the worker has a current check
Verify their check directly in the PRODA or NDISWorker Screening Database portals
Ensure the worker is linked to your organisation
Maintain a written record of the risk assessedroles within your organisation
Maintain a register for all workers inrisk-assessed roles, including their check numbers, expiry dates, roleinformation and more
Monitor clearances statuses as checks can be revoked,suspended or excluded during the five-year period if a worker’s circumstances change
Manage renewals before checks expire
Update the register when workers leave or changeroles (linking and unlinking)
Registered NDIS providers have certain responsibilities for keeping records about risk-assessed roles and the people in those roles. Registered providers need to make sure the people in risk-assessed roles have a worker screening check and maintain up-to-date records.
A worker who has been excluded, suspended, barred or theircheck has been revoked cannot work in a risk-assessed role, regardless ofsupervision arrangements.
Find out more: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Verification of an NDIS Worker Screening Check and its clearance status can be done through the Registered Providers portal which is moving towards myID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) login/access methods.
To verify a check:
Log in to the portal using your myID and/orRelationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) credentials
Search for the worker by their check number or name
Confirm their status (e.g. ‘Cleared) and checkthe expiry date
Ensure the worker is linked to your organisation
It is important to note that providers must verify and link their worker’s check, not just sight the card or rely on the check number. A worker’s status can change during the validity period.
For more info on logging in: visit the NDIS website
Manually logging into the portal to check individual worker checks is time consuming, and with a highly dynamic workforce (high turnover, large volumes, employees and contractors) it’s a process that quickly becomes unmanageable at scale.
Oho connects directly to the NDIS Woker Screening Database and verifies checks automatically, at a regular interval: every 7 days. Oho checks worker statuses across your entire workforce to flag and notify you of any revocations, suspensions and exclusions. No spreadsheets. No blind spots.
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The NDIS commission is changing how providers access the portal. Providers are moving to a myID (Digital Government ID) and RAM (Relationship Authorisation Manager) log in method.
Key dates:
Transition period: 7 December 2025 to 30 September 2026
After 30 September 2026: PRODA access to the NDIS Commission portals will no longer be supported
What you need to do:
Set up a myID account if you haven’t already
The principal authority for your organisation must set up RAM and link the organisation
Authorise relevant staff to access the NDIS portal via myID/RAM
For more information about moving across, visit the NDIS website.
How long is an NDIS Worker Screening Check valid?
Five years from the date of issue. However, a check can be excluded or suspended at any point during the five-year period if new information about their suitability comes to light.
Can a worker use the NDIS Check for aged care roles?
Short answer, yes. The Aged Care Act 2024 allows providers to accept an NDIS Worker Screening Check as an alternative to a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) for workforce screening. However, this is provider dependent and varies for each organisation. You should also check whether the worker needs to be verified against the aged care banning order register.
Does an NDIS Check replace a working with children check?
No. These are separate checks with a different scope. The types of checks required for a role is dependent on the organisation and the scope of the role. For example, if a worker’s role involves direct contact with a children, they may need both an NDIS Worker Screening Check and a Working With Children Check or equivalent, depending on the state.
What happens if a worker’s NDIS Check is excluded or suspended?
If a cleared worker’s status changes to excluded or suspended, linked employers should be notified through the database and/or via email, although this can sometimes get lost. The employer must immediately stand down the worker. The worker must immediately cease work in risk-assessed roles. Providers should have internal processes and systems in place to act on exclusions/suspensions promptly.
Can a worker start while their application is being processed?
In some states, a worker may begin work in a supervised capacity while their application is being processed, provided the application is active and verified against the database, the employer has agreed to the arrangement, and appropriate supervision is in place. Workers with a prior exclusion cannot use this pathway. You must check your state’s specific rules with your worker screening unit.
If your organisation employers workers in risk-assessed NDIS roles, manual verification isn’t a sustainable approach. Especially as workforce size grows and turnover is high.
Oho automates credential verification across the NDIS Worker Screening Database and 20+ other government registers, giving you continuous visibility over your workforce compliance without the manual overhead.
