Can a sole trader register as an NDIS provider?
Yes. The NDIS Commission's application page asks for an Australian Business Number (ABN) and evidence that you can deliver the supports you are applying for. It does not require a company. Sole traders are named in the Commission's own transition pathways and in its worker screening guidance.
Registration is changing for some supports. Mandatory registration is set to expand from 1 July 2027, and our guide to mandatory NDIS registration in 2027 has the timeline. This page covers what registration means for a one-person business.
Do you have to register?
Not for every support. The Commission lists what must be delivered by a registered provider, including specialist disability accommodation, specialist behaviour support, supports to participants with NDIA-managed funding, plan management, SIL and the use of regulated restrictive practices. See its registration overview. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can still choose unregistered providers for other supports.
There is one detail for SIL. The Commission says a sole trader who delivers, manages and coordinates a participant's supports in a way that meets the SIL definition is treated as a SIL provider. Our SIL registration guide explains what that involves.
Weigh the trade-offs before you decide. Our guide to registered and unregistered providers sets them out. Unregistered does not mean unregulated: the NDIS Code of Conduct applies to you either way.
Which audit applies?
Your audit is set by your registration groups, not your business structure. The Commission's registration groups list shows the audit type for each group. If your application includes groups from both pathways, you complete a certification audit. Some examples from that list:
| Group | Audit |
|---|---|
| 0120 Household tasks | Verification |
| 0128 Therapeutic supports | Verification |
| 0107 Assistance with daily personal activities | Certification |
| 0125 Participation in community, social and civic activities | Certification |
| 0138 Assistance with supported independent living | Certification |
A verification audit is a desktop review of documents and suits lower-risk supports. A certification audit has a Stage 1 desktop review and a Stage 2 onsite audit, and applies to higher-risk supports. Our guide to verification and certification audits compares them. The Commission notes that many providers who need a verification audit are already professionally regulated, for example through AHPRA.
If you offer personal care, you are on the certification pathway. See NDIS registration for personal care providers.
Worker screening for a sole trader
The Commission's worker screening guidance for registered providers says a self-employed or sole trader registered provider is both key personnel and working in a risk-assessed role, so you need an NDIS worker screening clearance. Because you are both the worker and the provider, you complete both sets of steps:
- Get access to the NDIS worker screening database through the Applications portal, applying as an unregistered provider.
- Get your Employer ID from the database.
- Apply for your check with the worker screening unit in your state or territory, entering that Employer ID.
- Log in to the database and verify your own application as the employer. You must do this within 28 days.
A check is valid for up to 5 years, is recognised nationally, and can be renewed up to 90 days before it expires. You do not need to reapply if you later change from a sole trader to a partnership or company. If you hire anyone in a risk-assessed role, they need a clearance too. Our guide to worker screening and the Code of Conduct has the wider picture. You should also complete the Commission's free worker orientation module, which the Commission requires of NDIS workers.
What 2027 may mean for you
The Government has said mandatory registration will expand from 1 July 2027 to providers of higher-risk supports, with all providers in scope registered by December 2030. Personal care, daily living supports and supports in closed settings are its examples. The Government has also said it will publish a list of high-risk supports, and as at 8 October 2026 we have not found it. The source is the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's explanation of the changes.
So for a sole trader the honest position is this. If your supports might be on the list, you may need to register at some point between July 2027 and December 2030. If they are not on the list, registration stays optional, though most providers will still need to enrol with the NDIA from 1 July 2027. Nothing in the announcements treats sole traders differently. Do not assume you will be exempt because you work alone.
What it costs
There is no fee to register with the Commission. You pay an approved quality auditor, and the Commission says the price depends on the size and scale of your organisation and the number of participants you support. It does not set auditor prices, so get several quotes. Our registration cost guide gives planning figures, including about $900 to $1,500 for a verification audit and about $3,000 to $8,000 for a small single-site certification audit. These are our estimates, not Commission figures.
Add your insurance, your worker screening check and your documents. Our package costs a one-time $1,500 AUD for 220+ editable Word documents covering the Core Module and Modules 1 to 5. See pricing for what is included. Check which modules your registration groups actually need before you decide what to buy.
How to scale your documents to a one-person business
Auditors assess you against the same Practice Standards outcomes whatever your size, but they test them against what you really do. The Commission also expects your policies to describe how your own organisation delivers supports, which is why a copied document is a risk. This is practical advice, not a Commission rule:
- Write in the first person singular where it is true. If you are the only worker, say that you are the responsible person for incidents, complaints and risk. Do not leave in roles you do not have, such as a team leader or board.
- Keep each procedure as short as it can be and still be clear. A one-page procedure you follow beats a ten-page one you do not. Every outcome in your audit scope still needs an answer.
- Plan for the day you cannot work. Describe what happens to participants' supports if you are sick, on leave or injured, and how you will tell them.
- Keep your registers alive. Record incidents, complaints and risk reviews as they happen. A dated review that finds nothing is still evidence that your system runs.
- Add a way to check yourself. With no manager, think about how you will review your own practice, for example a regular review date or a peer or mentor who looks over your records.
- Keep a hiring plan. If you will employ workers later, note how you would screen, orient, train and supervise them.
Whichever documents you use, including ours, expect to trim and edit them rather than submit them as they are. The Commission can refuse an application or require a new certification audit where answers are copied from purchased documents. Our audit checklist lists what auditors ask to see.
Another route: working under a registered provider
Some sole traders deliver supports under another registered provider's registration instead of registering themselves. The Commission calls these facilitation or brokerage arrangements. The registered provider claims the payment, is responsible for everything delivered under its registration, and must make the arrangement clear to participants. You still follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. It can be a good way to start, but it depends on a provider agreeing, and it may not suit you if your supports must be delivered by a registered provider in your own right.
This page is general information based on NDIS Commission and government sources at the date shown. It is not legal or professional advice, and the rules can change. Check the NDIS Commission's current requirements and read our disclaimer.