NDIS registration in 2027: what it means for independent support workers

Last checked 29 September 2026. We will update this article when the government publishes the list of supports that need registration.

What has been announced

On 30 June 2026 the government announced a crackdown on the sale of NDIS businesses and an expansion of mandatory registration. SIL providers and digital platform providers such as Mable came first, from 1 July 2026. We covered what that means for platform workers in an earlier article.

The next stage is much wider. The Department’s provider FAQs say mandatory registration “will be expanded to all providers delivering higher risk supports.”

That 90% figure is why so many independent workers are paying attention. If you help someone with personal care or daily living, the supports you deliver are exactly the kind the announcement describes.

Two changes that are already set

Registration gets the headlines, but two other changes from the same package will reach every provider, registered or not, well before 2027.

Claims within 90 days, from 1 December 2026

From 1 December 2026, the time to claim for a support under a participant’s plan drops from 2 years to 90 days. If your participants are plan managed, your plan manager needs your invoice in time to make that claim. An invoice that sits in your drafts for a few months could become a real problem, so invoicing soon after each shift or fortnight is worth making a habit now.

Keep payment records for 7 years

Providers will need to keep records relating to the payment and receipt of NDIS funds for 7 years, and failing to keep them carries a civil penalty. The government has also said that where claims exceed a certain threshold, supporting documentation will be required. That threshold has not been published yet.

What has not been decided

This is the part most articles skip. As of today, the most important questions for independent workers do not have answers yet.

Be wary of anyone telling you exactly what you will need to do and when. Until the list of supports is published, nobody knows.

Does this affect you?

Today, an unregistered independent worker can support participants who are self managed or plan managed. The announcement changes the question from “how is my participant’s plan managed?” to “what supports do I deliver?”

• If you deliver personal care or daily living supports, the announcement describes your supports directly. Plan on registration being part of your future, while you wait for the detail.
• If you mainly do community access, transport or social support, it is not yet clear whether those count as higher risk. Many workers in one-on-one home settings are worried they will be included. Watch for the list.
• If you work through a platform like Mable, the platform itself already has to be registered, and its documentation expectations already apply to you.

What registration would ask of you

Registered providers are audited against the NDIS Practice Standards. For higher risk supports, that usually means a certification audit: a review of your documents, then a visit where the auditor samples participant files and asks how you work.

Registered providers also take on formal incident duties. Most reportable incidents must be notified to the NDIS Commission within 24 hours, and unauthorised use of a restrictive practice within 5 business days. Our guide to incident reporting for independent workers explains what counts.

For your notes, an auditor is looking for the same things they always look for: specific observations rather than vague ones, a link between the support and the participant’s goals, incidents recorded properly, and billed hours that match what you wrote. We go through this in detail in what an NDIS audit actually looks for in your notes.

What you can do now

You do not need to wait for the final rules to get ready. Everything below helps you whatever those rules turn out to be.

• Invoice promptly. The 90 day claim limit starts on 1 December 2026. Get invoices to your plan manager soon after the work is done.
• Keep your records together and keep them for 7 years. Invoices, payments, notes and service agreements, in one place you could hand to someone else.
• Write every note as if an auditor will read it. Write it soon after the shift, in your own words, describing what actually happened, and connect it to the participant’s goals.
• Record incidents properly now, even though unregistered providers do not have the formal notification duty today. It is the habit an audit will test.
• Keep your own documents current, such as your worker screening check, first aid certificate and insurance.

This is the work Clio Care was built for. You describe your shift in your own words and Clio turns it into a structured note, without adding anything you did not say. It flags anything that may be a reportable incident, links your notes to the participant’s goals, and keeps your notes, shifts, invoices and service agreements in one place. It also keeps a record of what you wrote, what Clio produced and what you signed. If registration does reach your supports, your records will already be in order.

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