NDIS Audit-Readiness and Compliance Checklist
A copy-and-use NDIS audit checklist for providers: governance, practice standards, Code of Conduct, screening, incidents, records and evidence.
How to use this checklist
The audit-readiness checklist
Copy-and-use evidence index
A short worked example
Edge cases and common mistakes
Frequently asked questions
Do I need certification or verification?
It depends on the supports in your registration groups. Higher-risk or higher-complexity supports — such as Supported Independent Living, personal care, high-intensity daily activities and specialist behaviour support — require certification, which includes an on-site Stage 2 audit. Lower-risk supports may only need verification, a desktop document review. If any support you deliver is certification scope, your whole audit is certification scope. Confirm with an NDIS Commission approved quality auditor before you prepare.
How long do I have to keep NDIS records?
Providers have historically been required to retain records for 7 years. Reform proposals include an explicit 7-year record-retention duty and a shorter 90-day claim window (from 1 December 2026, replacing the previous 2-year window), but both are Bill-dependent. Build your systems to meet a 7-year standard and confirm the current legislated requirement before you destroy anything.
How often am I audited?
Registered providers complete an initial audit to register, then are re-audited on renewal — generally around every three years — plus the Commission can require audits or reviews in response to incidents, complaints or changes in your registration. Running this checklist quarterly as an internal self-audit means renewal is a formality, not a scramble.
What is the single most common audit finding?
Systems that exist on paper but are not evidenced in practice — a good policy with no signed acknowledgements, empty registers, or corrective actions that were never closed. Auditors want to see the system running: dated records, tracked expiries, and gaps that were found and fixed.
Does registration status affect what I can charge?
Your prices are capped by the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL). The 2026-27 PAPL was published 23 June 2026 and applies from 1 July 2026; as an indicative dated figure, standard weekday daytime assistance was around $70.23/hr under the 2025-26 PAPL — confirm the current line item. That price limit is what you can charge, not what a worker is paid: the worker's rate sits under the SCHADS award (roughly $31-$44/hr), and the gap covers super (rising to 12% from 1 July 2026), insurance, admin, training and margin. Differentiated pricing for unregistered providers is under consultation in the second half of 2026.