Thinking about delivering NDIS-funded personal training? Here’s what the registration process involves.
You don’t need to be a registered provider to deliver personal training to NDIS participants who are self-managed or plan-managed (as of May 2026). But if you want to work with agency-managed participants, who make up a reasonably-sized share of the NDIS market, registration is required. It also gives potential clients confidence that your business meets the NDIS Practice Standards.
Personal trainers can register under the 0126 Exercise Physiology & Personal Training registration group, and the audit pathway is Verification: a desktop review of your documents, not an on-site visit. It’s the more straightforward registration audit, with audit costs typically between $900 and $1,500.
The Registration Group: 0126 Exercise Physiology & Personal Training
Personal training services fall under registration group 0126, which sits within the Improved Health and Wellbeing support category. The support items under this group cover physical wellbeing activities, i.e. services that maintain or increase physical mobility and wellbeing through personal training or exercise physiology.
Unlike exercise physiologists, who can also register under 0128 Therapeutic Supports, personal training delivered by personal trainers is limited to 0126. This reflects how the NDIS classifies the two professions: exercise physiologists are considered therapy providers, while personal trainers are not.
Selecting 0126 keeps you on the Verification audit pathway.
Not a Therapy Provider – What That Means
Under the NDIS pricing arrangements, personal trainers are explicitly not classified as therapy providers. Exercise physiologists, psychologists, OTs, and other allied health professionals are, but personal trainers sit in a different category, even though you share a registration group with exercise physiologists.
The most immediate practical effect is on provider travel pricing. For therapy providers, the hourly price limit for provider travel is 50% of the regular price limit, but personal trainers don’t fall under this rule, so your travel pricing works differently. Make sure you understand the provider travel rules that apply to your profession specifically before you start billing.
This classification doesn’t affect your registration process (the Verification audit is the same) but it does affect how you claim.
Verification vs Certification
There are two types of NDIS audits: Verification and Certification.
Certification applies to higher-risk services like personal care, behaviour support, and supported independent living. The audit is extensive, and involves site visits, participant and staff interviews, and a deeper review of your operations. Audit costs start at $8,000 to $12,000.
Verification applies to lower-risk services like personal training, exercise physiology, therapy, and home modifications. Your auditor reviews your documentation remotely, and audits typically cost between $900 and $1,500.
For personal trainers registering under 0126, Verification is the pathway. There are no additional registration groups specific to personal training that would push you onto Certification, but if you decide to offer additional supports such as community participation this could put you on the next tier.
The 4 Requirements for Verification
A Verification audit assesses whether you have appropriate safeguarding processes in place for the participants you work with. Read more here. The auditor reviews four areas:
Human Resource Management: Your qualifications, NDIS Worker Screening Check, and right-to-work documentation. For personal trainers, the required qualification is a Certificate III, IV, or Diploma in Fitness (or equivalent). You’ll need to provide evidence of your qualification, so make sure you can submit your certificate and that it’s the right level.
Incident Management: How you respond when something goes wrong during service delivery. Your incident management documentation should reflect the kinds of incidents relevant to personal training, like a participant injury during a session, an adverse reaction to exercise, a fall, equipment failure, or a safeguarding concern. If your policy talks about medication errors or shower safety, it doesn’t describe your service.
Complaints Management: An accessible process for participants to raise concerns, and evidence that you act on them. This needs to be an accurate, documented process, not just ‘they can talk to me about it.’ Participants need to know how to make a complaint, and you need to show how complaints are recorded, responded to, and resolved.
Risk Management: How you identify and manage risks in your service. Your risk register should cover the risks that are actually present in personal training, such as exercise-related injuries for participants with disabilities or complex health conditions, working in community or outdoor settings, equipment safety, manual handling during supported exercises, and managing participants whose health status may change during physical activity. A generic risk register borrowed from a SIL provider won’t reflect your work.
NDIS Registration for Personal Trainers: Required Documents and Checks
Here’s what you need to have ready before you apply:
Fitness Qualification: Certificate III, IV, or Diploma in Fitness (or equivalent). This is your primary credential for NDIS registration under 0126. Unlike exercise physiologists, there’s no ongoing accreditation scheme you need to maintain, but you do need to be able to produce evidence of your qualification.
Insurance: Professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance. Given that personal training involves physical activity, hands-on cueing, and often takes place in gyms, parks, or participants’ homes, both types of cover are essential. Confirm with your insurer that your policy covers NDIS service delivery specifically, including the settings you work in.
NDIS Worker Screening Check: Required for all personal trainers delivering NDIS services. This is separate from any police check you may already hold, as the Worker Screening Check is an NDIS-specific requirement.
NDIS Worker Orientation Module: Certificate of completion. This is a free online module available through the NDIS Commission that all NDIS workers must complete.
Infection Control and PPE Training: You need evidence that you’ve considered infection control, such as cleaning protocols for equipment, hygiene procedures between clients, and how you manage when you or a participant is unwell.
Operational Documents: Policies and procedures covering the four Verification areas above (incident management, complaints management, risk management, and human resource management). These need to describe how your personal training business actually operates.
Common Mistakes Personal Trainers Make
Documentation that reads like a general disability support service
Personal trainers who purchase template packs can end up with policies designed for group homes, day programs, or clinical therapy practices. If your incident management procedure covers shift handover and medication administration, or your risk register lists risks about participant transport in company vehicles, your documentation doesn’t reflect a personal training business. Auditors can tell immediately when a provider has bought a generic pack and put their name on it. By all means, purchase a generic pack, but make sure you update it to reflect your requirements.
Underestimating service agreement requirements
If you’re used to working with private clients where a verbal agreement and a waiver form are sufficient, the NDIS service agreement requirements will be new territory. Your agreement needs to cover NDIS-specific elements: pricing in line with the NDIS Price Guide, your cancellation policy (the NDIS has specific short notice cancellation rules), how billing works for different plan management types, and what happens when a participant’s plan is reviewed or their funding changes. We’ve got a guide you can check out if you’re new to this space.
Not understanding the provider travel rules
Because personal trainers aren’t classified as therapy providers, the travel rules that apply to exercise physiologists don’t apply to you, even though you share the same registration group. Make sure you understand the specific provider travel and non-labour cost rules for personal trainers before you start claiming.
The Registration Process
Step 1: Start Your Application
Log in to the NDIS Commission Portal and start a New Application. Enter your business details and select 0126 Exercise Physiology & Personal Training as your registration group. You’ll complete a self-assessment against the relevant NDIS Practice Standards and may be prompted to upload your evidence documentation.
Step 2: Receive Your Initial Scope of Audit
After you submit your application, the system generates an Initial Scope of Audit confirming your audit pathway. As long as 0126 is your only registration group, you’ll be on the Verification pathway.
Step 3: Engage an Approved Quality Auditor
You need to engage an independent Approved Quality Auditor (AQA) from the list published by the NDIS Commission. Send them your Initial Scope of Audit and request a quote.
Verification audits typically cost between $900 and $1,500 depending on the auditor.
Step 4: Submit Your Documents
Your auditor will request your policies, insurance, qualification evidence, screening checks, and other documentation. They review everything against the NDIS Practice Standards and identify any gaps. If a major non-conformity is found, you’ll have up to 3 months to provide additional evidence before the auditor finalises their report.
Step 5: The Decision
Once the auditor completes your report, they submit their recommendation to the NDIS Commission. The Commission reviews your application and audit result and makes the final decision on your registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Certificate IV, or is a Certificate III enough?
The NDIS Qualification and Professional Associations Required Documentation Guide specifies ‘personal training qualification, Certificate III, IV or Diploma in Fitness or equivalent.’ A Certificate III in Fitness is listed as acceptable. Check that your specific qualification aligns with what the NDIS considers a personal training qualification, and if you’re unsure, check in with your auditor before they start the audit.
What’s the difference between registering as a personal trainer vs an exercise physiologist?
The registration process and audit pathway are the same, as both go through Verification under 0126. The differences are in qualification requirements (Certificate III/IV/Diploma in Fitness vs ESSA-accredited AEP), scope of practice (exercise physiologists can also register under 0128 Therapeutic Supports and 0118 Early Childhood Supports), classification as a therapy provider (exercise physiologists are, personal trainers aren’t), and the resulting billing and travel rules. If you hold both a fitness qualification and ESSA accreditation, you’d register as an exercise physiologist.
Can I deliver group sessions?
Yes. The NDIS pricing arrangements allow physical wellbeing activities to be delivered to individual participants or to groups, subject to the group-based support claiming rules. Make sure you understand how group claiming works, as the pricing is different from individual sessions.
Can I charge more if I’m registered?
No. The NDIS Price Guide sets maximum prices for physical wellbeing activities under 0126. Registration doesn’t change what you can charge, but it does let you work with agency-managed participants, which expands your potential client base.
Should I become an exercise physiologist instead?
This comes down to your career goals. An exercise physiology qualification (minimum four-year university degree with ESSA accreditation) opens up 0128 Therapeutic Supports and 0118 Early Childhood Supports, classifies you as a therapy provider, and generally has higher price limits.
How long does it take?
The Verification audit itself is usually completed within a few days once you submit your documents. If the auditor identifies gaps, you may need to provide further evidence. After your audit report is finalised, the NDIS Commission’s processing can take several weeks or months depending on their current workload.
