What to expect from your NDIS Verification Audit

A verification audit is a desktop review of your documentation against the four standards of the NDIS Verification module: Human Resource Management, Incident Management, Complaints Management, and Risk Management. There are no site visits and no participant interviews. The auditor works through what you submit and assesses it against those four standards.

It applies to providers registered only for lower-risk support groups. As soon as any group in your registration triggers Certification, your whole audit moves to that pathway instead. If you are not sure which applies to you, our guide to the registration groups sets out the pathway each group triggers, and our comparison of the Verification and Certification pathways covers the difference in detail.

What the auditor assesses

Human Resource Management. The auditor checks that you and every client-facing worker hold a current NDIS Worker Screening Check, the qualifications and professional registrations your services require, evidence of the right to work, and appropriate insurance. For allied health practitioners, that includes proof of current professional registration or membership. The common gap is credentials recorded in a spreadsheet rather than held as actual certificates. A spreadsheet is not evidence.

Incident Management. The auditor looks for a documented process for recognising, managing, and reporting incidents, including the incidents that are reportable to the NDIS Commission.

Complaints Management. The auditor looks for an accessible way for participants to raise concerns, and a clear, documented process for how you respond to them.

Risk Management. The auditor looks for a risk register and processes for identifying and managing the risks specific to your service context, not a generic register that could belong to any provider.

What to have ready

Gather this before the audit:

• 100 points of ID and evidence of your right to work in Australia, especially for sole traders and partnerships.
• Copies of the qualifications, certificates, and professional memberships your services require. A spreadsheet listing them is not enough.
• Insurance. Public Liability is usually the minimum. Professional Indemnity or Accident insurance may also be required, depending on your profession.
• A certificate of completion for the NDIS Worker Orientation Module (“Quality, Safety and You”) for every worker.
• A current NDIS Worker Screening Check for all key personnel and client-facing workers.
• Your operational documents: a policy manual and supporting documents covering the four Verification standards. If you have bought templates, edit them to reflect how your business actually operates.

How the audit runs

You reach this point once you have submitted your registration application and received your Initial Scope of Audit, the document that confirms you are on the Verification pathway. From there:

1. Engage an auditor. Choose an independent Approved Quality Auditor from the NDIS Commission’s official list https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/provider-registration/apply-registration/find-auditorand send them your Scope of Audit for a quote.
2. Submit your documents. The auditor reviews your policies, insurance, and personnel records against the four standards.
3. Address any gaps. If the auditor identifies non-conformities, you are given a window to provide updated evidence.
4. Receive the recommendation. The auditor submits their recommendation to the NDIS Commission.
5. Commission decision. The Commission carries out its own final assessment and makes the decision on your registration.

If the auditor finds gaps

A non-conformance is not a failure. It means the auditor has found something that does not yet meet the standard, and you are given time to provide updated evidence before the audit is finalised. The findings that take longest to close are usually documents that describe a generic business rather than yours, because fixing those means rewriting how the document reads, not just adding a missing form.

How long it takes

The audit itself is often completed within a week or two once you have provided your documents. It can run longer if the auditor identifies gaps and needs further evidence. Once the auditor’s report goes to the NDIS Commission, the final processing stage can take several months, depending on the Commission’s current backlog.

What it costs

A verification audit typically costs between $900 and $1,500, depending on the auditor and the size of your business.

After the decision

Once the Commission approves your registration, you’ ‘ll receive a certificate of registration and are added to the Commission’s public list of registered providers. From that point you can work with participants whose funds are managed by the NDIA, who can only use registered providers. Your registration lasts three years, from the registration approval date rather than from the date your audit was completed, and you renew it through a further audit before it expires.