NDIS Internal Audit Schedule
This free tool builds an internal audit program for your NDIS service: a twelve month schedule, an audit report template for each area, and an internal audit procedure to adopt as your own.
Tell us what you deliver and how big your service is. The schedule includes only the areas that apply to you, at a frequency that matches your organisation's size. Nothing you enter into the tool is sent to us.
Time to complete: ~10 minutes
No account required • Your answers never leave your browser • Instant download
Who this is for
Registered NDIS providers on the certification pathway who need an internal audit program: whether you've just been registered, are preparing for your next mid-term or recertification audit, or want to replace a generic template with one built around your service.
Providers assessed against the Core Module are expected to have a documented program of internal audits, proportionate to their size and the supports they deliver (NDIS Practice Standards, outcome 2.3, Quality management). This tool helps build that program for you to adopt.
This tool is also suitable for solo operators. If you run your service alone, the schedule is shorter, and the reports are clear that you are auditing your own work.
What you'll download
- A twelve month schedule in Excel, with the month, sample size and report template for every audit
- An audit report template in Word for each area, with the checks, what to sample and room to record what you found
- An internal audit procedure in Word, setting out who audits, what counts as a finding and how findings become corrective actions
- A findings and actions register, and a sheet showing which NDIS Practice Standards outcomes each audit covers
- Your own brand colour on the headings (optional)
How it works
- 1
Describe your service
Tell us how many workers and sites you have, and tick the supports you deliver, such as medication, SIL, restrictive practices or transport. Only the areas that apply to you are included.
- 2
Set your priorities
Each area starts at a frequency suited to a service your size. Move any area up or down to reflect where your risks are. If you give us the date of your next external audit, every area is scheduled before it.
- 3
Download and adopt
Approve the procedure, then save a copy of each report when its audit falls due. Findings go into one register, so every corrective action is tracked in one place.
What the schedule includes
Every schedule covers participant and worker files, incidents, complaints, policies and governance. Other areas such as medication, mealtimes, restrictive practices, SIL, vehicles and high intensity supports are included only if you deliver them.
How many files to check
Each report template provides a guide on how many records to sample. For participant files we recommend 5 files, or all of them if you have fewer than this. That is at least as many as your certification auditor will sample for a service of up to 25 participants, under the auditor sampling rules in Annex B of the NDIS (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Guidelines 2018.
For worker files and other records we suggest 3 files. No internal sample size is prescribed in the Standards, so this is a recommendation.
What this tool does not do
It plans your audits and provides a template for each audit. You run the audits yourself in accordance with your schedule.
This tool doesn't include your management review, where you review your service as a whole and decide what to change. The procedure explains how audit results feed that review.
This is preparation support, not an audit and not advice. It's not produced or endorsed by the NDIS, and only an approved quality auditor can provide certification audits for your service.