How to check if an NDIS provider is registered

Before you sign up with a provider, it helps to check whether they are registered. It takes a few minutes. This guide shows you how.

Why check?

Registered providers have been approved by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. They agree to follow NDIS rules, including the Practice Standards. They are also on a public list.

Checking helps you:

• confirm a provider is who they say they are
• see which kinds of support they are approved to deliver
• spot a provider whose registration has been suspended or revoked
• avoid paying someone who only says they are "NDIS approved"

That last phrase is a red flag. The NDIS does not "approve" providers in that way. See red flags: NDIS scams and inducements.

Step by step: use the provider register

1. Go to the Commission's Find a registered provider page (link in the sources below).
2. Type in the provider's name, or their ABN if you have it.
3. Under registration status, choose Approved. This shows providers who are registered now.
4. Open the provider's entry.
5. Check the legal name, ABN and suburb. Do they match what the provider told you?
6. Look at the registration groups listed. Do they cover the support you want?
7. Note the date the register was last updated. It is shown at the bottom of the results.

If you cannot find them, try searching by ABN, or by their trading name. A business may trade under a different name from its legal name.

Understand what you are looking at

Registration groups are the types of support a provider is approved to deliver. A provider is only registered for the groups shown. For example, a plan manager should have plan management listed. A provider approved for daily personal care is not automatically approved for plan management.

The register sometimes uses short names. Support coordination may appear as "Assist-Life Stage, Transition", for example. Our guide to NDIS registration groups explained helps you read these.

Status matters too. "Approved" means currently registered. Other statuses, such as suspended or revoked, are also shown. Do not use a provider whose registration has been revoked.

A quick example

Say a provider tells you, "We are registered to do personal care and plan management." You search the register and find the business by ABN. The legal name matches. The status is Approved. But only personal care is listed.

That means the plan management claim does not match the register. Ask them to explain. It could be a mistake, an old listing, or something worse. Until you are sure, do not sign or pay.

A good provider will not mind you checking. Most will be glad you did.

Check for banning orders

The register tells you about registration. It does not tell you everything. The Commission also publishes a search for banning orders and other compliance decisions. It covers some providers and workers. It does not list low-level actions like warning letters.

Search the person or business there as well. If you think someone is breaking a banning order, contact the Commission on 1800 035 544.

What the register cannot tell you

Be honest about the limits.

• Unregistered providers are not on it. Many good providers are unregistered, and you can use them if your plan is self-managed or plan-managed. If your plan is agency-managed, you need registered providers.
• It does not rate quality. A provider can be registered and still not be a good fit.
• It does not show individual workers. To check a worker, ask about their NDIS Worker Screening Check and training. See NDIS worker screening check explained.
• It may lag. The date at the bottom of the page shows how recent the data is.

Some supports must come from a registered provider, whatever your plan type. These include plan management, specialist disability accommodation and specialist behaviour support.

If the provider is not registered

An unregistered provider is not automatically a problem. You can ask:

• Do you have an ABN? Can I see it?
• Which supports do you offer?
• Do your workers have NDIS Worker Screening Checks?
• Do you have insurance?
• Will you follow the NDIS Code of Conduct? (They must. It applies to everyone paid from an NDIS plan.)

Then look at how your plan is managed. Only self-managed and plan-managed participants can use unregistered providers.

Other checks that help

• Meet more than one provider before you decide.
• Ask for a written service agreement. See how to choose a support worker.
• Ask people you trust what their experience was like.
• On Goodo, look at the badges. A Verified registered provider badge means we matched the organisation to the public register and checked the person is authorised to speak for it, on the date shown. It is not an endorsement. You can read more in how Goodo verifies people.

If something looks wrong

If a provider's details do not match the register, trust the register. Do not pay until you are sure. Ask the provider to explain. If you are still worried, you can talk to the Commission. See what to do if something goes wrong with a provider.

About this guide

Goodo is independent. We are not part of, or endorsed by, the NDIA or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. This is general information, not advice. Rules change, so check ndis.gov.au or call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 about your own situation.