How to apply

You are eligible to apply for an NDIS Worker Check if you:

• are doing NDIS work and have an employer that will verify your application
• do not have an NDIS worker screening application underway in New South Wales or any other state or territory
• do not have an existing NDIS worker screening clearance from New South Wales or any other state or territory (unless it is less than 3 months before it expires)
• do not have an existing NDIS worker screening exclusion from New South Wales or any other state or territory
• in the last 12 months, have not had your application cancelled because you failed to comply with a requirement to provide information.

If you apply and you are not eligible, your application will be cancelled without refund.

If you are not doing NDIS work (or about to commence NDIS work), you cannot apply. Your application will not be verified and will be cancelled. For more information, go to the NDISWC - employer verification page.

If you have an existing NDIS Worker Check clearance, you can apply if it is about to expire within the next 3 months.

If you have an existing NDIS Worker Check exclusion, you can apply if you have had a relevant change of circumstances. However, contact us first. For more information refer to the early application section of the NDISWC - requesting a review page.

1: Lodge an online application

• Select 'Apply for an NDIS Worker Check' at the top of this page
• Log into your MyServiceNSW account (or create an account if you do not have one)
• Follow the prompts to complete the online application
• You'll be sent a confirmation email with an application number

2: Visit a Service NSW centre within 28 days (4 weeks)

• Bring your application number (contained in your confirmation email)
• Bring your original identity documents (not photocopies, photos or scans)
• Bring evidence of your name change (marriage certificate or change of name certificate), if applicable
• Pay the application fee
• Have your photo taken
• Service NSW will review your application, then send it to us for processing

3: We review your application

• We review your application to check it is valid. If we need additional information from you, we will contact you by email
• When your application is determined to be valid, we then send it to the NDIS Worker Screening Database

4: Your employer will verify your application

•  Your NDIS employer will be sent an email asking them to verify your application (they have 30 days to do this)
• When your employer has verified your application, you'll receive an email from us confirming this
• If it is not verified, we will also notify you and advise how you may be able to resolve this
   

Then we assess your application

Once your application is verified, the assessment process begins. This means we start our background checks.

If there are records identified, we will review them. A risk assessment may be required for some applicants. 

More information on NDISWC application and assessment

We will let you know by email what the outcome is or if you need to give us more information.

We cannot provide you a time frame to complete the assessment of your application. 

To check the status of your NDISWC, log in to your MyServiceNSW Account.

To apply, you need:

• A MyServiceNSW account (if you don't have one, you only need an email and password to create an account)
• 3 identity documents (see the 'Identity documents' section below)
• Your employer's NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission registration number or name (your employer should provide you with this)
• To advise us of your current address and your previous addresses for the last 5 years
• To advise us of your current full name and any other names you have used throughout your life
• To provide your personal email address and mobile phone number (do not use your work contact details)
• To consent to a criminal history check and to information about you being shared with other agencies
• To provide information about your other worker screening checks, child protection matters, crimes committed overseas, and workplace misconduct
• If you're under 18, your parent or legal guardian's personal details, phone number, email address and consent to your application

The NDIS Worker Check application fee is the cost for applying. The application fee is:

• $107 for paid workers
• Free for volunteers

We incur our own costs and pay third-party service providers for every application we receive and process. The application fee contributes to these costs.

Before you apply, ensure you:

• are eligible to apply
• have the required identity documents
• have an NDIS employer who will verify your application.

If for any reason your application is cancelled, you will not receive a refund. If you are not sure about your circumstances, please contact us by email before you apply.

To apply for an NDIS Worker Check, you must provide 3 identity documents:

• 1 x Category A 
• 1 x Category B 
• 1 x Category C

If you cannot meet these requirements, you can use an alternative mix (‘special provisions’). This requires 4 identity documents from the 3 categories:

• maximum 2 x Category A
• maximum 2 x Category B
• maximum 3 x Category C

Your documents must meet the requirements outlined in the Identity document requirements section below.

Category A documents (x 1)

• Australian birth certificate issued by a state or territory registry (full certificate, not an extract or birth card)
• Australian passport (private, official or diplomatic)
• Australian visa (and linked overseas passport)
• Australian ImmiCard
• Australian citizenship certificate

Note: if you were born in Australia and your birth was registered but you do not currently have a Category A document, we suggest you apply for a birth certificate from the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory in which you were born.

Category B documents (x 1)

• Australian driver licence, learner permit or provisional licence
• Australian photo card (proof of age card) issued by a state or territory government agency
• Australian passport (if not used as a Category A document)
• Australian visa (and linked foreign passport) (if not used as a Category A document)
• Australin ImmiCard (if not used as a Category A document)

Note: if you do not currently have a Category B document, we suggest you apply for a NSW photo card.

Category C documents (x 1)

• Medicare card
• Centrelink concession card or Australian health care card 
• Australian university or other tertiary student photo identity card (if 18 years or older)
• Australian secondary student photo identity card
• Australian issued bank, debit or credit card
• Australian Tax Office notice of assessment (most recent financial year)
• Australian adult shooter or firearm licence (not minor or junior permit or licence)
• Australian Electoral Commission enrolment
• An NDIS Worker Check trusted referee report (PDF, 77 KB) (signed, dated within the last 3 months)
   

Note: If you use a trusted referee report as an identity document, we will contact you by email to obtain it after you have visited the Service NSW centre. 

Identity documents must be current and original

• Photos, screen shots, photocopies, or certified copies are not acceptable documents
• Expired documents are not acceptable
• Government issued digital documents, such as a digital Medicare card, NSW digital driver licence, and NSW digital birth certificate are acceptable
• Digital documents must be opened in the relevant mobile phone app at the Service NSW counter. They cannot be a screen shot or image 

Identity documents must contain your signature and photo

• At least one of your identity documents must contain a photo of you
• At least one of your identity documents must contain your signature

All identity documents must be in the same name 

• Your identity documents must be in the same name
• They must display the same first and last names 

You must provide evidence of a name change (if applicable)

• Identity documents can be in different names if you have legally changed your name and you have evidence of a legal name change
• A legal name may be due to marriage, divorce, or any other legal reason
• You must provide evidence of the legal name change that is an Australian marriage certificate or an Australian change of name certificate issued by a state or territory registry of births, deaths, and marriages
• We do not accept a statutory declaration, deed poll, divorce order, or a certificate issued by a marriage celebrant

Documents must be officially translated if not in English

• You must provide officially translated documents if any of your identity documents are not in English. Apply for document translation services
• Take both the original and the translated documents with you when you visit the service centre

Contact us if you can't meet the identity requirements (standard and special provisions).

Send us an email explaining what identity documents and requirements you can and can't meet, and any relevant reason or circumstances for us to consider.

We will consider what options are available to help you apply for your NDIS Worker Check.

Email: contact@ndiswc.nsw.gov.au