Application processing and employer verification

You view your NSW NDIS Worker Check application in your MyServiceNSW account. Your NDIS Worker Check is only available on the Service NSW website (not on the mobile phone app).

To see the status of your application, log in to your MyServiceNSW account and select NDIS Worker Check from the dashboard. 

Your application status will be one of the following.

• Draft
• Visit a service centre
• Under review
• Pending verification
• Under assessment
• Risk assessment

What these terms mean

Draft

• You have started the online application, but not yet completed it.
• You have 28 days from when you start the online application to complete it and then visit a service centre.

Visit a service centre

• You have completed the online application and now need to visit a Service NSW centre.
• You need to take your application number and selected identity documents for sighting, have your photo taken, and pay the application fee.

Under review

• Your application has been submitted to us by Service NSW.
• We are reviewing your application to confirm you are eligible to apply and your application is valid. 
• Some applicants may be contacted by us (via email) to provide additional information.

Pending verification

• We have uploaded your application to the NDIS Worker Screening Database and it is awaiting verification by your NDIS employer.
• Your application must be verified by at least one NDIS employer to progress.
• If your application is not verified by an NDIS employer within 30 days, we will send you an email to tell you what you can do to rectify this. 

Under assessment

• We are conducting our background checks for any criminal, workplace or other records in your history.

or

• We have completed our background checks and we are reviewing any records to determine if they are (or not) of concern or relevance to assessing risk of harm to people with disability.

Risk assessment

• We have identified records in your history that may be of concern or relevance to assessing risk of harm to people with disability.
• We are gathering information from police, courts, other government agencies or third parties to better understand the detail or circumstances of your records.
• If our risk assessment determines that you pose a risk of harm to people with disability, you will receive a Proposed Exclusion Notice. You will have 28 days to submit information to us before a final decision is made.

More information about risk assessment

You must be doing, or about to commence (have a job offer), NDIS work to apply for an NDIS Worker Check. We require evidence of this. 

When you apply online, you search for and select your NDIS employer. When we send your application to the NDIS Worker Screening Database your employer is sent an email requesting they verify your application. This is to confirm you are employed by them to do NDIS work.

We do not progress your application until it is verified by your NDIS employer. If your application includes more than one NDIS employer, you only need one of them to verify your application.

Reasons your application has not been verified

Your application may not be verified because:

• you included the wrong employer in your application (you may have been provided, or entered, the incorrect employer number or name)
• your employer did not verify your application within 30 days 
• your employer rejected (intentionally or accidentally) your application
• you have changed employers and neither employer has verified your application
• you applied before gaining employment in the NDIS
• you are not doing NDIS work and do not have an NDIS employer to verify your application

If your application is not verified

After 30 days, if your application is not verified (or is rejected), we will send you an email to advise of this. We will send you 3 emails over 2 months before we cancel your application. These emails will outline what action you can take to have your application verified. 

What can you do

Speak with your NDIS employer and ask them:

• if they received and actioned the verification request
• if you have the correct employer number and name for NDIS worker screening
• to search for and link with you on the NDIS Worker Screening Database portal (which will verify your application).

Alternatively, you can add an NDIS employer to your application via your MyServiceNSW account. This will prompt a verification notice to be sent to your employer. This can be your existing employer or any other employer for which you are working. To do this:

• login to your MyServiceNSW account (on the website, not the mobile phone app)
• go to ‘NDIS Worker Check’
• go to ‘Add Employer’
• search for and add your current / new / correct NDIS employer
   

Sole trader

If you are a sole trader, you can verify your own NDIS Worker Check application. For more information about sole traders and how to register to access the NDIS Worker Screening Database, refer to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

There are many factors that impact the time it takes to process an NDIS Worker Check application. These include:

• workloads due to the significant number of applications we are processing
• incomplete or inaccurate information in an application
• background checks having inaccurate or incomplete records
• background checks involving information that requires manual collection and processing
• having a common name or a name that matches with potential persons of interest
• requesting and transferring information between agencies
• where a risk assessment is being undertaken

We will contact you if needed

We will contact you via email if:

• there are any issues with your application
• information is required from you
• your application has not been verified by your employer after 30 days
• a risk assessment is being undertaken

Unfortunately, we cannot give you a date by when we will finalise your application. This is because we rely on applicants and other agencies to provide information or to complete the background checks. 

If the background checks identify any records, we need to review them. This means we may also need to seek further information. Requesting, receiving, and assessing information affects the time it takes to process an application.

Working while your application is being assessed

There are arrangements in place that mean a person may be able to work while their application is being assessed.

Speak to your employer about working on an NDIS Worker Check application (as long as it has been verified by them).

Your NDIS Worker Check is a digital credential. You will be advised of the outcome by email. It will be available in your MyServiceNSW account (website only, not the mobile phone app). Your employer views your NDIS Worker Check status and expiry date via the NDIS Worker Screening Database.

If you are issued a clearance:

• it is valid for 5 years
• it can be used across Australia. You do not need to reapply if you move to a different state or territory
• it can be used with any NDIS employer. You do not need to reapply if you change employers or jobs
• it can be used to work in any roles that require an NDIS Worker Check clearance
• you will be continuously monitored for 5 years by state and territory police agencies for new criminal offences
• you will be continuously monitored by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission for new workplace misconduct
• you may be subject to a reassessment of your clearance if there are any new records or other relevant information 
• you will be notified 3 months before your clearance expires
• you need to keep your NDIS Worker Check contact details up to date via your MyServiceNSW account

If you are issued an exclusion:

• you are unable to work in the NDIS in roles that require a clearance
• you are not permitted to reapply for 5 years
• you are not permitted to reapply, even after 5 years, if you have been issued an exclusion because you are a disqualified person