Job seeker guide

NDIS Worker Screening Check: who needs one and how to get it

The NDIS Worker Screening Check is a national check that each state and territory screening unit carries out for people who work in risk assessed roles for registered NDIS providers. A clearance lasts five years and is recognised across Australia. You usually need an NDIS employer to verify your application, so the check follows a job offer or placement.

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By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 6 October 2026.

Official data

Key facts from official sources

Victoria: validity and renewal

A clearance is valid for five years across Australia unless surrendered or revoked. Renewal can start from 90 days before expiry.

Source: Victorian Government: NDIS Worker Screening Check (retrieved 6 October 2026)

Western Australia: fee and start on application

$145 for paid employees on the day we read the page. A worker can start on application once identity and employer verification are complete and no interim bar applies.

Source: Government of Western Australia: Applying for an NDIS Check (retrieved 6 October 2026)

New South Wales: employer verification

The NDIS employer is emailed to verify the application and has 30 days to do it. The fee listed was $112 for paid workers.

Source: NSW Office of the Children's Guardian: How to apply for an NDIS Worker Check (retrieved 6 October 2026)

Queensland: no card, no start for sole traders

Sole traders who are registered NDIS providers in risk assessed roles must hold a clearance before they start work.

Source: Queensland Government: Information for sole traders, disability worker screening (retrieved 6 October 2026)

Tasmania: nationally recognised check

A worker who already holds an NDIS Worker Screening Check from another state or territory does not need a Tasmanian RWVP for NDIS work.

Source: Tasmanian Department of Justice: Apply for a NDIS Worker Screening Check (RWVP) (retrieved 6 October 2026)

What you need to know

What is the NDIS Worker Screening Check?

It is a national assessment of whether a person who works, or seeks to work, with people with disability poses an unacceptable risk to them. The state or territory screening unit assesses each application and the outcome is a clearance or an exclusion. Because the assessment is national, a clearance from one state is accepted in another: the Victorian and Western Australian government pages both say a clearance is valid for five years across Australia, and Tasmania says the check is nationally recognised. The check is separate from a police check and from a Working with Children Check, which are different schemes with different rules. People often mix the names up, so use the official name when you ask a provider what you need.

Who needs one, and who does not?

People in risk assessed roles for registered NDIS providers need a clearance. The Queensland Government lists risk assessed roles as key personnel of a registered provider, people directly delivering supports or services, and roles with more than incidental contact with a person with disability. Tasmania adds self-employed registered providers, volunteers and work experience students. Registered providers decide which of their roles are risk assessed. The South Australian Government says workers of registered providers who are not in a risk assessed role do not need a check, though a provider may ask for one, and the NT page says the same. Queensland adds that unregistered providers may also apply to be screened, and that participants who engage an unregistered provider can ask for it.

Why you usually need an employer first

In most places you nominate an NDIS employer when you apply, and that employer verifies the application on the NDIS Worker Screening Database. In New South Wales the employer is sent an email and has 30 days to verify, and if it is not verified the application does not progress. Tasmania says you cannot apply without an NDIS employer, and self-employed workers first register as an employer on the database. This is why most people apply after they have a role or a placement lined up. Tell the provider early that you have not yet applied, and ask how its onboarding works so your start date is realistic.

What happens if you already hold a clearance from another state?

You do not usually need to start again. Queensland says a worker who holds a valid NDIS worker screening clearance from another state or territory does not need to reapply there. Tasmania says the same, and adds that your new employer can confirm the clearance in the NDIS portal. Your clearance still has to be linked to your new employer, so give them your details. Victoria keeps its Working with Children Check separate: the Victorian page says the NDIS Check does not replace it. If you move to Queensland and support both children and adults, you may need a blue card as well, and the two can be applied for in one combined application.

How long does it last, and how do you renew?

A clearance is valid for five years. Victoria and Queensland both let you start the renewal up to 90 days before it expires, and both tell you to submit it before expiry so you can keep working. Western Australia also states that a clearance is subject to ongoing monitoring. Put the expiry date in your phone calendar on the day it is issued. If you let it lapse in a state with a no clearance, no start rule, your provider cannot roster you into a risk assessed role until a new one is issued. Keep your contact details current with the screening unit so it can reach you if it needs more information.

What should you watch out for?

Apply only through the official state site, and do not pay a third party to apply for you. Fees differ by state and change, and some states give a lower fee or a waiver to volunteers in risk assessed roles. Western Australia allows work on application in listed circumstances, for example when your identity has been verified and your employer has verified you and no interim bar has been issued, but Victoria applies a no clearance, no start approach. Do not assume your state works like another one. If you are unsure what a role needs, ask the provider which of its roles are risk assessed and which screening unit it uses.

NDIS Worker Screening Check by state and territory

Agency, how to apply and the fee where the official page published one on 6 October 2026. Fees change, so check the page before you apply.

State or territory	Who runs it	How you apply	Fee read on the day
New South Wales	Office of the Children's Guardian	MyServiceNSW account, identity confirmed at a Service NSW centre, employer verifies	$112 for paid workers, free for volunteers
Victoria	Service Victoria	Online through Service Victoria; no clearance, no start	$139.20
Queensland	Worker screening unit, with Blue Card Services	Worker Screening Portal; combined application with a blue card where needed	$161.30 for paid workers ($176.30 combined with a blue card), free for volunteers
Western Australia	Screening Unit, Department of Communities	Online application, identity check, employer verification	$145 for paid employees
South Australia	Screening Unit	Screening SA account or Australian Government Digital ID	$145 for employees, free for volunteers
Tasmania	Department of Justice	RWVP application with an NDIS employer named	See the RWVP page
Australian Capital Territory	Access Canberra	Working with Vulnerable People registration, plus an NDIS worker clearance for risk assessed roles with registered providers	See Access Canberra
Northern Territory	NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services	NDIS Worker Screening Clearance application	See the NT page

Before you apply for an NDIS Worker Screening Check

Checklist

Ask the provider whether your role is risk assessed
Get the provider's NDIS employer details so you can nominate them
Gather photo identification and your addresses for the past five years
Use a personal email address and mobile number, not your work contact details
Note the clearance expiry date and set a renewal reminder for 90 days earlier

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the NDIS Worker Screening Check the same as a police check?

No. It is a separate assessment run by the state or territory screening unit for people who work with people with disability, and a clearance lasts five years. A police check is a different document.

Can I apply for the NDIS Worker Screening Check without a job?

Usually not. New South Wales says someone who is not doing or about to start NDIS work cannot apply, and Tasmania says you cannot apply without an NDIS employer.

How long does an NDIS clearance last?

Five years. Victoria and Queensland let you renew from 90 days before it expires.

Does my NDIS clearance work in another state?

Yes. The check is nationally recognised, so your new employer links your existing clearance instead of starting again.

Do I need a Working with Children Check as well?

If your role involves child-related work you may need one. Victoria says the NDIS Check does not replace its Working with Children Check, and Queensland may require a blue card as well.

Who pays for the check?

It differs by state and by whether you are a paid worker or a volunteer. Check the fee on the official page and ask the provider whether it reimburses you.

Does CrossNation apply for the check for me?

No. You apply yourself through the official state site, and CrossNation does not issue or verify screening checks.