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Independent NDIS support worker: registered or unregistered?

An independent support worker can be an unregistered provider for participants who self-manage or use a plan manager, but not for participants whose funding is NDIA-managed, which needs a provider who is registered with the NDIS Commission. Registered or not, the NDIS Code of Conduct applies. This page sets out who you can work for, when registration is required and what stays the same either way.

No credit card required - 5 free invoices a month. Read from ndis.gov.au, ato.gov.au and business.gov.au on 9 November 2026. General information, not tax or legal advice.

Who an independent worker can work for

The NDIS says "Providers can be a person, business or organisation" and "can be registered ... or unregistered". Which participants you can take depends on how they manage their funding.

FundingSelf-managedUnregistered provider?YesWhat the NDIS saysThe participant has "flexibility to use both registered and unregistered NDIS providers".
FundingPlan-managedUnregistered provider?YesWhat the NDIS says"You can choose providers who are registered or unregistered."
FundingNDIA-managedUnregistered provider?NoWhat the NDIS says"You can't use unregistered providers for NDIS supports you have NDIA-managed funding for."

So as an unregistered worker you can take self-managed and plan-managed participants. How each pays you is in who gets the invoice.

Sources: Guide to becoming a provider, What is self-managed funding, What is plan-managed funding, What is NDIA-managed funding, checked 9 November 2026.

When registration is required

The NDIS says you must be registered with the NDIS Commission if you:

Support NDIA-managed participants
Provide supports or services to NDIS participants with NDIA-managed funding.
Specialist disability accommodation
Provide specialist disability accommodation (SDA).
Supported independent living
Provide supported independent living (SIL) support.
Specialist behaviour support
Provide specialist behaviour support services.
Plan management
Provide plan management services.
Restrictive practices
Plan to use regulated restrictive practices.

Sources: What are the responsibilities of a provider, Guide to becoming a provider, checked 9 November 2026.

What registration adds

The NDIS lists these benefits of being registered with the NDIS Commission: providing supports to a wider range of participants, being able to promote and brand your services as registered, greater visibility to participants through the NDIS provider finder tool, and access to updates and information about system and process changes.

To register you apply to the NDIS Commission, are audited against the relevant NDIS practice standards, undergo a suitability assessment, are issued a certificate of registration and renew your registration. Check the NDIS Commission for the current process and fees; we could not fetch its pages.

Sources: Guide to becoming a provider, checked 9 November 2026.

What applies whether you are registered or not

The NDIS Code of Conduct
The NDIS says it applies to registered and unregistered providers.
Invoice after the support
Give participants an invoice after delivering a support or service, and request payment only after an NDIS support has been delivered.
Keep records
Keep complete and accurate records of NDIS supports delivered: invoices, support logs, rosters, case notes and service agreements. Your claims must be complete, truthful and accurate.
Treat participants fairly
The NDIS says consumer law applies, including rules on unfair contract terms. It gives unreasonable cancellation policies as an example of a term that may be unfair.
Maximum prices
The NDIS says the maximum prices in its pricing schedules only apply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed participants. For a plan-managed participant they apply to you even if you are unregistered. Check the current Pricing Schedule; this page prints none of its amounts.

Sources: Guide to becoming a provider, What are the responsibilities of a provider, What are the record keeping requirements, Pricing arrangements, checked 9 November 2026.

Doing this in Invio

Invio is invoicing software. It works the same whether you are registered or not; it does not register you or check your status.

Your ABN on every invoice
Add your ABN under Settings, then Business. It prints at the top of your invoices. If it is empty, Invio shows a note before you send; the note never stops you sending.
Switch on the option
Settings, then Business, then Your industry, then Support worker invoicing. Nothing changes on your invoices until you do.
The participant and a line per support
Add the participant as a client; their NDIS number (nine digits) prints under their name. Each line can carry its own date, a unit (hour, km or each) and a support item number.
Plan-managed: invoice the plan manager
On the participant's record, under "Send invoices to someone else", add the plan manager. The invoice goes to their email address and the participant stays the named client.

Invio does not submit claims, and it does not check item numbers, dates or prices against the NDIA. Invio never decides what is GST-free; you decide, with your adviser.

What the whole option does, and what it does not do, is on Invoicing software for NDIS support workers in Australia.

Claim within 90 days from 1 December 2026

Added 1 November 2026.

From 1 December 2026 an NDIS claim must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered. The limit was two years. The change is in Schedule 2, Part 5 ("Reducing claim times") of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 (No. 66 of 2026). The NDIS rules may set a shorter period for some claims.

The Act has no separate rule for a support delivered before 1 December 2026. On our reading, a claim made from 1 December must be within 90 days of the support, even for earlier supports, so claim older supports before 1 December. This is general information, not advice: check with the NDIA. Either way, invoice and claim soon after each support, not in a batch weeks later.

In Invio, where the claims tools or the shift log are switched on for your account, a reminder reads "Claim within N days" from 60 days after a support was delivered (amber), turns red from 80 days, and says "Past the 90-day claim window" after 90. A support delivered before 1 December that is already older than that reads "Claim by" with its last day, which is 30 November 2026 at the latest. It shows on the dashboard, on the Bill shifts screen for signed-off shifts that are not on an invoice or a claim yet, and in the notes before you send an invoice with an old line date. The reminders never stop you sending or claiming, and Invio does not submit claims for you.

Sources: NDIS Amendment Act 2026 (No. 66 of 2026), Department of Health fact sheet, checked 1 November 2026.

Questions about independent support work

Can a sole trader be an NDIS provider?
Yes. The NDIS says providers can be a person, business or organisation, registered or unregistered. A sole trader can work unregistered for self-managed and plan-managed participants.
Can an unregistered support worker work with NDIA-managed participants?
No. The NDIS says you cannot use unregistered providers for supports with NDIA-managed funding. Those need a provider who is registered with the NDIS Commission.
Do I have to register with the NDIS to be an independent support worker?
Not for self-managed or plan-managed participants. The NDIS lists the cases where you must register, including NDIA-managed supports, SDA, SIL, specialist behaviour support, plan management and regulated restrictive practices.
Does the NDIS Code of Conduct apply if I am unregistered?
Yes. The NDIS says the Code of Conduct applies to registered and unregistered providers.
Do the NDIS maximum prices apply to me as an unregistered worker?
The NDIS says the maximum prices only apply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed participants. So they apply to your plan-managed work, and not to a self-managed participant, where you agree the price with them. Check the current Pricing Schedule.
How do I get found if I am unregistered?
The NDIS lists greater visibility through its provider finder tool as a benefit of registration. We did not find how an unregistered worker is listed, so check the NDIS site.

Start invoicing free as an independent support worker

Send a few invoices a month free, with a date on every line. Keep your GST and tax records for your own return or your adviser.

No credit card required - 5 free invoices a month