NDIS registration cost — how much does it cost to become an NDIS provider?
The NDIS Commission does not charge a fee to lodge your application, but registration is not free. Every applicant must be audited by an Approved Quality Auditor, and that audit is a cost every provider must pay.
Most new providers spend $2,050 to $21,500 in total on account of NDIS registration costs. This covers entity establishment, consultant fees and the audit. The complexity of the supports you intend to deliver is the key determining factor of that cost.
No application fee payable to the CommissionAudit fees are set and charged by your approved quality auditorFixed fee, priced against the modules your registration requiresBook your free Consultation
The three costs of NDIS registration
Your NDIS provider registration cost splits into three parts, paid to three different parties.
- Entity setup
- $0 – $1,500
- Nothing at all if you are a sole trader with an ABN already. If you are setting up a company, this covers ASIC registration, and public liability and professional indemnity insurance. Insurance is the variable — it moves with your supports and your turnover.
- Paid to your accountant, ASIC and your insurer, as applicable
- Consultant fees
- $800 – $10,000
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What Avaana chargesVerification applications$1,750Core and Specialist scopes$3,500 – $6,000Everything included in one fixed fee agreed upfront: unlimited document revisions, audit coaching, and support through Commission queries. You get your figure at the free consultation, before you commit to anything.
- Across the sector the range runs roughly $800 to $10,000, because different consultants cover different services. Under about $1,500 usually buys a generic policy template pack, no document customisation and no additional support. This is where most rejected applications and failed audits come from.
- Paid to your consultant
- Audit fees
- $1,250 – $10,000+
- Driven mainly by the number of specialist modules comprising your application and the high risk nature of supports to be delivered. Another key factor is the number of participant and staff files the auditor must sample, as well as the costs associated with a site visit and in person audit. Most auditors size the sample using the square root of your participant numbers, so cost climbs as you grow.
For Stage 1 provisional audits and verification audits, a desktop audit is common, which can keep audit costs down. For most other types of audits, a site visit is required. - Paid to your Approved Quality Auditor
You pay these whether you use a consultant or not$1,250 – $11,500+
A sole trader with an existing ABN registering for one or two verification supports sits at the bottom of that range. Most first-time providers land near $6,000 to $8,500, and the top is a large certification scope with a substantial participant sample. Most overspending comes from registering for more Specialist Modules than you need or redoing documentation after going to an unproven or inexperienced consultant that uses generic templates.
Figures current as of August 2026, based on NDIS provider registrations Avaana has completed. Full notes at the foot of the page.
Get a quote for your applicationWhat makes your NDIS audit cost go up or down
The audit by an approved quality auditor is the largest and most variable NDIS registration cost. It is also the one people are most often surprised by. Here are the four factors that have the largest influence on your NDIS audit cost.
Verification or Certification
Lower-risk supports need a desktop Verification audit every 3 years.
Higher-risk supports need a Certification audit, which means a site visit and interviews. A verification audit sits at the lower end of the $1,250 to $10,000 auditor range, a certification audit at the upper end.
How many registration groups and specialist modules
Each registration group and specialist module adds scope to the audit which the auditor is required to sample. Registering for modules you do not intend to deliver yet is the most common way providers increase their NDIS registration cost.
Whether you already deliver supports
If you already work with NDIS participants, for example, as an unregistered provider, the auditor samples real participant files rather than just your policies. That is more work, and it is why an internal audit through Avaana pays for itself.
Your size and number of sites
Auditors price on staff numbers, participant numbers and locations.
A sole trader startup in metropolitan Melbourne and a twenty-person full-service rural provider in the Northern Territory sit at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Earning potential for registered NDIS providers
A registered NDIS provider is paid at published rates for every support they deliver, and the same rate applies whether you are a sole trader or a large organisation. Unregistered providers are locked out of NDIA-managed participants and out of the highest-value supports entirely.
These are price limits rather than guaranteed income. What you actually earn depends on the hours you deliver, your staffing costs and your utilisation. But it is worth comparing the cost of registering with the rates it unlocks, because the two are rarely presented together.
Enrolled Nurse to Nurse Practitioner
Same rate every day of the week
Plus $311.79 per sleepover
Standard to high intensity
Every price limit above is the national figure. Deliver in a remote or very remote area and the limit is higher, by a fixed multiplier applied to every line item.
Shown on Community Nursing Care delivered by an Enrolled Nurse, weekday daytime. The same multipliers apply across every registration group.
National price limits from 1 July 2026. Hourly ranges reflect the line items within each registration group — weekday daytime through to public holiday, and standard through to high intensity. Some items are quoted rather than price-limited, including weekly SIL packages, live-in carer arrangements and individualised living options.
How long it takes to earn the registration back
Few traditional businesses provide a viable entry point at $8,500. The below examples provide the payback period for your registration cost based on the number of hours you would need to work.
Illustrative only. These are gross billings against the registration cost and do not account for wages, insurance, supervision, travel, unbilled time, or the period before you have participants. Evening, weekend, public holiday and high-intensity rates are higher again. Price limits are set by the NDIA and reviewed at least annually. Each example uses the standard weekday daytime limit, the lowest rate in that group.
Can you do it yourself?
Nothing stops you lodging your own application. However, getting NDIS registered is more than drafting policies. There is the evidence to collect and review, the whole suite to tailor to your operations, and the application to compile and lodge. The question is whether you take all of that on without guidance.
A compliant document suite is drafted against the NDIS Act, the Rules and the Practice Standards, and read by an auditor testing it against those instruments clause by clause. That is why every Avaana application is prepared by a consultant with an Australian law degree.
Avaana maintains a suite of around 320 documents, and as part of a registration application, we tailor the set and content of each document to your scope. Each policy, procedure, register, form, and guide must reflect how your business actually operates. It can't be a generic template. Writing that set from scratch is the work, and it is why DIY applications usually take 6-12 months.
On top of that, every worker induction form, training form and Worker Screening Check must be checked. If you are already delivering services to Participants, every Support Plan and Service Agreement must be sighted.
NDIS provider registration cost and fees — frequently asked questions
Is there an application fee to the NDIS Commission?
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No. The Commission does not charge a fee to lodge an application for registration. Your costs are entity setup, NDIS consultant fees if you use one, and your auditor fees.
How much does an NDIS audit cost?
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Between $1,250 and $10,000 or more, set and charged by your approved quality auditor. A Verification audit sits at the lower end of the price scale; a Certification audit with a site visit sits at the upper end.
How much does an NDIS consultant charge?
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Across the sector, roughly $800 to $10,000. Under about $1,500 usually buys a generic policy template pack and little else, which is where most rejected applications and failed audits come from. Avaana charges $1,750 for a verification application and $3,500 to $6,000 for Core and Specialist scopes, as a fixed fee priced against the modules your registration requires.
Is GST applicable on NDIS registration and audit costs?
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Yes. Consultant and auditor fees attract GST, which a GST-registered business can claim back as an input tax credit. There is no Commission fee, so no GST arises on that. Confirm your own position with your accountant.
Can a sole trader register more cheaply?
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Usually yes. Sole traders with an existing ABN skip entity setup, and narrowing support offerings can reduce audit fees. The saving comes from the application scope, not from cutting corners on documentation.
How can I reduce what registration costs me?
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Register only for the groups you will actually deliver, get your documentation right the first time, and have your participant and staff files reviewed before the auditor sees them. Rework after an audit finding is the most expensive money in this process.
Do I have to pay again to renew?
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Yes. Registration lasts up to three years and renewal requires a fresh audit. Certification providers also have a mid-term audit at around eighteen months, which is a further cost again.
Are the fees refundable if my application is withdrawn or unsuccessful?
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Auditor fees are set by your auditor’s own terms, and there is no Commission fee to refund. Avaana’s fee is covered by our money back guarantee on an initial application for NDIS registration: if you do not pass the audit on documentation we prepared, we refund our fees. Conditions apply.*
What does aged care registration cost?
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Support at Home works differently. Unlike the NDIS, the Commission charges both application and audit fees, and the registration categories you need drive the total. The costs are set out on our Support at Home registration page.