How much will your NDIS audit cost?

For most Australian providers, a verification audit costs between AUD 1,500 and AUD 4,500 total (initial registration), while a certification audit costs between AUD 6,000 and AUD 25,000 for an initial registration with Stage 1 and Stage 2 combined. Recertification is usually 60 to 80 percent of the initial cost. Mid-term surveillance audits (certification only, around 18 months into the 3-year cycle) typically cost AUD 2,500 to AUD 6,000. Actual auditor fees vary with registration stream, registration groups, participant numbers, staff size, number of sites, travel distance, and whether you deliver higher-risk supports like Supported Independent Living (SIL) or regulated restrictive practices. All figures are AUD ex-GST and exclude the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's registration application fee (paid separately to the Commission).

Verification is the lower-risk audit stream. It applies to providers delivering therapy, plan management, support coordination, assistive technology, transport, and similar lower-risk supports. It is a shorter, desktop-heavy audit. Certification is the higher-risk audit stream and applies to providers delivering Supported Independent Living (SIL), personal care, community nursing, early childhood supports, specialist behaviour support, or high-intensity daily personal activities. Certification includes both a Stage 1 documentation review and a Stage 2 onsite audit with interviews of participants, workers, and management. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission decides which stream you fall into based on the registration groups you apply for.

NDIS approved quality auditors typically price against an auditor-day model. A base number of days is set for the stream and stage (verification initial is about 1 day total; certification initial is around 3.5 days across Stage 1 and Stage 2). Additional auditor-days are added for the number of registration groups, number of active participants, staff size, and number of service delivery sites. For certification providers, further uplift is added for high-complexity services (SIL, behaviour support, restrictive practices, early childhood, community nursing, high-intensity daily supports). Travel and accommodation are billed as a separate surcharge depending on whether your primary service location is metro, regional, or remote. Finally, a fixed report-writing and admin fee is added on top. Our estimator applies this same model with low, mid, and high bands so you see a defensible range rather than a single false-precision number.

No. The estimate covers auditor fees only. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission charges a separate registration application fee (AUD 500 at time of writing, April 2026) which is paid directly to the Commission, not your auditor. Providers occasionally also incur incidental costs for police checks, NDIS Worker Screening clearances, insurance upgrades, and policy development — these are not counted in our auditor-fee estimate because they vary widely.

A verification audit typically takes 4 to 8 weeks end-to-end, with 1 to 2 auditor-days of actual audit activity. A certification initial audit typically takes 8 to 16 weeks end-to-end, with 3 to 6 auditor-days across Stage 1 (documentation review, usually 1 to 2 days) and Stage 2 (onsite audit, usually 2 to 4 days depending on scope). Expect additional time for auditor availability (most approved auditors book 4 to 12 weeks in advance) and for any non-conformance remediation. Recertification is faster than initial certification because the auditor already has your history; expect 6 to 10 weeks.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission publishes the full list of approved quality auditors on its website. Commonly used auditors include Global-Mark, HDAA (Health and Disability Auditing Australia), BSI, SAI Global, QIP (Quality Innovation Performance), TQCSI, Spire Auditing, and Equalitas Audit. Each auditor sets its own fee schedule and books its own auditor roster. We strongly recommend requesting written quotes from at least three auditors before committing, since quotes for the same scope can vary by 30 to 50 percent.

Yes, and the biggest lever is evidence readiness. Auditors quote on the assumption that your evidence is organised: policies in one place, version-controlled, reviewed in date, linked to Practice Standards outcomes; incident register with closed-out actions; worker screening records for every staff member; complaints log; participant service agreements; risk register; continuity of supports plans. If any of this is scattered, the auditor spends more hours chasing evidence and bills those hours to you. Other levers: bundle registration groups efficiently (do not apply for groups you will not use), consolidate sites where possible, and be ready to commit to audit dates so the auditor does not repeat scoping work. A well-organised provider can often land in the low band of their range.

The estimator is calibrated against publicly advertised fee ranges from major approved quality auditors and against the auditor-day model published by the NDIS Commission's Approved Quality Auditor scheme. It is built to be defensible: you can show the breakdown to your board and explain exactly why each line was added. It is not a quote. Actual quotes from auditors vary with commercial positioning, auditor seniority, specific interpretation of your scope, and current market conditions. Treat our mid-point as a useful planning number, and always get three written quotes before committing. We update the model when we notice structural changes in auditor pricing (typically once or twice a year).

Stage 1 is a desktop documentation review. The auditor examines your policies, procedures, registers, service agreement templates, risk management framework, continuity plans, incident and complaints processes, worker screening records, and governance arrangements. The Stage 1 report flags areas where more evidence is required at Stage 2. Stage 2 is the onsite audit. The auditor visits your premises (and a sample of participant homes or service locations where applicable), interviews participants, workers, clinicians, and management, observes practice, and tests your systems in action. The Stage 2 report details conformances and any non-conformances, which you must close out within agreed timeframes before registration is granted. Some auditors quote Stage 1 and Stage 2 separately; others quote a combined fee.

Certification providers only. About 18 months into your 3-year certification cycle, the NDIS Commission requires a mid-term surveillance audit. This is a scaled-down onsite audit, usually about 1 to 1.5 auditor-days, focused on a sample of Practice Standards rather than the full set. Typical cost is AUD 2,500 to AUD 6,000 depending on scope and travel. Verification providers do not have a mid-term audit — they simply re-audit at renewal every 3 years. Our estimator reflects this.

You do not choose. The NDIS Commission decides based on the registration groups you apply for. Supports classed as higher-risk or complex (SIL, personal care, community nursing, behaviour support, restrictive practices, early childhood, high-intensity daily personal activities) require certification. Lower-risk supports (therapy, plan management, support coordination, household tasks, transport, assistive technology, innovative community participation) require verification. If you apply for a mix of both, you will be audited under certification. The NDIS Price Guide and the Commission's registration guide are the authoritative references for which stream each support falls under.

Non-conformances are not directly charged by the auditor, but closing them out takes your time and can delay your registration. Major non-conformances (for example, no working-with-children checks for staff in early childhood, or missing restrictive practices consent) can require a follow-up audit that auditors bill separately (typically 0.5 to 1 auditor-day, AUD 1,000 to AUD 2,500). The best defence is a clean evidence pack before audit — which is why compliance platforms like ClinicComply exist.

Verification providers re-audit every 3 years. Certification providers have a mid-term surveillance audit at the 18-month mark and recertify at 3 years. Both streams require you to maintain compliance continuously, not just around audit dates — the Commission can conduct unannounced compliance visits or investigations at any time following a complaint or notifiable incident.

No. The estimator is a planning tool built from published NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission documentation and publicly advertised auditor fee ranges. It is not legal, regulatory, or audit advice. Specific obligations and costs vary with your organisation, scope, location, and individual auditor. For binding advice, contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (call 1800 035 544) or request quotes from the approved quality auditors listed on the Commission's website. Use the estimator to scope what you should budget for, not as proof you have budgeted correctly.

Your inputs are used client-side to compute the estimate. If you submit your email, we create a Resend contact record in our Australian-data-residency region (Sydney) and send you the email with the full breakdown and notes included. We do not store your specific inputs, and we do not host a temporary results page — the email you receive is the full, self-contained artefact. If you opt in, you join our occasional NDIS compliance updates list and can unsubscribe from any email. If you do not opt in, we use your email only to send the estimate.