NDIS Worker Check (SA): cost, renewal and work on re-application
SA's NDIS Worker Check in October 2026: $145 for employees, $73.50 for tertiary students, free for volunteers, five years, renew in the final three months.
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In South Australia the NDIS Worker Screening Check is called the NDIS Worker Check and is run by the Department of Human Services Screening Unit through the Screening SA portal. It lasts five years. It costs $145 for employees and $73.50 for tertiary students, and is free for volunteers. Most applications are completed within four weeks.
Key facts (as of October 2026)
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing body | Department of Human Services (DHS) Screening Unit | sa.gov.au |
| Official name | NDIS Worker Check | sa.gov.au |
| Validity | 5 years | sa.gov.au |
| Cost (paid) | $145 for employees; $73.50 for tertiary students (non-refundable) | sa.gov.au |
| Cost (volunteer) | Free | sa.gov.au |
| Processing time | Most applications are completed within 4 weeks; longer with relevant criminal history or national police check delays | sa.gov.au |
| Renewal | Apply for a new check once your current one is within 3 months of expiry. Lodge before an SA-granted check expires to keep working while it is processed | sa.gov.au |
| Interstate clearances | Interstate clearances are used in SA. If yours was granted interstate, renew 3 months before expiry: working on application applies only to SA-granted checks | sa.gov.au |
| Apply or renew | Apply in the Screening SA portal Renew an expiring NDIS Worker Check | sa.gov.au |
| Status check or register | Access is through the NDIS Commission portal: employers check status and expiry in the NDIS Worker Screening Database | ndiscommission.gov.au |
| What an employer must do | Verify that the person holds an NDIS Worker Check clearance in the NDIS Portal before employing them in a risk-assessed role | sa.gov.au |
Fees and processing times change, most often once a year. The source column links to the official page each value was checked against in October 2026.
How to apply: NDIS Worker Check (SA)
- Create your own Screening SA account with your own email address, and verify your identity with a Basic, Standard or Strong Digital ID.
- Apply in the Screening SA portal and submit within 28 days of starting, or the application cancels with no refund.
- Pay $145 as an employee or $73.50 as a tertiary student, by credit card. Volunteers pay nothing.
- Most applications take about four weeks. If the Screening Unit raises a concern, respond by the seven-day due date it gives you.
- There is no physical card. Your employer sees the outcome in the NDIS Worker Screening Database.
How to renew: NDIS Worker Check (SA)
- Apply for a new check through the Screening SA portal once your current one is within three months of expiry.
- Apply before your SA-granted check expires and you may keep working while the new application is processed.
- If your check was granted interstate and you have moved to SA, you cannot work on application, so renew three months before expiry. If you have already applied to renew in another state, do not apply in SA as well.
- If the NDIS Worker Screening Database shows your clearance as expired while a timely renewal is pending, look at the 'Eligible to work' field: SA says a worker showing 'Yes' remains eligible.
What employers must do
- Verify that a person holds an NDIS Worker Check clearance in the NDIS Portal before employing them in a risk-assessed role.
- Read the 'Eligible to work' field as well as the expiry date: 'Yes' means the worker remains eligible even if the clearance shows as expired during a renewal.
- Identify your risk-assessed roles and keep a written record of them, updated within 20 business days when a role is added or reclassified.
- Link workers to your organisation in the NDIS Worker Screening Database when they start and unlink them when they leave. Linked employers are notified when a clearance is within 90 days of expiry.
- Keep a written record of each worker in a risk-assessed role, including the clearance number and expiry date. The record is kept for seven years.
What is specific to South Australia
- The DHS Screening Unit also issues SA's Working with Children Check and the Aged Care Sector Employment Check, through the same Screening SA account.
- SA's checks can include spent convictions, because the law allows it for people working with people with disability.
- SA monitors clearances continuously, drawing on SA Police and the Department for Child Protection, plus notices from the NDIS Commission and other states.
- An exclusion, bar or ban in another state automatically excludes a person from disability work in SA.
What Koora checks
Reviewed. Koora does not verify NDIS Worker Screening clearances against the NDIS Worker Screening Database today; source verification is on Koora's roadmap. The compliance engine checks the clearance against the requirements of each role, and Koora tracks its expiry date. A person reviews the evidence when a worker shares their Career Passport or a provider requests access, or across an organisation's own records where Crew is attached. Registered providers still verify and link their workers in the NDIS Commission portal themselves.
Your team reviews each credential in Koora, or Crew does it for you. The provider keeps the legal responsibility for who they engage.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the NDIS Worker Check in South Australia?
$145 for employees and $73.50 for tertiary students. Volunteers pay nothing. The fee is non-refundable.
When can I renew my NDIS Worker Check in SA?
Once it is within three months of expiry. Apply before it expires and, for an SA-granted check, you may keep working while the renewal is processed.
How long does an NDIS Worker Check take in SA?
Most applications are completed within four weeks, longer if there is relevant criminal history or the national police check is delayed.
My NDIS clearance shows as expired but I renewed on time. Can I work in SA?
Check the 'Eligible to work' field in the NDIS Worker Screening Database. SA says a worker showing 'Yes' remains eligible to work in a risk-assessed role even if the clearance shows as expired.
Related
- NDIS Worker Screening Check: a state-by-state guide for 2026
- NDIS Worker Screening Check in every state and territory: the comparison table
- Working with Children Check (SA) in South Australia
- National Police Check (SA) in South Australia
- Teacher registration (SA) in South Australia
- Glossary: NDIS Worker Screening Check
- Which worker check do I need?: pick your sector, role and state
Sources
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-ndis
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-ndis/for-individuals/expiring-ndis-worker-checks
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-ndis/for-individuals/apply-for-an-ndis-worker-check
- https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/workforce/worker-screening/worker-screening-registered-providers
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-ndis/for-organisations/verify-an-ndis-worker-check
This is general information, not compliance advice. Always confirm requirements with the relevant regulator, and remember that providers keep the legal responsibility to sight credentials and decide who can work.
We work hard to keep everything accurate, and our compliance engine keeps up with the rules as they change. Even so, we might get a detail slightly wrong or miss something. No one's perfect. If you think something here needs updating, email us at resources@koora.care. We would genuinely rather know, because we all do better when we help each other get it right.
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