Working with Children Check (WA): cost, renewal and card validation
WA's WWC Check in October 2026: $87 for paid work, $11 for volunteers, a WWC Card valid three years, renewal from three months out.
On this page
Western Australia's Working with Children Check is run by the WWC Screening Unit in the Department of Communities and results in a WWC Card. The card lasts three years and holders are screened on an ongoing basis. It costs $87 for paid employees and $11 for volunteers and students on unpaid placement. New applications are lodged at Australia Post.
Key facts (as of October 2026)
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing body | WWC Screening Unit, Department of Communities | wa.gov.au |
| Official name | Working with Children (WWC) Check and WWC Card | wa.gov.au |
| Validity | 3 years; holders are checked on an ongoing basis until the card expires | wa.gov.au |
| Cost (paid) | $87 for paid employees and self-employed people (the fee does not include GST) | wa.gov.au |
| Cost (volunteer) | $11 for volunteers, unpaid people and students on unpaid placement | wa.gov.au |
| Processing time | Check with WWC Screening Unit, Department of Communities | Not confirmed |
| Renewal | Renew up to three months before expiry, at Australia Post or online in your WWC Account. Child-related work with an expired card and no pending application is an offence | wa.gov.au |
| Interstate clearances | Not accepted. A WA check cannot be used in other states, and short-term visitors who do not normally live in WA are exempt for the two weeks after they first arrive | wa.gov.au |
| Apply or renew | Apply in person at Australia Post (hardcopy form) Renew online in your WWC Account | wa.gov.au |
| Status check or register | WWC Card validation (public: card number and family name) | workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au |
| What an employer must do | Do not engage anyone in child-related work without a current WWC Card or a pending application; your organisation representative verifies the person's child-related work when they apply or renew | wa.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: Working with Children Check (WA)
- Lodge the hardcopy application form in person at Australia Post. The organisation you will work for completes a section verifying your child-related work.
- Pay $87 if you are paid or self-employed, or $11 if you are a volunteer, unpaid or a student on unpaid placement. If you do both paid and volunteer child-related work, apply as a paid employee.
- Keep your application receipt. In most cases it lets you start child-related work while the application is assessed. It does not if you have a negative notice, an interim negative notice, or a pending charge or conviction for a Class 1 offence committed as an adult.
- Track the application in your online WWC Account.
How to renew: Working with Children Check (WA)
- Renew up to three months before the card expires, online through your WWC Account or at Australia Post.
- When you renew online, the organisation representative you nominate receives an email asking them to verify your child-related work.
- A pending renewal lets you keep working in most cases. Child-related work with an expired card and no pending application is an offence.
What employers must do
- Do not engage anyone in child-related work, or arrange child-related work for them, without a current WWC Card or a pending application.
- Do not engage someone you know holds a negative notice, an interim negative notice or an adverse interstate WWC decision.
- Verify the person's child-related work when they apply or renew: your organisation representative completes the form section or follows the email link.
- Keep records that show compliance. The Department of Communities publishes a record-keeping template and compliance toolkits.
- You can tell the WWC Screening Unit when existing card holders start or stop child-related work for you, through 'Register card holders' in the online services.
What is specific to Western Australia
- Since 17 September 2026 WA applies 'banned in one, banned in all': an adverse decision in another state or territory is also recognised in WA, with no transition period.
- One WA card covers every category of child-related work and every form of employment in WA and on Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
- New applications use a hardcopy form at Australia Post. Online services cover renewals, application status and organisation tasks.
- Organisations can nominate a notification recipient, such as an HR role, to receive WWC notifications instead of the organisation representative.
What Koora checks
Verified by Koora, point-in-time. Koora checks the clearance against the WA WWC Card validation service when the credential reaches Koora's review: when a worker shares their Career Passport, when a provider requests access, or across an organisation's own records where Crew is attached. The result is recorded with its date, so it is a point-in-time verification, and Koora then tracks the expiry date. Koora does not continuously monitor the clearance.
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 a Working with Children Check in WA?
$87 for paid employees and self-employed people, and $11 for volunteers, unpaid people and students on unpaid placement. The fee does not include GST.
How long does a WA WWC Card last?
Three years. The WWC Screening Unit keeps checking holders on an ongoing basis until the card expires.
When can I renew my WWC Card in WA?
Up to three months before it expires, online through your WWC Account or at Australia Post. The organisation representative you nominate verifies your child-related work by email.
Can I use an interstate Working with Children Check in WA?
No. Other states' checks do not cover child-related work in WA, apart from a two-week exemption for short-term visitors who do not normally live in WA. Lodge a WA application when you arrive.
How do I check a WA WWC Card?
Use the public card validation service at workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au with the card number and the holder's family name.
Related
- Working With Children Check by state: rules and renewals
- Working with Children Check in every state and territory: the comparison table
- NDIS Worker Screening Check (WA) in Western Australia
- National Police Check (WA) in Western Australia
- Teacher registration (WA) in Western Australia
- Glossary: Working with Children Check
- Which worker check do I need?: pick your sector, role and state
Sources
- https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/working-children-check
- https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/working-children-check-application-and-renewal-process
- https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/working-children-check-who-needs-wwc-check
- https://www.workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au/card-validation
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.
See which checks apply to you.
Choose your sector, role and state. The free check finder helps you work out where to start.
Find my check