NDISWC – Application status and processing times

• Your application has been submitted by Service NSW to the NDIS Worker Check screening agency.
• It is undergoing a review to confirm the application is valid. Some applicants may be contacted to clarify or provide additional information.
• It is not yet on the NDIS Worker Screening Database – your employer cannot yet verify it.

• Your application has been uploaded to the NDIS Worker Screening Database and is awaiting verification by your employer/s.
• Your employer/s will have received an email asking them to verify your application. They have 30 days to verify your application.
• If your application is not verified within 30 days, you will receive an email from the NDISWC screening agency. It will advise what you can do to rectify this.

• Your application has been verified by your NDIS employer/s and background checks are underway, or
• Background checks are completed and records have been identified and are being assessed, or
• The records have been assessed and a risk assessment is underway.
• You will be contacted by the screening agency if a risk assessment is underway to discuss the risk assessment process and if you need to provide any information.

There are a number of factors that contribute to the time it takes to process an NDIS Worker Check application. This includes:

• workloads due to the significant number of applications we are processing
• incomplete or inaccurate information in the application
• background checks having inaccurate or incomplete records
• background checks involving information that requires manual collection and processing
• having a common name or a name that matches with potential persons of interest
• requesting and transferring information between agencies
• where a risk assessment is being undertaken.

You will be contacted if there are any issues with your application, if information is required or a risk assessment is being undertaken.

Unfortunately, we cannot give you a date by when we will finalise your application. This is because we rely on applicants and other agencies to provide information or to complete the background checks. 

If the background checks identify any records, we need to review them. This means we may also need to seek further information from other agencies, or the applicant. Requesting, receiving and assessing information affects the time it takes to process an application.

There are arrangements in place that mean workers should be able to work without a final NDISWC clearance. You should speak to your employer about working on an NDISWC application (so long as it has been verified) or an acceptable check (national police check or a WWCC clearance).