Registered vs unregistered NDIS providers: what the difference means for you

A registered NDIS provider has been audited and approved by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. An unregistered provider hasn't registered, but still has to follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. Which one you can use depends on how your funding is managed: NDIA-managed funding can only pay registered providers, while plan-managed and self-managed funding can pay either.

This is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice, and it doesn't consider your situation. Perth Disability Connect is an independent directory, not an NDIS provider. NDIS rules and price limits change, so check the linked source before you rely on them. Rules and figures are current as at 27 September 2026.

If a coordinator, provider or family member has told you a provider "isn't registered", this is how to work out whether that matters for your plan, how to check a provider yourself, and what's changing.

What is a registered NDIS provider, and what is an unregistered one?

A registered NDIS provider is a person or business that has applied to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, been audited against the NDIS Practice Standards that apply to its supports, and passed a suitability assessment of the business and its key personnel (NDIS Commission). Registration is generally granted for 3 years, and registered providers are published on the Commission's Provider Register.

The Commission is not the NDIA. The National Disability Insurance Agency approves plans and pays claims. The Commission registers providers, handles complaints and enforces the rules. Several websites get this the wrong way round.

An unregistered NDIS provider is a provider paid from NDIS plans that hasn't registered with the Commission. It can still deliver many supports and services to NDIS participants, and that doesn't put it outside the rules. The NDIS Code of Conduct applies to registered and unregistered NDIS providers and their workers (NDIS Code of Conduct). The Commission regulates both and says it will act against providers that breach the Code (NDIS Commission, 4 September 2026).

Can you use an unregistered provider? It depends on how your plan is managed

Yes, if your funding is plan-managed or self-managed. No, if it's NDIA-managed: agency-managed funding can only pay a registered NDIS provider.

Your funding is managed byRegistered providersUnregistered providersThe NDIA (agency-managed)YesNoA plan manager (plan-managed)YesYesYou (self-managed)YesYes

If you use a plan manager, the plan manager itself must be registered with the NDIS Commission, but the providers it pays can be registered or unregistered (NDIA). This is the point most often misstated online: "plan management must be registered" is about the plan manager, not about everyone the plan manager pays.

If your plan mixes management types, the rule applies to each part. Supports paid from the NDIA-managed part must come from a registered provider. Our guide to self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed NDIS funding explains how to change the way your funding is managed. If you want a plan manager, you can compare NDIS plan managers in Perth.

The difference between registered and unregistered providers

Registered providerUnregistered providerChecked by the NDIS CommissionYes: audit and suitability assessmentNo registration auditMust follow the NDIS Code of ConductYesYesYou can complain to the NDIS CommissionYesYesWorker screeningRequired for workers in risk-assessed rolesOptional, but you can ask for itPrice limitsApply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed fundsApply to plan-managed funds; self-managed funds aren't cappedHow they're paidThrough the NDIA (agency-managed), a plan manager, or youOnly through a plan manager or directly by youOn the Commission's Provider RegisterYesNo

Audits scale with risk. Lower-risk supports, such as plan management and therapy supports, go through a verification audit, which is a desk review. Higher-risk supports, such as SDA and SIL, go through a certification audit, which adds site inspections and interviews, including with participants (NDIS Provider Registration and Practice Standards Rules).

On price, the maximum prices in the NDIS pricing schedules apply to NDIA-managed and plan-managed funding (NDIA). So if you're plan-managed and an unregistered provider quotes above the price limit for a support, your plan manager can't pay the higher rate from your plan. Only self-managed participants can agree to pay above or below those limits. Separately, the Code of Conduct now says providers can't charge NDIS participants more than other customers without a reasonable justification (NDIS Commission, fair pricing).

Supports that must use a registered provider (as at September 2026)

Registered providers must deliver certain NDIS supports. According to the NDIS Commission, you must use a registered provider for:

• any support paid from NDIA-managed funding

• plan management

• specialist disability accommodation (SDA)

• specialist behaviour support

• any support involving regulated restrictive practices

• supported independent living (SIL), since 1 July 2026

• NDIS digital platform services, since 1 July 2026

(NDIS Commission, About registration; Mandatory registration)

The SIL change matters if you live in shared or supported housing. An unregistered provider already delivering SIL could only keep going if it applied for registration by 1 October 2026 (NDIS Commission). Our guide to SIL and SDA funding covers what SIL pays for.

Support coordination isn't on the list. Mandatory registration for support coordinators was proposed and has been paused (NDIS Commission).

How to check if an NDIS provider is registered

1. Get the provider's legal name or ABN. It's on their invoices and service agreement, or you can ask for it.

2. Search the NDIS Commission's Provider Register. Check that the status says "Approved" and that the registration groups cover the support you need. The register also shows registrations that were suspended or revoked.

3. Check for banning orders. These sit in a separate compliance search, not in the main register.

4. Use the NDIA's Provider Finder to find registered providers near you. It's a different tool run by a different agency, searchable by suburb or postcode.

5. Not there? Search again by ABN before drawing conclusions. A registration can sit under a legal name that looks nothing like the trading name on the website.

What we found when we checked Perth providers

On 27 September 2026 Perth Disability Connect downloaded the NDIS Commission's full Provider Register, the public list of every registered NDIS provider. It lists 2,048 approved providers, counted by ABN, with a head office or outlet in metro Perth postcodes 6000 to 6199.

We then checked the 121 providers listed on Perth Disability Connect against it. We matched 84 to an approved registration. We couldn't match 35 by name or website, which doesn't mean they're unregistered, because many register under a different legal name. We matched 2 only to a revoked registration.

What that means for you: plenty of providers describe themselves as "registered" in their business name or on their website. We show that as the business's own claim, not a fact we've verified, so check the Provider Register yourself. It only takes a few minutes. Our scores are about what reviewers say, not registration.

Registered or unregistered: which should you choose?

Start with the rule, then weigh the rest. If your funding is NDIA-managed, or you need plan management, SDA, specialist behaviour support, SIL, an NDIS digital platform or a support involving restrictive practices, you must use a registered NDIS provider. For everything else, registration is one factor among several.

Neither is automatically better. Registration tells you a provider passed an audit for specific supports. It doesn't tell you whether they answer the phone, turn up on time or listen to you. An unregistered provider can be a good fit, especially for supports that don't require registration, such as cleaning or gardening.

Unregistered providers are usually smaller. In the June 2026 quarter, only 2% of unregistered providers were paid more than $100,000 in total, compared with 41% of registered providers (NDIA quarterly report). Registration means an audit, which takes time and money, and that is one reason some providers don't register. If you self-manage, you pay an unregistered provider yourself rather than having a plan manager do it.

Whichever you're looking at, ask:

• Do your workers hold NDIS Worker Screening clearances?

• How do you handle complaints, and who do I talk to if something goes wrong?

• Will you invoice my plan manager, and do you stay within the price limits?

• Do you charge NDIS participants the same as your other customers?

In Western Australia the NDIS Worker Screening Check is run by the Department of Communities. It's compulsory for workers in risk-assessed roles with registered providers, but not for unregistered providers (WA Department of Communities). You still have the right to accept only workers with a current clearance (NDIS Commission).

If you're choosing a support coordinator, our support coordinator red flags guide lists the warning signs. When you're ready to shortlist, you can compare in-home care providers in Perth and check each one on the register before you sign a service agreement.

What's changing for unregistered providers

In force now:

• SIL and NDIS digital platforms have required registration since 1 July 2026.

• On 4 September 2026 the NDIS Commission wrote to more than 285,000 unregistered providers, reminding them the Code of Conduct applies (NDIS Commission).

Announced, not yet in force:

• From July 2027, mandatory registration will expand to providers of "personal care and daily living supports and supports provided in closed settings" (NDIA). The detailed rules haven't been published.

• The NDIA will set up a panel of plan managers by 1 October 2027. Participants will need to use a plan manager from the panel (NDIA).

For scale: in the June 2026 quarter, unregistered providers made up 92% of providers paid through plan managers and received 41% of the $8.4 billion plan managers oversaw (NDIA quarterly report).

How to complain about a registered or unregistered provider

Every NDIS participant can complain about a provider, registered or not. If it's safe to, raise the problem with the provider first. If that doesn't fix it, or you're worried about someone's safety or the quality of their support, contact the NDIS Commission. It takes complaints about registered and unregistered providers: call 1800 035 544 (TTY 133 677). In Western Australia the phone line is open 7:30am to 3:30pm on weekdays, and you can also report online (NDIS Commission).

Complaints about your plan or your plan manager go to the NDIA on 1800 800 110. In WA, the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO) handles disability services that aren't funded by the NDIS; it doesn't take NDIS provider complaints (HaDSCO).

If someone is in danger, call 000. Our guide to NDIS complaints covers the process.

Registration is worth checking, not worth fearing. Once you know how your plan is managed and which supports need a registered provider, the choice comes down to fit, like any other provider decision.