Written by the Provider360 team. Provider360 is Australia’s leading NDIS registration and compliance solution, supporting 3,000+ providers nationally. We are not an Approved Quality Auditor: we recommend auditors to the providers we work with, so we see this choice from the provider’s side.
Last updated: 14 October 2026
Key takeaways
- An auditor that did a gap analysis of your readiness cannot audit you for at least two years after it.
- At re-registration you do not have to use the same Approved Quality Auditor you used last time.
- Approved Quality Auditors must not enter into referral fees, commissions or success-based payments linked to referrals.
Who audits NDIS providers, and who chooses the auditor?
An Approved Quality Auditor is an auditing body approved by the NDIS Commission to assess whether a provider complies with the NDIS Practice Standards. The people who carry out your audit, the audit team leader among them, are the auditors that body employs or contracts. Neither the body nor its auditors are part of the NDIS Commission.
The NDIS Commission lists 17 Approved Quality Auditors as at October 2026, and all of them provide services Australia-wide. The list is closed to newcomers for now: the Commission is not accepting new applications to become one. Every listed auditor is accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ) and is subject to the Australian Consumer Law.
The choice is yours, and so is the bill. The Commission says you are responsible for engaging an independent auditor, and it recommends getting more than one quote and asking auditors questions to make sure they suit your organisation. Registering with the Commission costs nothing, but you pay the auditor, and the Commission does not set audit prices. Our guide to the NDIS audit process covers what happens inside the audit itself.
When should you ask NDIS auditors for quotes?
Ask once your scope of audit is issued, because that is the document an auditor quotes from. A quote is free and carries no obligation, and any later change to your scope may change the final cost.
From 12 October 2026, new applications run through the Commission’s new portal. You submit the second part of your application, download your scope of audit and contact auditors for quotes yourself: the portal will not contact them for you. Once you have accepted a quote, you nominate that auditor in the portal. The auditor can accept or decline; a decline sends the application back to you to nominate another.
What rules does an NDIS auditor have to follow, and what can’t they do for you?
Two documents set the rules your auditor works under: the NDIS (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Guidelines 2018 and the NDIS Commission’s Regulatory Expectations for Approved Quality Auditors, published in June 2026.
- Independence comes first. The Commission’s June 2026 expectations say certification activities “must be, and be seen to be, independent”. An auditor must not enter into referral fees, commission-based or success-based payments, revenue sharing or any other benefit linked to referrals; the Commission calls them incompatible with an auditor’s obligations.
- You engage the auditor directly. The Commission expects providers to engage auditors directly to seek quotes, confirm the audit scope and plan audits.
- Your choice is protected. Under their code of conduct, auditors accept that you are free to select and change your auditor, must not try to influence that decision, and avoid commenting on particular auditors.
- Auditors can be banned. Since 9 April 2026 the NDIS Commissioner can make a banning order against an Approved Quality Auditor, the people it employs or engages, and its key personnel.
What an NDIS auditor can’t do for you:
- Decide your registration. The auditor issues its audit decision and recommendation to the Commission, not to you, and it is the Commission that decides whether you are registered.
- Train you on the Practice Standards. Auditors do not train providers on the NDIS Practice Standards or the Quality Indicators.
- Audit you after reviewing your readiness. An auditor that did a gap analysis for you cannot audit you for at least two years afterwards, and the same applies to any team member who did one.
- Promote its business interests or take a benefit. Auditors must not promote their own business interests, or accept any inducement, commission or gift from an interested party.
Which situation are you choosing an NDIS auditor in?
If you don’t have a scope of audit yet, apply first. An auditor quotes from your scope, so a quote before it exists is a guess, and a scope change may change the cost. Our guide on how to become an NDIS provider covers the application, and the free NDIS Registration Roadmap shows which audit your services point to.
If your scope names a verification audit, the audit team can be a single auditor. No audit team leader is required. Our guide to verification and certification audits explains which applies to you.
If your scope names a certification audit, ask each auditor about its team. A certification audit needs at least two auditors, including an audit team leader, and must include an auditor or technical expert with any particular expertise your supports call for. For a clinical matter, that expert must be at least a registered nurse with current Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registration. The second stage is on site unless the auditor is accredited for remote auditing and your service qualifies, for example because you operate in remote or regional areas.
If you are re-registering (renewal), you can stay or compare. You can start re-registration any time in the 6 months before your registration expires, and you don’t have to choose the same Approved Quality Auditor. Adding or removing registration groups may change the type of audit you need. There is a case for staying: the Commission notes that an auditor who already knows your service can give more consistent audits and clearer feedback. Taking new quotes works too. For what keeps you ready between audits, see NDIS compliance after registration.
If an auditor already reviewed your readiness, choose a different one for the audit. A gap analysis is meant to come from someone who will not conduct your audit, and an auditor that did one cannot audit you for at least two years.
If your auditor leaves the Commission’s list, engage another listed auditor. Only Approved Quality Auditors can assess you, and in the 2025 case the Commission told affected providers to transition to a new one.
What should you compare across NDIS auditor quotes?
Compare quotes built on the same scope, row by row. The Commission recommends more than one quote and asking each auditor questions; it does not set audit prices. Our guide to NDIS registration cost covers fee figures; this table is about everything else a quote should tell you.
| Criterion | What to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| On the current list | Is the auditor on the Commission’s list today? | Only Approved Quality Auditors can assess you, and approvals can end. |
| Quoted on your scope | Is the quote built on my scope of audit, and what would change it? | A change in scope may change the final cost. |
| Earliest dates | When could each stage of my audit start? | The auditor schedules your audit dates once it accepts, and the registration timeline is largely driven by auditor availability and Commission processing. |
| Audit team | Who leads the team, and does it cover the expertise my supports need? | Team minimums and technical experts are set by the Guidelines. |
| On site or remote | Will the second stage be on site, or do I qualify for remote auditing? | Remote is allowed only in set conditions, and only for an auditor accredited for it. |
| What the quote covers | Does it cover every stage, the report, any follow-up on non-conformities and travel? | Two totals only compare when they cover the same work. |
| Payment terms | When do I pay, and in what instalments? | Each auditor sets its own payment terms in its quote. |
| Independence | Did the auditor, or anyone on the team, review our readiness or train us? | A gap analysis bars that auditor for at least two years, and conflicts must be declared. |
| Complaints | How do I raise a concern about the audit? | Auditors must have a complaints system, and JASANZ is the next step. |
| Compliance record | Does the Commission’s compliance search show any action? | Banning orders are listed there. |
How do you check an NDIS auditor before you sign?
Three checks, before you accept a quote:
- The list. Confirm the auditor is on the Commission’s Find an auditor page, the only current list.
- The compliance search. Search the Commission’s compliance and enforcement actions by name or ABN; it lists banning orders, although some actions are not published there.
- The complaints path. Ask how the auditor handles complaints; if you can’t resolve one with the auditor and its management, you can contact JASANZ.
What happens if your NDIS auditor loses its approval?
It happened in 2025. JASANZ suspended an Approved Quality Auditor’s accreditation, effective 13 October 2025, the first suspension of its kind under the scheme. The Commission then imposed conditions on the auditor after concerns about its conduct, including promoting a related business to the providers it was auditing.
Audits already under way could be completed, but providers who had not started with that auditor needed a different one. The auditor went into voluntary administration on 24 October 2025. By 28 November 2025 the Commission had revoked its approval, and every provider that had used it had to transition to a new Approved Quality Auditor. The Commission’s statement at the time: “Transitioning to a new AQA will not affect a provider’s registration.”
The lesson for you: check the Commission’s list when you collect quotes, and check it again when you nominate.
What do we see when we recommend auditors?
At Provider360, Auditor Recommendation works like this: we recommend Approved Quality Auditors, and the provider can contact all of them or none. The provider requests the quotes and makes the choice.
Across the quotes that come back, what differs most is the total price of the audit. The difference is widest for providers delivering high-risk supports who are already operating and go through a full certification audit.
Price comes up again at re-registration. At that point, about 80% of the providers who come to us take new recommendations and compare quotes rather than stay with their previous auditor, and the reason they give is basically price.
Get your evidence ready before your auditor sees it
We are not an Approved Quality Auditor, and we take no referral fee. Every Platinum package includes Auditor Recommendation: we recommend Approved Quality Auditors at no extra cost, and you request the quotes and choose. We submit your application and review your evidence first, catching an average of 16 gaps before your auditor does.
Compare the Platinum packages →Common questions about choosing an NDIS auditor
Which NDIS auditor is the best?
There is no official ranking: the Commission publishes a list of Approved Quality Auditors, not a ranking of them. Auditors themselves are expected to avoid commenting on particular auditors. The right auditor for you is one that can audit your scope with the team and dates you need, on a quote you have compared like for like.
Can I change auditors, or use the same one when I renew?
Yes to both. You are free to select and change your Approved Quality Auditor, and at re-registration you don’t have to use the same one. Returning to the auditor who knows your service and taking new recommendations both work.
If you want to change part-way through an audit, talk to both auditors and to the Commission (registration@ndiscommission.gov.au) before you act. When a certification transfers between auditors, the auditor receiving it notifies the Commission.
Does Provider360 get a referral fee from the auditors it recommends?
No. We receive no referral fee or commission from any auditor, and we have no contract or agreement with any of them. You are free to choose any Approved Quality Auditor on the Commission’s list, one we recommend or your own. The Commission’s June 2026 expectations rule out referral fees, commissions and other benefits linked to audit referrals.
Can the NDIS Commission ban an NDIS auditor?
Yes. Since 9 April 2026, the NDIS Commissioner can make a banning order against an Approved Quality Auditor, against the auditors and other staff it employs or engages, and against its key personnel, such as directors. Grounds include the Commissioner revoking the auditor’s approval, a reasonable belief that the person breached, is breaching or is likely to breach the NDIS Act, and a conviction for an offence involving fraud or dishonesty. An order can ban or restrict specified activities, permanently or for a set period.
Banning orders appear in the Commission’s compliance search, which you can check by name or ABN, although some actions are not published there.
