NDIS complaints management: what the Rules require of providers

Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Complaints Management and Resolution) Rules 2018, every registered NDIS provider must implement and maintain a complaints management and resolution system. It must let anyone complain, including anonymously, handle complaints fairly and promptly, afford procedural fairness, protect people from reprisal, keep records for seven years and tell people how to complain to the NDIS Commission. Unregistered providers are not bound by these system requirements, but they are bound by the NDIS Code of Conduct and anyone can complain about them to the Commission.

This is general information current at September 2026; confirm your position against the current Rules on the Federal Register of Legislation and the NDIS Commission's guidance.

Who the Complaints Rules apply to

Part 2 of the Rules, the system requirements, applies to registered NDIS providers. It is made under section 73W of the NDIS Act 2013, and the Rules note that non-compliance is a breach of a condition of registration. It applies whether you were registered through certification or verification, and to a registered sole trader as much as a large organisation. The Act requires the system to be appropriate to the provider's size and classes of supports, and to make provision for advocates and other representatives of people with disability.

Part 3, which covers complaints to the Commissioner about any NDIS provider, registered or not, was amended on 28 January 2026. Part 2 has not changed since 2018.

What a complaints management and resolution system must do

In plain English, sections 8 to 12 require the system to:

• Let any person complain, including anonymously, through an easy and accessible process, with support for anyone who wants to complain (section 8(1)).
• Acknowledge, assess and resolve complaints in a fair, efficient and timely manner and take appropriate action on the issues raised (section 8(3)). No fixed timeframes are set.
• Tell the complainant and each affected person with disability how to raise the matter with the Commissioner, and help them do so (section 8(3)).
• Take reasonable steps so nobody is adversely affected for complaining, and keep complaint information confidential unless disclosure is required by law or otherwise appropriate (section 8(4)).
• Involve the complainant and the affected person with disability in the resolution and keep them informed of progress, action taken, reasons and review options (sections 8(5) and 8(6)).
• Make publicly available how to complain to you and to the Commissioner, and review the system periodically (sections 8(7) and 8(8)).
• Afford procedural fairness (section 9).
• Be documented, with accessible copies given to participants, families, carers, advocates and every worker (section 10(1)).
• Keep records of each complaint, the action taken and the outcome for seven years from the day the record is made (section 10(3)), and collect statistics to identify systemic issues and report to the Commissioner on request (section 10(4)).
• Set out workers' roles, require every worker to comply, include training (section 11), and refer complaints to other bodies where Commonwealth, state or territory law requires (section 12).

A practical complaints process

The Rules say what the system must achieve, not how. For a small provider it usually looks like this:

1. Receive and record. Any worker can take a complaint in any form. Enter it in the complaints register the same day, noting any request for anonymity or confidentiality.
2. Acknowledge. Contact the complainant promptly, explain what happens next, mention independent advocacy and say they can contact the Commission at any time.
3. Screen for incidents. Decide whether the complaint also describes an incident, or a reportable incident that must be notified to the Commission within 24 hours or five business days. If so, run both processes; the complaint file does not replace the notification (see the reportable incidents guide).
4. Classify, plan and gather the facts. Is it about the quality of supports, or the conduct of an identifiable worker? The Procedural Fairness Guidelines ask providers to distinguish the two. Choose a handler without a conflict of interest, then talk to the complainant and the participant, review notes and rosters, and speak with the workers involved.
5. Give any worker complained about a fair hearing. Tell them the allegation and how it will be examined, allow a reasonable opportunity to respond with a support person, and keep an open mind.
6. Decide and act. An apology, a roster or worker change, a service adjustment, a refund or a referral. Record the reasons.
7. Inform the complainant and the participant of the outcome, reasons and review options, including the Commission, in the format they understand best.
8. Close, file and learn. Update the register, keep it seven years, log any improvement action, and review complaint data periodically for patterns.

Procedural fairness explained

Section 9 requires it, and the Commissioner's National Disability Insurance Scheme (Procedural Fairness) Guidelines 2018 explain it. It is owed to anyone whose rights or interests may be directly and specifically affected by the outcome. Four elements apply: the person is told of each prejudicial matter that may count against them; they get a reasonable opportunity to be heard before adverse action; the decision rests on the facts raised, and the record shows it; and the decision maker is, and appears, unbiased.

It runs both ways. The complainant is entitled to present the complaint, have it understood, and not have it dismissed on facts never put to them. A worker is owed procedural fairness only where a possible outcome is a finding that they were at fault, not in every complaint that names them. Fairness is balanced against confidentiality and protecting the complainant from disadvantage, formality scales with seriousness, and a small provider without an impartial decision maker can bring in an external person. Where adverse employment action is possible, the Fair Work Act 2009 also applies.

Complaints to the NDIS Commission

Any person may complain to the Commissioner about the supports or services of any NDIS provider, orally, in writing or by other means, anonymously if they wish, and may ask for details to be kept confidential. There is no requirement to complain to the provider first, although the Commission encourages it where the person feels comfortable. Contact channels are 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines), TTY 133 677, the National Relay Service, interpreters on request, and the online "report an issue" form on the Commission website.

Under Part 3 as amended on 28 January 2026, the Commissioner must acknowledge the complaint (unless anonymous), risk-assess it, and then close it, give assistance and advice, require the provider to take certain actions including to examine and address the complaint, or undertake a resolution process. The provider is normally notified, and decisions can be reconsidered on application within 42 days.

Complaints, feedback, incidents and grievances are different things

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about your supports or services and triggers the process above. Feedback covers compliments, suggestions and comments; the Practice Standards quality indicators expect complaints "and other feedback" to be welcomed, but not every comment needs an investigation. An incident is an act, omission, event or circumstance that caused or could have caused harm and belongs to your incident management system; one event can be both. A grievance is a worker's own dispute about their employment and sits under your Internal Grievance Procedure and employment law, although workers can raise quality and safety concerns and can complain to the Commission themselves.

Sole traders and unregistered providers

A registered sole trader, including one registered through verification, is bound by Part 2 in full, and the verification module of the Practice Standards carries the same complaints outcome as the Core Module. A proportionate system for one person is usually a short procedure, a register, a form and a one-page participant handout. Most complaints will be about you personally, so say how you avoid deciding your own case, for example by offering an advocate or the Commission route early. The ISW version is the Complaints Management Procedure (VER-07).

An unregistered provider or independent support worker is not bound by Part 2. The NDIS Code of Conduct still applies, including the duty to promptly raise and act on concerns about the quality and safety of supports, and the Procedural Fairness Guidelines say Code-covered providers should run effective complaints processes and make people feel safe to complain. Anyone can complain about an unregistered provider to the Commission. See the Code of Conduct guide.

Templates that support this work

The Core Library complaints set covers each piece the Rules ask for: the Complaints Management Policy documents the system and worker responsibilities, the Participant Feedback and Complaints Procedure sets out the steps from receipt to close, the Complaints Register holds the seven-year record and the data for systemic review, the Feedback and Complaint Form gives people an accessible way to raise a matter, and the Participant Advocacy Policy and Procedure supports the advocate and representative provisions the Act refers to. The full set is in the complaints management collection.

These are editable Word templates and a starting point. They must be customised to your services and then used, with a completed register, training records and review dates, because auditors and the Commission assess what you do, not what you own.

Frequently asked questions

Do unregistered NDIS providers need a complaints management system?

Part 2 of the Complaints Rules, which sets the system requirements, binds registered NDIS providers only. Unregistered providers and independent support workers remain bound by the NDIS Code of Conduct, which requires them to promptly raise and act on concerns about quality and safety, and anyone can complain about them to the NDIS Commission. A simple written process is sensible practice, not a legislated requirement.

How long must NDIS complaint records be kept?

Section 10 of the Complaints Rules requires a registered NDIS provider to keep records of each complaint, the action taken and the outcome for seven years from the day the record is made. Other Commonwealth, state or territory laws may require longer retention for some records, so check what applies to your services. Our guide to how long NDIS providers must keep records sets out each period and the event it runs from.

Do the Rules set a deadline for acknowledging or resolving a complaint?

No. The Rules require complaints to be acknowledged, assessed and resolved in a fair, efficient and timely manner but do not fix a number of days. Set realistic standards in your own procedure, for example acknowledging within two business days, tell complainants what to expect, and record whether you met them. Auditors and the Commission check whether you followed your documented system.

Sources: National Disability Insurance Scheme (Complaints Management and Resolution) Rules 2018 and National Disability Insurance Scheme (Procedural Fairness) Guidelines 2018, both compilations of 28 January 2026; National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018 and National Disability Insurance Scheme (Quality Indicators for NDIS Practice Standards) Guidelines 2018, both compilations of 1 July 2026; National Disability Insurance Scheme (Code of Conduct) Rules 2018; National Disability Insurance Scheme (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018; NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission complaints web pages. All accessed September 2026.