Getting started
From zero to your first shift.
Most workers piece this together themselves — a Facebook group post here, a forwarded PDF there. CareReady turns it into one checklist, then keeps it current for as long as you're working.
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Legal basics
ABN registration
Your Australian Business Number — the ID you invoice under as a sole trader.
- Where
- abr.gov.au, direct — skip third-party sites that charge for the same free form
- Cost
- Free
- Takes
- Most approved instantly on-screen; up to 28 days if it needs manual review
- Valid for
- Doesn't expire
CareReady: stored against your business profile, ready for every invoice
NDIS Worker Screening Check
The national background check that clears you to work with NDIS participants.
- Where
- Your state's screening unit — differs by state
- Cost
- $105 (NSW) · $139.20 (VIC) · about $147–$156 (QLD, confirm on the fees page)
- Takes
- About 2 to 6 weeks standard, up to 12 weeks if flagged — apply 6 to 8 weeks ahead
- Valid for
- 5 years
Since July 2025 this is the primary screening check for NDIS work. Supporting anyone under 18 needs a separate state Working With Children Check on top of it.
CareReady: tracked in your compliance wallet, with a warning in the app that gets louder as the date gets closer
Worker Orientation Module — "Quality, Safety and You"
The free NDIS Commission training every worker completes.
- Where
- training.ndiscommission.gov.au
- Cost
- Free
- Takes
- About 90 minutes, self-paced, 4 modules
- Valid for
- No expiry — certificate issued on completion
CareReady: certificate stored, one place with everything else
Safety and cover
First Aid — HLTAID011
Provide First Aid, the standard certificate most plan managers expect.
- Where
- A registered training provider near you
- Cost
- About $85 to $150, depending on provider and location
- Takes
- 3 to 5.5 hours, one session
- Valid for
- 3 years (the CPR component inside it doesn't last that long)
CareReady: tracked in your compliance wallet
CPR — HLTAID009
The CPR skill bundled into your First Aid cert, but it lapses on its own clock.
- Where
- Same training providers, often a short refresher once you've held it before
- Cost
- About $39 to $45
- Takes
- A few hours, less for a refresher
- Valid for
- 12 months — renew yearly even though First Aid itself runs 3
CareReady: tracked on its own 12-month clock, not First Aid's 3-year one, so the app warns you at the right time
Public liability + professional indemnity insurance
Cover if something goes wrong on a shift — property damage or a mistake in your care.
- Where
- A broker — BizCover, Aon, Ansvar — get an actual quote rather than assume a number
- Cost
- Roughly $800 to $1,500 a year combined for a sole trader
- Takes
- Usually same-day once you request a quote
- Valid for
- Renews each policy period, typically annual
CareReady: policy dates tracked, with the app warning you well before the cover runs out
Set up in CareReady
Profile and services
Your worker profile and the services you offer, set once.
- Where
- Inside CareReady
- Cost
- Included
- Takes
- About ten minutes
- Valid for
- Edit any time
CareReady: this is CareReady — nothing extra to track, you're already in it
Service agreement templates
The agreement each client signs before you start work together.
- Where
- Inside CareReady
- Cost
- Included
- Takes
- About ten minutes
- Valid for
- Reused for every client
CareReady: template ready, no drafting from scratch each time
First client connected
Your first booking on the record — the point most plan managers expect everything above already sorted.
- Where
- Inside CareReady
- Cost
- Included
- Takes
- About ten minutes to add one, or a few minutes to import a whole caseload from a spreadsheet
- Valid for
- n/a
Already supporting people? Import them from a CSV rather than typing each one in — you check every row before anything is saved, and running the same file twice never creates anybody twice.
CareReady: session, invoice and history all start from here
Optional — become a registered provider
Mandatory registration is expanding, but most independents working with plan-managed participants don't need this yet.
Readiness pack
The evidence pack an auditor asks for, assembled from what you've already logged.
- Where
- Inside CareReady, whenever you decide to register
- Cost
- Included in your subscription
- Takes
- Generated once your records are in order
- Valid for
- n/a
CareReady: five of the evidence items already kept, just from using the app day to day, and the policies adopted from templates
Partner auditor
The independent audit the NDIS Commission requires before you're registered.
- Where
- A partner auditor, booked through CareReady
- Cost
- About $900 to $1,800
- Takes
- Set by the auditor, once your readiness pack is ready
- Valid for
- n/a
CareReady: booking handled through CareReady when you're ready to go
Registration
Formal NDIS provider registration, once the audit's done.
- Where
- NDIS Commission
- Cost
- No extra fee on top of the audit above
- Takes
- Set by the Commission's process
- Valid for
- Renews every 3 years
CareReady: renewal date tracked, and flagged in the app from three months out
Typical out-of-pocket to be work-ready: about $1,029 to $1,851 (mostly the screening check, first aid and insurance) — then CareReady keeps every one of these current.