Lodging Your NDIS Application: Critical Do's and Don'ts
Lodging your application sounds simple - you submit your documents to the NDIA. But we've seen incomplete lodgements delay approvals by 6-8 weeks. Here's what to do and what to avoid.
DO: Complete Your Checklist Before Lodging
Before you hit submit, verify: self-assessment is complete and auditor-approved. Audit report is signed and dated by your auditor. Non-conformities are closed and documented. Auditor's sign-off letter is included. Your registration scope (participants, locations, service types) matches your audit. ABN is correct. Business name matches your ABN record. All supporting evidence is attached (policies, worker screening, incident logs, participant agreements). This checklist takes 30 minutes. A missing document means the NDIA sends your application back for revision - 2-4 week delay.
DO: Lodge via the NDIA's Secure Portal
Use the NDIA's online registration portal. Create your account, answer the required questions, upload your documents. Don't email documents to the NDIA - it gets lost in inboxes. Don't post printed copies - inefficient and slow. Use the portal. It confirms receipt and gives you a lodgement number and date. We lodged our application via portal and received confirmation within 15 minutes. The portal also tracks your application status.
DO: Keep a Copy for Your Records
Download and save your lodgement confirmation. You'll reference it if the NDIA asks questions. Your lodgement number is your proof-of-submission. Store it with your registration file.
DON'T: Lodge Incomplete Applications
Submitting your application with gaps (missing audit report, unsigned non-conformity closure, missing evidence) wastes weeks. The NDIA will request missing items. You resubmit, they review again. One incomplete lodgement can add a month to your timeline. Wait until you have everything before you lodge.
DON'T: Lodge Before Your Auditor Signs Off
Don't submit to the NDIA until your auditor has formally signed off on your audit report and non-conformity closure. Your auditor's credibility backs your application. If you lodge before their sign-off, the NDIA treats it as incomplete.