Running an NDIS business is one of the most rewarding yet operationally complex ventures in Australia. As an NDIS provider, you are not just delivering care; you are navigating a minefield of regulatory requirements from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to the intricate pay rules of the SCHADS Award.
For many providers, the administrative weight of HR compliance, payroll, and back-office management is becoming unsustainable. This is where NDIS outsourcing transforms from a luxury into a necessity.
This guide explores how Australian NDIS providers can leverage outsourcing to solve HR compliance challenges, reduce operational costs, and scale their businesses safely with partners like Priority1 Group.
NDIS outsourcing involves delegating specific non-core business functions such as HR administration, payroll, bookkeeping, and digital marketing to external specialists. Instead of hiring expensive in-house administrative staff for every role, providers partner with agencies that supply dedicated, trained teams to handle these tasks remotely.
The NDIS sector is facing a “perfect storm”:
Outsourcing allows providers to access specialised talent at a fraction of the cost, ensuring that internal resources are focused 100% on participant care.
NDIS HR compliance is the adherence to two distinct sets of regulations:
The consequences of getting this wrong are severe:
Since February 2021, the NDIS Worker Screening Check has been mandatory for staff in “risk-assessed roles.” Providers must:
Misclassifying a worker as an Independent Contractor (ABN worker) when they are legally an employee is a common trap. The ATO and Fair Work are cracking down on “sham contracting.” NDIS providers must apply the proper tests to determine if a support worker is truly independent or an employee entitled to superannuation and leave.
Most support workers fall under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Industry Award. This is notoriously complex, involving:
Beyond the Award, providers must comply with the National Employment Standards (NES), which cover maximum weekly hours, flexible working arrangements, and the new “Right to Disconnect” laws.
NDIS audits can happen at any time. Providers must keep employee records (rosters, timesheets, pay slips, and screening checks) for seven years. These records must be easily accessible to demonstrate compliance during an audit.
For a small to medium provider, HR is a distraction. Every hour spent chasing expired police checks or calculating penalty rates is an hour taken away from participant intake and care supervision.
Standard accounting software often struggles with SCHADS nuances (like a “broken shift” allowance). Doing this manually inevitably leads to errors.
A single payroll error repeated over 12 months for 10 staff can result in a liability of tens of thousands of dollars. The cost of rectifying these errors often exceeds the cost of outsourcing the function entirely.
The disability sector has high turnover. If your internal HR person leaves, your compliance knowledge walks out the door with them, leaving the business exposed.
This involves hiring a dedicated external team to manage the lifecycle of your workforce. Unlike a generalist HR firm, NDIS-specific outsourcers understand the difference between a Level 2.1 and Level 3.2 support worker.
Outsourcing HR tasks typically costs 60-70% less than hiring a local HR administrator. Furthermore, outsourcing providers can scale up instantly if you win a new participant and need to hire 5 new staff, the outsourced team handles the surge without you needing to hire more internal admin staff.
Specialised outsourcing firms use dedicated software and checklists to ensure no expiration date is missed and every pay run aligns with the latest SCHADS tables.
Managing PRODA claims and reconciling payments from the NDIS (or Plan Managers) against delivered services to ensure cash flow remains healthy.
Data entry into systems like Careview, ShiftCare, or Brevity to ensure participant notes and shift data are accurate.
Running SEO campaigns to help participants find your services and managing social media to build community trust.
Building accessible, WCAG-compliant websites that clearly communicate your services to participants and Support Coordinators.
Priority1 Group is not a generic BPO. We specialise in the Australian NDIS sector. We understand the vocabulary of the industry from “Core Supports” to “Capacity Building” and the strict requirements of the Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Trust is the most important currency in the NDIS. We are proud to support providers who are making a real difference.
“Working with Priority1 Group for the last 3 years has completely transformed our operations. They have taken the complexity out of our HR compliance and streamlined our employee onboarding process, allowing us to scale our workforce without the administrative headache.
Their team manages our back-office operations seamlessly, ensuring we remain compliant and efficient. Thanks to Priority1 Group, we can focus entirely on delivering quality care to our participants.”
— Director, Kuremara
Our teams undergo specific training on the SCHADS Award and Australian privacy laws. They don’t just process data; they understand the context of disability support work.
We treat data security with the highest priority, adhering to strict protocols to protect participant and worker information, ensuring alignment with Australian Privacy Principles.
Whether you are a solo provider needing 10 hours of help a week or a large organisation needing a full-time team of 20 staff, Priority1 Group builds a model that fits your operational needs.
We build your HR processes around the audit requirements. Every document we file and every check we verify is done with the assumption that an auditor could ask to see it tomorrow.
We don’t just set and forget. Our teams monitor the expiry dates of your entire workforce, ensuring you are never caught with a worker on shift who has an expired check.
We work with your existing tech stack—Xero, MYOB, Deputy, ShiftCare, etc.—seamlessly integrating into your workflow rather than forcing you to change software.
You get a dedicated point of contact who understands your business goals, ensuring smooth communication and accountability.
An in-house HR Administrator in Australia costs approximately $75,000 – $90,000 + Super. Outsourcing with Priority1 Group can deliver the same output for a fraction of that cost, with no sick leave, holiday pay, or recruitment fees to worry about.
The NDIS landscape is only becoming more regulated. To survive and thrive, providers must be agile. Compliance-led outsourcing provides the stability and efficiency required to navigate these changes without breaking the bank.
We take the heavy lifting of compliance, payroll, and admin off your shoulders. We allow you to return to your core mission: providing exceptional care to people with disabilities.
Stop letting compliance worries keep you awake at night.
Yes, provided the outsourcing partner adheres to Australian laws regarding data privacy and the provider maintains final oversight. Outsourcing the task does not remove your legal responsibility, which is why choosing a compliant partner like Priority1 Group is vital.
Yes. Dedicated teams use interpretation software and rigorous training to apply SCHADS rules correctly to payroll and rostering.
By removing human error associated with overworked in-house staff and implementing systematic checks for document expiries and payroll accuracy.
Absolutely. It converts fixed salary costs into variable costs, allowing small providers to access enterprise-level HR support.
Recruitment screening (checking references/docs) and payroll processing are the highest-impact tasks to outsource first.
With Priority1 Group, integration can begin immediately. We assess your current systems and can start taking over tasks within days.
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