An NDIS sole trader gets clients from self-managed and plan-managed participants, because unregistered sole traders cannot be paid by agency-managed participants.
Before finding clients, a sole trader needs an ABN, insurance, and an NDIS Worker Screening Check.
Marketplaces like Mable and Hireup are the fastest way to find early clients. Word of mouth and local referrals then build a steady base.
This guide covers what you are allowed to do, how to set up, and where the clients come from.
What You Are Allowed to Do as an NDIS Sole Trader
An NDIS sole trader can work as an unregistered provider, which means they can be paid by self-managed and plan-managed participants, but not agency-managed ones.
This single rule decides your whole market before you spend a minute on marketing.
A self-managed participant controls their own NDIS funding and pays providers directly. A plan-managed participant uses a plan manager to pay invoices, but still chooses their own workers.
An agency-managed participant can generally only use registered providers, so an unregistered sole trader cannot take them on.
That is why every client channel in this guide points at self-managed and plan-managed participants. They are the people a sole trader is allowed to serve.
What You Need to Start Working as a Sole Trader
A sole trader needs a few essentials in place before taking on any NDIS client: an ABN, insurance, and the right background checks.
These basics protect you, reassure participants, and are expected on every marketplace.
An ABN, insurance, and an NDIS Worker Screening Check are the non-negotiable basics.
An ABN registers you as a sole trader so you can invoice participants directly. It is free to apply for through the Australian Business Register.
You need insurance as well. Public liability and professional indemnity cover protect you if something goes wrong on a shift.
The NDIS Worker Screening Check clears you to work with participants. If you support anyone under 18, you also need a Working with Children Check.
Registration is optional for a sole trader, and most start unregistered.
Becoming a registered NDIS provider takes time, audits, and cost, which is more than a solo worker usually needs at the start.
As an unregistered sole trader, you can still work with self-managed and plan-managed participants straight away.
You would only need registration to take on agency-managed participants, or to offer certain higher-risk supports.
Where NDIS Sole Traders Actually Find Clients
An NDIS sole trader finds clients in three main places: support worker marketplaces, direct self-managed participants, and word-of-mouth referrals.
Each suits a different stage.
Marketplaces like Mable and Hireup are fastest at the start, because they already hold participants looking for support. They take a fee, but they solve the hardest early problem: finding anyone at all.
Direct clients come from participants who find you through a profile, a local group, or a referral, with no platform fee in between.
Word of mouth is the strongest channel over time. A reliable sole trader gets recommended, and one happy participant often leads to another.
Most sole traders start on a marketplace, then build direct and referral clients as their reputation grows.
The rest of this guide works through each channel in that order.
Using Marketplaces Like Mable and Hireup to Find Clients
Marketplaces like Mable and Hireup connect independent support workers with participants who are looking for support right now.
They are the quickest way to find your first clients. The two biggest platforms work very differently, though, and the difference decides how much you earn and control.
| Factor | Mable | Hireup |
|---|---|---|
| Your status | Independent sole trader | Employee of Hireup |
| Who sets your rate | You do | Hireup |
| Insurance and super | You arrange your own | Hireup provides |
| Control over clients | High: you choose and manage | Lower: more structured |
| Best for | Building your own client base | Steady shifts with less admin |
Mable lets support workers set their own rates and manage their own clients.
On Mable, you work as an independent sole trader. You set your hourly rate, choose who you work with, and run your own bookings, while Mable takes a service fee on each booking.
It gives you the most control, and it suits a sole trader who wants to build their own client base.
Hireup employs its workers, which changes pay, insurance, and control.
On Hireup you are an employee, not a sole trader on that platform. Hireup sets the pay rate and covers insurance, superannuation, and leave, so you carry less admin and less risk.
You trade some control and rate-setting for that security. If you want to run as a true sole trader, Mable fits that goal better than Hireup.
Finding Self-Managed and Plan-Managed Clients Directly
A sole trader can find clients directly by reaching self-managed and plan-managed participants who choose and pay their own support workers.
Direct clients are worth building, because no platform takes a cut of your rate.
A simple online profile helps participants find and trust a sole trader.
You do not need a full website to start. A clear one-page profile, a Facebook page, or a listing in a local disability group is enough for a participant to find you.
Say who you help, the suburbs you cover, and your experience in plain words. A photo and a couple of genuine reviews build the trust a participant needs before their first booking.
Moving clients to a direct arrangement reduces the fees a marketplace takes.
Once you have built trust with a self-managed or plan-managed participant, some choose to continue with you directly, which means more of the rate reaches you.
Always check the terms of any platform you use before moving a client, and keep proper invoices and agreements in place. Direct clients pay the same rate, but with no platform fee, more of it stays with you.
Keeping Clients and Growing Through Referrals
A sole trader builds a steady income by keeping clients long term, because reliable support leads to referrals and repeat bookings.
Finding a client is hard. Keeping one is where a support business becomes stable.
Turn up on time, communicate clearly, and do what you say you will. Reliability is the reputation a sole trader is built on.
Ask happy participants for a short review, and let them know you welcome referrals. A single reliable relationship often brings two or three more, because families and support networks talk to each other.
Over time, referrals and repeat clients fill most of a sole trader's schedule, which reduces how much you rely on marketplaces.
Staying Compliant as an Unregistered Sole Trader
Every support worker, registered or not, has to follow the NDIS Code of Conduct.
The Code sets the standard for how you treat participants: with respect, honesty, and safety. It applies to unregistered sole traders in full.
In practice, that means being honest in how you describe yourself. Do not claim to be a registered provider if you are not.
Keep participant information private, act within your training, and raise concerns through the right channels. Staying inside the Code protects your participants and your reputation, which is what your whole business runs on.
You can read the full Code on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website.
Common Mistakes New Sole Traders Make
Most new sole traders lose time and clients to the same avoidable mistakes.
The common ones are easy to avoid once you know them:
- Working without insurance, which puts you at real financial risk.
- Relying on one platform, so a single account change can cut your income.
- Vague availability, which makes you hard to book.
- Undercharging, which is hard to undo once a client is used to a low rate.
Fixing these early costs nothing and protects your income from day one.
When to Move From Sole Trader to Registered Provider
A sole trader should consider becoming a registered NDIS provider when demand outgrows what one person can deliver.
If your schedule is full, participants are waiting, and you are turning work away, that is the signal to grow.
Registration opens up agency-managed participants and lets you take on staff, though it brings audits and more admin.
At that point you move from finding clients for yourself to building a provider business, which is a different job with different marketing. Our guide on how to get NDIS clients as a new provider covers that next step, and our NDIS provider marketing work is built for providers ready to scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sole trader be an NDIS provider?
Yes. A sole trader can work as an unregistered NDIS provider and be paid by self-managed and plan-managed participants. Registration is only needed to take on agency-managed participants or offer certain supports.
Do independent support workers need to be registered?
No, not to start. An unregistered support worker can work with self-managed and plan-managed participants. Registration is optional and is usually taken on later, as the business grows.
How do I find my own NDIS clients as a support worker?
Start on a marketplace like Mable or Hireup to find early clients. Then build a simple profile, join local disability groups, and ask happy participants for referrals. Word of mouth becomes your strongest channel over time.
Is Mable or Hireup better for support workers?
It depends on what you want. Mable lets you work as a sole trader, set your own rate, and manage your own clients. Hireup employs you and covers insurance and super, with less control. Mable suits sole traders best.
Do I need an ABN to work as an NDIS support worker?
Yes, if you work for yourself. An ABN lets you invoice participants directly as a sole trader. It is free to apply for through the Australian Business Register.
How much do independent NDIS support workers get paid?
Independent rates are often higher per hour than agency employment, because no employer takes a margin. As a sole trader, though, you cover your own tax, super, insurance, and leave from that rate.
Can an unregistered sole trader work with agency-managed participants?
Generally no. Agency-managed participants can usually only use registered providers. An unregistered sole trader works with self-managed and plan-managed participants instead.
Build a Steady NDIS Client Base as a Sole Trader
A sole trader builds a steady NDIS client base by starting with the participants they are allowed to serve, then reaching them through marketplaces, direct contact, and referrals.
Three things carry the result:
- Know your market: as an unregistered sole trader, that is self-managed and plan-managed participants.
- Get set up properly: an ABN, insurance, and an NDIS Worker Screening Check.
- Build in order: start on a marketplace, then grow direct and referral clients.
Do that, and the work becomes steadier as your reputation grows.
Growing past what one person can handle? See our guide on how to get NDIS clients as a new provider.
