How to get approved as an independent worker with a Support at Home provider
For cleaners, gardeners, support workers and tradies. What a provider will ask for before it pays you, how to register, and how to avoid platform fees.
Last checked 22/10/2026 against the official sources listed at the end. For independent workers. About 6 minutes to read.
The short answer
You don't need to join a platform to work for someone on Support at Home. Their provider must register you as a supplier first. Expect to provide an ABN, a police certificate no older than three years or an NDIS screening clearance, public liability insurance and a service agreement, plus a Certificate III or IV if you'll give personal care. Register before your first visit, or your invoices can't be paid.
Plenty of good local workers never get past the paperwork. Someone’s mum wants them, the family is happy, and then the provider asks for five documents nobody mentioned. This guide is the list, so you can have it ready before anyone asks.
How it works
When an older person self-manages their Support at Home care, they can choose a worker who doesn’t work for their provider. That’s you. The provider still holds the budget and is still responsible for meeting the rules, so before it pays you it has to register you as a supplier and check you meet them.
You don’t have to join a platform to do this. Platforms such as Mable and CareVicinity can help you find clients, and they handle some admin, but they take a fee from every hour. If a client already wants you, registering directly with their provider means the whole rate goes to you.
What providers ask for
Every provider has its own form, but the core list is much the same. Trilogy Care, one of the largest self-managed providers, publishes its requirements, and they’re a fair guide to what others want.
For everyone:
- An ABN, active and in your name or your business name
- A police certificate no older than three years with no precluding offences, or an NDIS Worker Screening clearance
- Public liability insurance
- A service agreement setting out what you’ll do and your rate
If you give personal care (showering, dressing, help with medication):
- A Certificate III or IV in aged care, community care or disability, or equivalent
- Professional indemnity insurance
- For higher needs, medication management and manual handling certificates
Cleaners and gardeners usually need no formal qualification, but they still need screening, an ABN and insurance. Tradies need their trade licences, a contract and the right insurance for their state. Allied health professionals need their registration and professional indemnity cover.
Registering, step by step
- Ask the client or family which provider they’re with. Then ask the provider for its supplier or worker registration form. With Trilogy Care, the client (or you, as the service provider) registers through its “submit a worker” page.
- Send everything in one go. ABN, screening, insurance certificate, agreement. One complete email gets approved faster than five partial ones.
- Wait for confirmation before you start. Providers generally won’t pay invoices from a supplier who wasn’t registered when the work was done.
- Find out where invoices go, and what format they want. Then read our guide to invoices that get paid the first time.
Insurance, without the sales pitch
Insurance is the item that trips people up most, usually because it lapses. Public liability covers you if someone is hurt or property is damaged while you’re working. Professional indemnity covers claims that your advice or care caused a loss. Personal accident and illness cover pays you if you can’t work, which matters when nobody else is paying your sick leave.
Get a few quotes and buy what the providers you work with ask for. Then put the renewal date in your phone a month early, because some providers stop paying the day a certificate expires.
The government’s business.gov.au insurance page explains the main types. If you want a quick quote, I use BizCover. I hold my own professional indemnity and public liability cover with BizCover and I’ve found them well priced. If you use my link I may get a small commission. It doesn’t affect your price.
A word on rates and pay
A fair independent rate has to cover your insurance, car, phone, tax and the weeks you don’t work. Agree it with the client in writing, and make sure the provider has approved it. Build travel to and from the client into your rate, because many providers won’t pay it as a separate line.
If you’re paid mainly for your labour, the law may still treat you as an employee for some purposes, including super. The Fair Work Ombudsman explains how to tell.
Need a hand?
Colin works this way himself, invoicing providers such as Trilogy Care and Let’s Get Care directly. If you’d like help getting registered or setting up your invoices, get in touch.
Common questions
Do I need to be on Mable or another platform?
No. When a client self-manages, their provider can register you directly as a supplier. Platforms can help you find clients, but they take a fee.
What insurance do I need?
Public liability insurance at a minimum. Support workers giving personal care are usually also asked for professional indemnity insurance. Some providers ask for a current certificate every year.
Do cleaners and gardeners need qualifications?
Usually not. They still need screening, an ABN and insurance. Personal care work usually needs a Certificate III or IV in aged care, community care or disability.
When should I register?
Before you start. Providers generally can't pay invoices for work done before you were registered.