NDIS Software for Small Providers and Sole Traders
Most NDIS rostering platforms are priced and built for organisations with a roster of workers — a per-seat minimum, an onboarding call, a contract sized for a team. If you're a sole trader support worker or a small provider with one to a handful of staff, that's the wrong shape of tool for where you are now. CrossVault's rostering runs a single support worker on the free tier with no forced multi-seat minimum, and — unlike most small-provider tools — it checks the pay those shifts produce against the actual SCHADS Award (MA000100), which matters just as much at one worker as at fifty.
Quick Facts
- Free tier
- 1 staff member, no card required
- Built for
- Sole traders and small provider teams
- No forced minimum
- Scales up only when your team does
- Compliance checking
- SCHADS award validation from day one, not just at scale
- Current pricing
- See /pricing for the latest plans
Tools & Resources
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SCHADS AI Assistant
Get instant answers to award questions.
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Timesheet Validator
Check timesheets for compliance.
Why Small Providers Get a Worse Deal from Most Rostering Software
The economics of most NDIS rostering platforms are built around a per-seat subscription with a practical minimum — a handful of paid seats even if you only have one or two workers, because the sales motion and support cost assume a team. A sole trader or a two-person provider ends up either paying for seats they don't use, or running the business on a spreadsheet and a paper diary because no tool fits their size.
That's a real gap, not a pricing quirk. A sole trader support worker still has shifts, still has a client roster, still needs clock-in/clock-out records and shift notes — and still gets paid under the SCHADS Award if they employ anyone else, or needs to track their own hours accurately if they invoice as a contractor. The compliance risk doesn't scale down with headcount; a broken shift allowance missed on one worker's pay is exactly as real an underpayment as the same miss across fifty.
That's a real gap, not a pricing quirk. A sole trader support worker still has shifts, still has a client roster, still needs clock-in/clock-out records and shift notes — and still gets paid under the SCHADS Award if they employ anyone else, or needs to track their own hours accurately if they invoice as a contractor. The compliance risk doesn't scale down with headcount; a broken shift allowance missed on one worker's pay is exactly as real an underpayment as the same miss across fifty.
A Genuine Free Tier for One Worker
CrossVault's rostering product runs one staff member free, with no card required to start and no forced minimum seat count. That's deliberately built for sole traders and small providers just getting their operations off paper — you get real rostering, mobile clock-in/clock-out, shift notes, time-off requests, incidents and expenses from day one, at the size you actually are.
As your team grows past one worker, plans scale with headcount rather than jumping straight to an enterprise-sized contract — see current pricing for the latest plan structure. The point isn't "free forever regardless of size"; it's that the entry point matches a one- or two-person operation instead of assuming you're already running a roster of ten.
As your team grows past one worker, plans scale with headcount rather than jumping straight to an enterprise-sized contract — see current pricing for the latest plan structure. The point isn't "free forever regardless of size"; it's that the entry point matches a one- or two-person operation instead of assuming you're already running a roster of ten.
Compliance Checking Most Small-Provider Tools Skip
Most rostering tools aimed at small providers focus entirely on the operational side — schedule the shift, record the clock-in, generate the invoice — and leave SCHADS award interpretation to whatever payroll system sits downstream, if any. For a sole trader employing even one other worker, or a small team without a dedicated payroll specialist, that's exactly where broken shift allowances, sleepover disturbance payments and minimum-engagement shortfalls go unnoticed.
CrossVault checks every timesheet the roster produces against the actual SCHADS Award — broken shifts (clause 25.6), sleepover allowances and call-to-duty (clause 25.7), overtime thresholds (clause 28.1) and minimum engagements (clause 10.5) — the same checks a large provider's compliance team would run, available from the first worker rather than gated behind a growth-tier plan. See how the checks work on our timesheet validator page.
CrossVault checks every timesheet the roster produces against the actual SCHADS Award — broken shifts (clause 25.6), sleepover allowances and call-to-duty (clause 25.7), overtime thresholds (clause 28.1) and minimum engagements (clause 10.5) — the same checks a large provider's compliance team would run, available from the first worker rather than gated behind a growth-tier plan. See how the checks work on our timesheet validator page.
What You Actually Need at This Size
For a sole trader or small provider evaluating software, the honest checklist is shorter than the enterprise version:
If that matches what you're looking for, start free with one staff member and see the rostering and compliance checking in action — no card required. For a broader view of the market, our NDIS rostering software buyer's guide compares the main platforms by category.
- Can you start free at your actual size? One worker, not a five-seat minimum.
- Does it handle the day-to-day? Shift scheduling, mobile clock-in/out, time-off, incidents and expenses.
- Does it check SCHADS compliance, or just record hours? A missed allowance is the same underpayment at any headcount.
- Does it grow with you without a re-platform? The tool you start on as a sole trader should still work when you're a ten-person team.
If that matches what you're looking for, start free with one staff member and see the rostering and compliance checking in action — no card required. For a broader view of the market, our NDIS rostering software buyer's guide compares the main platforms by category.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there NDIS software for sole traders?
- Yes. CrossVault's rostering product includes a free tier for one staff member with no card required — built for sole traders and small providers rather than assuming a team-sized roster from the start. It includes shift scheduling, mobile clock-in/out, time-off, incidents and expenses, plus SCHADS award compliance checking on the timesheets it produces.
- What software do small NDIS providers use?
- Small NDIS providers use a mix of dedicated NDIS rostering tools (like ShiftCare), general workforce platforms (Deputy, Tanda), and — where compliance is the priority — CrossVault, which adds SCHADS award validation on top of rostering. Many small providers start on a free or low-cost tier and add compliance checking once they're employing staff under the award.
- Is there a free NDIS rostering app?
- CrossVault offers a free tier for one staff member with no card required, covering shift scheduling, mobile clock-in/out, time-off requests, incidents and expenses. It's aimed at sole traders and small providers who don't need (or want to pay for) a multi-seat plan yet.
- Do sole traders need to worry about SCHADS compliance?
- If a sole trader employs even one other worker under the SCHADS Award, the same compliance obligations apply as for a larger provider — broken shift allowances, sleepover payments, overtime and minimum engagements all still need to be paid correctly. Even sole traders invoicing as contractors benefit from accurate award-rate awareness when setting their own rates. CrossVault checks these rules on every timesheet regardless of headcount.
- How much does NDIS rostering software cost for a small team?
- Costs vary widely by platform and typically scale with the number of staff. CrossVault's rostering starts free for one staff member with no card required; see <a href="/pricing">current pricing</a> for plans as your team grows beyond that.
Automate SCHADS Compliance
Don't risk underpayments. CrossVault's AI engine validates every timesheet against the specific rules of the SCHADS Award.