Do I Have to Pay for a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check?

Most applicants including job seekers seeking employment in volunteer roles as well as professional certification candidates must provide a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC). This check functions as an official document that consists of crime-related information about the individual.

The matter of expense continues to be the primary concern regarding this process. Let's break down everything you need to know about the costs, payment responsibilities, and options for background checks in Australia.

Australian National Character Check (ANCC) provides background checks to people working in Australian organizations.

Check timeframes: The background check application form can be completed online in a matter of minutes. The majority of results are sent out within 24 business hours, if the online application form is correctly completed.

Do you work in HR in an Australian organization and need background checks for workers? Australian National Character Check (ANCC) provides a streamlined solution for background check via our business portal.

Please apply for your background check via the individual portal here.

Businesses (transport, postal, mining, healthcare, and warehousing industries) seeking bulk background checks can apply for access to the ANCC Business Portal.

A background check serves as a document that shows both disclosable court outcomes (DCOs) alongside other charges that individuals have had throughout Australia. Organisations that provide licenses and employers, together with volunteer groups, now use these documents to evaluate potential candidates who seek positions of trust.

The short answer: It depends.

• Self-Applicants: Self-Applicants must bear the expenses when they independently initiate check applications for both personal and professional purposes.
• Employers/Organisations: An array of business organisations generally purchase checks or pay on their behalf when recruiting new staff members. A background check provider, such as ANCC, ensures that approved employers can access updated results through the business portal account.
• Shared Costs: Some employers reimburse applicants after hiring, while others split fees. However, all checks require your consent, and employers cannot secretly request one without your knowledge.
• Volunteers: Non-profit organisations and charities that depend upon volunteers sometimes pay for background checks so that they can facilitate participation without obstacles. On the other hand, some charities ask volunteers to pay for their background checks.
• Licencing and Accreditation: Individuals applying for certain professions and licences are asked to submit a background check to many regulatory bodies. The candidate who applies for a licence or accreditation must buy and pay for the check independently.

Key Takeaway: Specific job-related background check payments usually come from employers, yet individual outcomes, such as personal or freelance work, require self-financed check costs. Always clarify payment expectations upfront. There is no set rule on who is required to pay for a police check, and this depends on each entity's policies.

The price for background check services depends on which organisation you select to provide the assessment. The following table presents fee information from ANCC as of August 2025. Be sure to check if this is the updated pricing via the application link:

Provider - Australian National Character Check

Standard Employment Check Fee - $52.90 + GST

Volunteer Check Fee - $24.90 + GST

Tip:

Fingerprinting (required for roles like security or visas) incurs additional charges. Please verify the current pricing directly with the service providers. This can only be done via a police agency.

Payment methods differ by provider:

Provider Payment Options

ANCC Credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay

Police Agencies Online credit card (for standard checks)

Australia Post Redirects to state police portals (e.g., QLD or WA Police). Most accredited services, like ANCC, allow online payments for fast, secure processing.

• Volunteer Roles: Organisations offer discounted checks for verified volunteers.
• Employer-Sponsored Checks: Some companies cover fees entirely for mandatory roles. Other organisations choose to cover the entire or partial cost of their employees' background checks. However, they must do this with the understanding and consent of the individual. It is one way an individual may get a free (or reduced price) on their Criminal History Check application.

Important: All criminal history checks require payment. There are no free options available.

Beware of scams offering "free" checks. Always use accredited, approved providers like ANCC to ensure legitimacy.

Background checks or criminal history checks are a prerequisite for some professions before granting employment, contract, licensing, or industry accreditations. The industries include, but are not limited to:

• Healthcare professionals
• Aged care workers
• Childcare
• Tutors
• Government Personnel
• Financial Service workers
• Legal Workers
• Liquor sellers
• Charities and Non-profit organisations
• Construction workers and contractors
• Public vehicle drivers
• And any other occupation where employees have direct or indirect access to positions of trust or sensitivity.

You cannot pay for a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check application more than once through any agency or medium. Before completing the payment details, ensure you have the required funds in your payment source.

Before submitting the candidate's final information, the Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check application can only be paid for once.

A Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check is a one-time check (point-in-time check) with no deadline for renewal or expiry. However, depending on their own organisational principles, the party making the request may see the findings on a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check certificate as outdated.

Generally, most organisations will not accept a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check that is older than three (3) months. This timeline, however, will change based on their approaches to reducing risk.

The loss of validity for your Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check requires you to obtain a new one, according to your employer's requirement.

The ANCC system enables users to renew their Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check online.

When you want to renew your check, you should follow the same procedure that you used for your original application, as you will need to resupply all documents and IDs in the same manner as your initial application.

As an accredited approved provider, ANCC offers:

• Speed: 70% of checks are returned within 24 hours. The rest can take up to 15 or more days.
• Transparency: Track progress in real-time via our business portal.
• Flexibility: Employers can pay directly or invite applicants to cover fees.

Background checks come with a price tag, but the costs won't generally break the bank. Whether you're hiring or job-hunting, knowing who pays and where to get them helps things go smoothly.

Here at Australian National Character Check, we aim to make background checks quick, budget-friendly, and hassle-free. Want to kick things off? Please fill out our online form today or reach out to our team for one-on-one help!