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Fix a field format error
What OneForce Care expects for phone, ABN, NDIS numbers and other formatted fields, so a rejected value is quick to fix.
Last updated · 10 November 2026
A handful of fields run the same format check wherever they appear: a worker’s phone number, a participant’s email address, your organisation’s ABN. Get the shape wrong and OneForce Care blocks the save with a toast naming the exact problem. This page lists what each field actually accepts, so you can fix it on the first try instead of guessing.
Note
Many fields show an inline error after you leave the field, then update that error as you correct it. Saving also checks the form and can show the first problem in a message. Read both the field and the message; correct the original entry without discarding the rest of your draft.
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The supplied phone is invalid even though the email has the correct format. This is the app’s actual inline error in an unsaved draft.
Phone numbers
Spaces, dashes and brackets are all fine; OneForce Care strips them before checking the shape. Once stripped, the number must match one of:
| Kind | Accepted shape |
|---|---|
| Mobile | 04XX XXX XXX (or +614XX XXX XXX) |
| Landline | 0X XXXX XXXX where X is 2 (NSW/ACT), 3 (VIC/TAS), 7 (QLD) or 8 (SA/WA/NT) |
| Freecall | 1300 XXX XXX or 1800 XXX XXX |
| 13 number | 13 XXXX |
A leading +61 (or 61) is accepted in place of the leading 0 for mobiles and landlines. Anything else, including a number with too few or too many digits, or a + that isn’t at the very start, is rejected.
Watch out
Participant and intake phone numbers use a narrower rule: a 10-digit Australian mobile or landline including its area code. Formatting and a leading +61 or 61 are accepted, but 13, 1300 and 1800 service numbers are not. Both forms require a valid email or phone, and every supplied value must be valid. Participant email and phone are unique within the workspace, including archived records.
Email addresses
A standard name@domain.tld shape: no spaces, a domain with at least one dot, and the part after the last dot at least two characters (so name@example.c is rejected, name@example.com is not). The domain’s last two labels can’t be identical (catches obvious typos like name@example.example).
NDIS numbers
Enter participant NDIS numbers, plan numbers and NDIA organisation IDs exactly as issued. Forms and imports do not impose a fixed length or prefix. Required fields and duplicate checks still apply. NDIA claim exports check the format required by the claim portal separately.
ABN and ACN
ABN (Australian Business Number) must be 11 digits (spaces are fine, for example 51 824 753 556) and pass the ATO’s official checksum, so a made-up or mistyped 11-digit number is still rejected. If you’re not sure your ABN is right, search it at abr.business.gov.au.
ACN (Australian Company Number) must be exactly 9 digits; spaces are optional and no checksum is applied.
NDIS Worker Screening ID
Required for support workers. Enter the identifier exactly as issued; there is no fixed length or numeric-only rule.
Working With Children Check (WWCC) number
Optional. Enter your WWCC or equivalent identifier exactly as issued. The form does not restrict it to a list of state formats.
Centrelink CRN
9 digits followed by one letter, for example 123 456 789A. Spaces are optional.
Medicare number
Enter the reference as it appears on the participant’s document. The form accepts a non-empty Medicare reference without assuming a particular length or format. Check the source document if the reference is uncertain; a successful save does not verify it with Medicare.
Website
A domain with a dot and a top-level domain, for example example.com.au. The http:// or https:// prefix is optional; a port or path after the domain is fine too.
Postcode and address
The format check accepts these four-digit postcode ranges: 0200–0299 (ACT), 0800–0999 (NT), or 1000–9999. If you type a street address instead of choosing a match from the lookup dropdown, save it with Enter address manually so the state (and postcode) gets set explicitly, otherwise the save is blocked until it is.
The exact toasts
“Enter a valid email address.”
Means: The email address is not a valid format.
Fix: Use a full address like name@example.com, with no spaces and a real domain.
“Enter a valid Australian phone number (e.g. 04XX XXX XXX or 0X XXXX XXXX).”
Means: This worker, directory or organisation number is not in a recognised Australian format.
Fix: Enter an Australian mobile, landline, 13, 1300 or 1800 number. Participant and intake phones instead require a 10-digit mobile or landline. Formatting is accepted.
“Enter a valid ABN.”
Means: The ABN failed the official 11-digit checksum, so it is not a real ABN.
Fix: Check the 11 digits against the business record (search abr.business.gov.au).
“ACN must be 9 digits.”
Means: The Australian Company Number is the wrong length.
Fix: Enter the 9-digit ACN (spaces are optional).
“CRN must be 9 digits followed by a letter (e.g. 123 456 789A).”
Means: The Centrelink Customer Reference Number is in the wrong shape.
Fix: Enter 9 digits then a trailing letter, for example 123 456 789A.
“Medicare number must be 10 or 11 digits.”
Means: This is a legacy validation message. Current Medicare reference fields accept the identifier as entered without a fixed digit count.
Fix: Copy the issued reference accurately. If the old format error persists, refresh and report the exact form through Help & issues rather than altering a valid identifier.
“Enter a valid website URL.”
Means: The website address is not a valid URL.
Fix: Enter a domain like example.com.au (the http prefix is optional).
“Enter a valid Australian postcode.”
Means: The postcode is not within a valid Australian range.
Fix: Enter a valid 4-digit Australian postcode.
“Select an address from the dropdown, or use "Enter address manually" to set the state.”
Means: You typed an address line but no state has been set, which the record needs.
Fix: Pick a suggestion from the address dropdown, or click "Enter address manually" and choose the state.
“Enter an email address or phone number.”
Means: A participant or intake enquiry has neither contact method.
Fix: Enter a valid email or Australian mobile or landline. If both are entered, both must be valid.
“Enter a 10-digit Australian mobile or landline number, including the area code.”
Means: Participant and intake phones use mobile and landline numbers as contact identifiers.
Fix: Include the area code. Spaces, brackets, hyphens and a leading +61 or 61 are accepted; 13, 1300 and 1800 service numbers are not.
“Select an address from the dropdown, or use "Enter address manually" to set the postcode.”
Means: An address line is present but its postcode is missing.
Fix: Choose the matching address suggestion or enter the postcode manually.
“This feature is turned off for your workspace.”
Means: A workspace module or capability is currently disabled. A custom screen permission cannot enable it.
Fix: Ask the owner to check Account > Features. Payroll and Invoicing start off. Enabling either after the first actual clock-in does not rewrite that shift's saved financial choices.
Tip
Left a required field blank instead of getting the format wrong? You’ll see a message naming the exact field, for example “Plan number is required.” (
what this means). Seeing a workspace error rather than a field one? That’s covered in Why can’t I see or edit this?, along with what a missing workspace looks like.
Correct the original record
Read the complete error, check the field against the actual source document and edit that field on the same form. For a duplicate participant contact error, search the register for that email or phone before creating another participant. Format validation does not verify that a person owns an identifier or that a support is claimable. If a valid issued value is rejected, keep the original evidence and report the exact message through Help & issues.
Work through several errors in order
If a participant has a valid email and an invalid supplied phone, the valid email does not excuse the phone error. Correct the phone from the real source, or leave it blank when the field is optional and you do not have a valid number. Do not invent another contact value just to pass the form.
After correcting the first message, save again and resolve any next problem. For an address, selecting a lookup suggestion fills its structured details; typing street text alone may leave State or Postcode missing. Use the manual fields when needed. A postcode or email passing its format check is not verification that the address exists, belongs to the person or can receive messages.
Enlarge screenshot
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The optional phone has been cleared because the example only has a valid email. The phone error disappears, but the rest of the participant form still needs review before saving.