If you have an NDIS plan, you may have heard the term plan management and wondered what it actually involves. In simple terms, NDIS plan management is a way of managing the money in your plan without having to handle every invoice and claim yourself. A plan manager pays your providers, tracks your budgets and keeps you informed about what has been spent. This guide explains how plan management works, what it costs, how it compares with the other ways of managing a plan, and how to get it included in your plan.
What Is NDIS Plan Management?
Plan management is one of the three ways an NDIS plan can be managed. When your plan is plan-managed, you choose a plan manager to look after the financial side of your plan. You still choose your own providers and supports, and you still have choice and control over how your funding is used. The plan manager simply handles the administration: receiving invoices, checking them, claiming funds from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and paying providers on your behalf.
One of the main advantages of plan management is flexibility. With a plan-managed plan, you can use both NDIS-registered providers and providers who are not registered with the NDIS, as long as the supports are reasonable and necessary and meet NDIS pricing rules. That gives you a much wider choice of providers than agency management allows, without the paperwork burden of managing the plan yourself.
How Plan Management Is Funded
Plan management is funded in your NDIS plan under Improved Life Choices, which is part of Capacity Building. This is separate funding that sits alongside the budgets for your other supports. It is provided at no out-of-pocket cost to you, because the plan manager’s fees are paid from that Improved Life Choices funding, not from the budgets for your therapies, support work or other services.
Because the funding is separate, adding plan management does not reduce the amount available for your other supports. If plan management is not already in your plan, you can ask for it at your planning meeting or at a plan review. You can also switch plan managers at any time; you do not need to wait for a review to change to a manager who suits you better.
Plan-Managed vs Self-Managed vs Agency-Managed
Every NDIS plan is managed in one of three ways, and you can use a different approach for different parts of your plan. Here is how they compare:
- Plan-managed: A plan manager pays invoices, tracks budgets and sends you statements. You can use registered and non-registered providers, and you do not have to lodge claims yourself.
- Self-managed: You pay providers and claim funds from the NDIA yourself, and you keep your own records. This gives the most flexibility, but it also means the most administration, and you need to understand NDIS pricing rules.
- Agency-managed: The NDIA pays your providers directly through the NDIS portal. This involves the least paperwork for you, but you can only use NDIS-registered providers.
Many participants choose plan management because it sits in the middle: it offers the provider choice of self-management with far less administration, and it avoids the registered-provider restriction of agency management.
What Does a Plan Manager Do Day to Day?
A plan manager’s day-to-day work is all about keeping the money side of your plan running smoothly. Their main tasks include:
- Receiving invoices from your providers, usually by email, and checking them against your plan and NDIS pricing rules.
- Claiming the funds from the NDIA and paying your providers, so you do not have to chase payments or lodge claims.
- Tracking your budgets and letting you know how much has been spent and how much remains in each budget.
- Sending you regular statements, so you can see exactly where your funding has gone.
- Answering your questions about invoices, budgets and what your plan will cover.
Good plan managers also give you a way to check your budgets yourself, such as a live online portal. That way, you can see your remaining funds at any time, rather than waiting for a monthly statement to arrive.
How to Get Plan Management in Your Plan
Getting plan management is straightforward. At your planning meeting or plan review, tell the planner that you would like plan management and explain why it would help you: for example, that you want to use providers who are not NDIS-registered, or that managing invoices yourself would be difficult. If the NDIA agrees that plan management is reasonable and necessary for you, Improved Life Choices funding will be included in your plan.
Once plan management is in your plan, you choose your plan manager and sign a service agreement with them. Your providers then send their invoices to your plan manager instead of to you or the NDIA. If you already have plan management but want to change managers, you can do so at any time. Tell your new manager you would like them to take over, and let your current manager and providers know so invoices are directed to the right place.
Plan Management in Campbelltown with Iconic Care
Iconic Care Group provides NDIS plan management from its Campbelltown office, supporting participants across Campbelltown and surrounding suburbs as well as Australia-wide through invoice processing. The team processes authorised invoices within 2 business days, provides regular statements and gives participants access to a live portal to track budgets in real time. Participants can work with both NDIS-registered and non-registered providers, and face-to-face meetings are available for those who prefer to talk through their plan in person.
If you are looking for a plan manager in Campbelltown, contact the team to discuss your plan and your current providers. They can explain how the handover works and what to expect from your first statement. Plan management is a separate service from support coordination, which helps you find and coordinate your supports; many participants use both, because the two roles are funded separately.
Frequently asked questions
Does plan management cost me anything?
No. Plan management is funded under Improved Life Choices in your NDIS plan, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to you. The plan manager’s fees come from that separate funding, not from your other support budgets.
Can I use providers who are not NDIS-registered?
Yes. With a plan-managed plan, you can use both registered and non-registered providers, as long as the supports are reasonable and necessary and meet NDIS pricing rules. This is one of the main reasons participants choose plan management over agency management.
Can I change my plan manager?
Yes, you can change your plan manager at any time. You do not need to wait for a plan review. Your new manager can help with the handover so there is no gap in payments to your providers.