Options to manage your new NDIS plan

When you get a new NDIS plan, you will be asked HOW you want to manage it.

In order words – the NDIA is asking WHO is going to pay your bills!

You have 3 options to choose from and we are going to explain exactly what each one is below.

In this resource we will cover the following topics:

What are the 3 options to manage my NDIS plan?
Which option is best for me?

What are the 3 options to manage my NDIS plan?

The budgets in your NDIS plan can be agency managed, self managed or plan managed.

Your plan budgets can also be managed with a combination of these options.

Agency managed (also called NDIA-managed)

Only 8% of NDIS Participants are Agency Managed. Here are the key features:

A Provider submits claimand the NDIS pays the provider -> You do nothing

You need to login to the NDIS Participant Portal to view your claims

NDIS keeps all records

Can ONLY use NDIS Registered Providers

You cannot pay Providers MORE than the NDIS Price Guide

No support with budgeting

Plan Managed

A whoppping 63% of NDIS Participants are plan managed (this is the most popular option). Here are the key features:

Provider emails invoice to your Plan Manager and YOU need to approve it before your Plan Manager pays it

Funding is added to your plan for Plan Management – this funding cannot be used for anything else

If YOU pay for a service, you submit the invoice to the Plan Manager who reimburses you

Your Plan Manager keeps all records – this includes all invoices and receipts and provider emails

Your Plan Manager helps you understand your funding and sends you monthly reports that show you how much funding you have left in your NDIS plan

You can use BOTH NDIS registered and Unregistered Providers

You cannot pay for supports that cost more than the NDIS prices

Your Plan Manager lets you know if you are over spending or under spending

Your Plan Manager helps you only spend your funds on allowed NDIS supports

You have access to a Portal and Phone App so you can keep track of your funding levels 24/7

Self-Managed

29% of NDIS Participants are self managed. Here are the key features:

You pay the invoices yourself and you claim the amounts from the NDIS Portal

You communicate with and pay the NDIS Providers yourself

You can use BOTH NDIS registered AND Unregistered Providers

You can pay MORE than the NDIS Price limit (E.g. Psychology)

YOU need to keep track of your own spending – you won’t have any budget warnings

YOU need to manage your own budget so that you don’t run out of funds

YOU need to know what you can spend your funding on – you need to make sure your supports are on the NDIS ‘IN’ LIST

What’s best for me?

When choosing the best plan management option for you, you will need need to consider:

How much time you have to make claims, deal with providers and pay bills

Your capacity to manage emails, check and pay invoices and keep records of all payments

How comfortable you feel about knowing which NDIS supports you can use your funding on (so that you don’t get into trouble)

If you need to pay for services whose prices that are higher than the NDIS prices

Self Mangement is for you if:

If you have the time and capacity to make sure NDIS providers are charging you the correct rates and you are comfortable working in the NDIS Participant Portal making claims.

You will need to be familiar with online banking to pay their bills and must be organised and efficient at record keeping and managing emails.

Plan Management is for you if:

You prefer to have an NDIS expert review the invoices from your NDIS Providers and only pay them if they are correct. You don’t want to bother with record keeping and emails and you appreciate the help watching your budgets to make sure you don’t run out of funds. You also want to make sure you don’t spend incorrectly and get into hot water.

Agency Management is for you if:

One doesn’t usually choose to agency manged 🙂 Some parts of your plan may be agency managed so that the NDIA can keep an eye on complex, high value supports. We recommend choosing one of the other plan management options for the other supports in your plan if possible.

Other Resources

What is NDIS plan management?
How can I find out my plan management type?

Options to manage your new NDIS plan

What are the 3 options to manage my NDIS plan?

Agency managed (also called NDIA-managed)

Plan Managed

Self-Managed

What’s best for me?

Other Resources

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