How to choose the best NDIS Plan Manager for me
Choosing the best NDIS Plan Manager for you is about more than just who pays invoices. The right Plan Manager can make your NDIS plan easier to use, reduce stress, and help you feel confident about your funding.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about spending, worried about invoices being rejected, or confused by NDIS rules, the right Plan Manager can make a big difference.
Here’s what to look for when choosing the best NDIS Plan Manager for you and what really matters in day-to-day NDIS life:
Whether they are a specialist NDIS Plan Manager
How clearly they explain what you can and can’t use your NDIS plan for
How they track and report on your funding over the life of your NDIS plan
Whether they offer an online portal or phone app with accurate, up-to-date information
How easy it is to speak to a real person when you need help
Whether you’ll have continuity, so you’re not explaining yourself every time
What other participants say about them in Google Reviews
Whether they support your choice and control, rather than limiting it
Below, we go through each of these points in detail so you know exactly what to look for — and what questions to ask — when choosing the best NDIS Plan Manager for you.
Look for a specialist NDIS Plan Manager
Not all Plan Managers are the same.
Some organisations offer plan management alongside other services. Others are specialists, where plan management is all they do.
A specialist NDIS Plan Manager is more likely to:
Understand NDIS rules in detail
Keep up with pricing changes and updates
Identify issues within your NDIS plan before they become problems
Give you clear answers rather than vague responses
- Be available to answer your questions at all times
When plan management is their core focus, NDIS knowledge and looking after you matter more — and that helps protect your NDIS plan funding.
Ask about continuity: will you be dealing with the same person?
When choosing an NDIS Plan Manager, it’s important to ask who you’ll actually be speaking to when you call or email.
Most larger plan management providers don’t offer continuity. They operate like call centres, where each time you get in touch, you speak to a different person. That often means:
Re-explaining your situation
Repeating your NDIS plan details
Starting from scratch each time you need help
This can be frustrating and exhausting, especially when your situation is complex or time-sensitive.
A specialist, independent Plan Manager works differently.
With a provider like Plan Hero:
Your NDIS plan is managed by a dedicated Plan Manager
Every time you get in touch, you will speak to your own Plan Manager who gets to know you and your needs
This continuity means you don’t have to keep explaining yourself, and questions are answered faster and with better context.
When comparing Plan Managers, it’s reasonable to ask:
Will I have my own Plan Manager?
Clear, plain-language explanations matter
The NDIS is complicated. A good Plan Manager should make your NDIS plan feel simpler, not harder.
You should feel comfortable asking questions like:
“Can I use my NDIS plan funding for this?”
“How is my spending going?”
- “Can you help me understand this?”
The best Plan Managers explain things in plain language, without jargon or judgement, so you can make confident decisions about your NDIS plan. They can do this because they have extensive NDIS knowledge.
Ask how they track your NDIS plan funding over time
Clear visibility of your funding is key to managing an NDIS plan with confidence.
A good Plan Manager should help you:
See how much funding is left in each budget
Understand how your funding is tracking against the length of your NDIS plan
Identify early if funding is being used faster or slower than expected
- Give you monthly reports that are easy to understand and tell you how much you have spent and how much you have left
Clear, easy-to-read reporting makes it much easier to pace your supports across the life of your NDIS plan and avoid surprises later.
Consider how easy it is to actually speak to someone
This is an area where many people notice a big difference between Plan Managers.
Very large plan management companies often operate like call centres. Questions are handled through general inboxes, long phone queues, or ticketing systems — and people can spend long periods on hold just to get a simple answer.
That can be especially stressful when:
An invoice hasn’t been paid
You need a quick answer before agreeing to a support
Something doesn’t look right with your NDIS plan funding
A specialist, independent Plan Manager works differently.
With a provider like Plan Hero:
You speak to real people, not call queues
You’re not left waiting on hold for long periods
Your questions are answered by someone who understands your NDIS plan and history
When support is easy to access, issues are resolved faster and managing your NDIS plan feels far less stressful.
Check Google Reviews and real feedback
One of the most helpful steps when choosing an NDIS Plan Manager is reading Google Reviews.
Reviews can give insight into:
How people are supported when issues arise
Whether NDIS plan invoices are paid on time
If communication is clear and respectful
How supported people feel managing their NDIS plan long-term
Look for consistent patterns in feedback rather than one-off comments. Strong reviews over time usually reflect how a Plan Manager operates day to day.
Make sure they support choice and control in your NDIS plan
A Plan Manager should support your choices under your NDIS plan — not limit them.
This includes:
Supporting the use of registered and unregistered providers (where your NDIS plan allows)
Helping you understand what’s possible under your NDIS plan rather than defaulting to “no”
Respecting that you know what works best for your life
The right Plan Manager works with you, not over you.
Trust how it feels when you speak to them
Sometimes the most important factor is how the conversation feels.
When you speak to a Plan Manager, ask yourself:
Do they listen?
Do they explain my NDIS plan clearly?
Do I feel rushed, or supported?
You’re trusting them with your NDIS plan funding. Feeling comfortable and respected matters.
Make sure they have a live online portal or phone app
One of the most important — and often overlooked — things to check when choosing an NDIS Plan Manager is whether they offer an online portal or phone app.
A good portal or app should let you:
View your claims
See your current funding levels
Track what has been paid and what’s pending
Check your budgets at any time, not just at month-end
Just as importantly, you should ask how accurate that information is.
Only Plan Managers who have direct access to the NDIA systems can show live, up-to-date data about your NDIS plan. This means funding levels and claims are accurate in real time, 24/7 — not based on delayed exports or manual updates.
Some Plan Managers rely on:
Spreadsheets
Manually updated reports
Data that’s only refreshed every few days
That can make it hard to know where your funding really sits, especially if multiple supports are being claimed at once.
Having access to a live portal or app with accurate data makes it much easier to:
Avoid over-spending
Plan supports across the life of your NDIS plan
Feel confident about what funding is actually available
When choosing a Plan Manager, it’s reasonable to ask:
Do you have an online portal or phone app?
Is the data live and updated in real time?
Do you have direct access to the NDIA?
Clear visibility matters. It removes guesswork and helps you stay in control of your NDIS plan.
Ready to choose an NDIS Plan Manager?
If you’re considering Plan Hero, you’re welcome to:
Speak with one of our Plan Managers to get a feel for how we support NDIS plans
Or sign up right now if you’re ready to get started
Choosing an NDIS Plan Manager doesn’t have to be complicated — the right one will make that clear from the first conversation.
Why Plan Hero is the best Plan Manager for you
Managing an NDIS plan is complex enough without feeling unsure about spending, rules, or what you can safely claim.
That’s why people choose Plan Hero.
We’re specialist Plan Managers — plan management is all we do.
We focus on paying invoices correctly and on time, tracking your budgets clearly, and giving you calm, plain-language answers so you can make confident decisions.
Our online portal and phone app give you access to your NDIS plan info 24/7.
You will have your own Plan Manager who gets to know you, so you don’t need to repeat yourself.
Our goal is simple: we make sure you have less stress, more confidence and you feel safe using your NDIS funding.
