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I have my NDIS plan, now what?

If you have just received your NDIS plan and have NO IDEA what to do next, you are NOT alone! On a day to day basis we speak to participants, carers and families who are thrilled to finally have funding but don’t know what the next steps are. 

Here are 4 easy steps to help you get started with your NDIS plan:

  1. Set up your plan manager
  2. Find a Support Coordinator
  3. Understand how to read and use your plan
  4. Figure out how much you can spend on supports
  5. Connect with services

Set up your NDIS Plan manager

If your plan is PLAN-MANAGED or any of your budget categories are plan managed, you will need to set up your plan manager before you can start paying any bills. If you

If you have plan managed funded in your plan, it will be under your Capacity Building Supports under a category called ‘Improved Life Choices. This is how it would appear in your plan:

Note: the amount of funding you have available is based on your location and will cover the full plan management fee.

If you are not sure how your plan is managed? CLICK HERE to find out ‘how is my NDIS plan managed?

Find out why Plan Hero are the plan manager that will have your back!

Find a Support Coordinator

If you have Support Coordination funded in your plan, it will be under your Capacity Building Supports under a category called ‘Support Coordination’.

The amount of funding you are allocated for a support coordinator is based on the no. of hours of supports.

Your Support Coordinator will help you understand and implement the funded supports in your plan so they are incredibly important to get in place at the start of your plan, as this will make your life easier.

Use our PROVIDER FINDER to find a Support Coordinator near you

Understand your plan

The NDIS can be a whirlwind and overwhelming and learning the ins and outs can often feel like learning a new language. While it’s a relief to have funding in place for supports and services needed, it’s vital that you understand your plan properly so that you can get the most out of your funding.

When a client starts supports with Plan Hero we schedule an ‘Unpack your plan’ call so we can go through your plan together to help you understand

  • What supports you can access
  • How to budget for your plan period
  • How to find appropriate supports

We also have plenty of resources to help YOU get the most from your funding, or you can download our handy ‘Unpack your plan resource’ below for a brief guide on what you can spend each budget on, as well as the following helpful resources:

Figure out how much you can spend on supports


It’s important to know how much you can spend to make sure you won’t run out of money before your plan ends. If you are plan managed, your plan manager can assist with this. However, if not – here are two simple tools you can use:

Scenario 1: Calculate your WEEKLY budget

To do this look at the TOTAL amount under each category, and divide this by the number of months in your plan, and then divide again by 4.34

Amount per week = Total Category Amount / Months in your plan / 4.34

For example: Joe has $15519.20 in Improved Daily Living Skills, and his plan runs for one year (12 months

Joe’s weekly budget = 15519.20/ 12 (months) / 4.34 = $299/week

Scenario 2: Calculate how many hours of support you can access

Use the TOTAL amount under each category, and divide this by the rate you will be charged for the supports (or use the NDIS price guide to see how much this support can be charged)

Hours of support  = Total Support Amount / hourly rate or max NDIS rate

For example: Joe has $15519.20 in Improved Daily Living, and he wants to use this funding for Occupational Therapy sessions. The max. NDIS rate for Occupational Therapy is $193.99/hr Hours of support.

To calculate how many hours of support this is divide $15519.20 by the hourly rate $193.99 -15519.20/193.99 = 81 hours of therapy .

If his plan is 12 months = 52 weeks, then divide this by 52 to work out how many hours PER week you can access.

81 hours / 52 weeks in a year = 1.5 hours a week for the duration of his plan

To determine how much your NDIS support/service can charge/hr use our NDIS PRICE GUIDE – click ‘Find NDIS Prices’ link below (the tabs at the bottom of the table will help you filter by services)

Connect with NDIS services

We partner with a FREE community service called MyCareSpace, who can connect you with services and providers in your area.

Simply click the button ‘find supports below’ and enter your details or give them a call on 1300 2888 93. If you want to get in touch with the Plan Hero team to discuss plan management, give us a call on 1300 599 770.

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