You can also choose a combination of the three options. For example, you may choose to self-manage one part of your plan to start with and have the rest managed by the NDIA.
Your early childhood partner, Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIA planner will ask you how you would like to manage your NDIS funding during your planning meeting. They will help you choose the best way to manage your funds for your needs and circumstances.
No matter how your funds are managed, you still have choice and control to ensure your services are working for you and fit in your budget. Even if your funding is managed by the NDIA or a Plan Manager, you should regularly check the myplace portal and your funding to make sure your budgets are on track.
We have an NDIS guide to self-management for people who are self-managing, or interested in self-managing their NDIS funding. This guide will help people understand the benefits of self-management, roles and responsibilities and how to self-manage effectively.
If you self-manage your NDIS funding you will have:
- Choice in deciding what supports you purchase in line with what is included in your plan, who provides these supports and how they are delivered.
- Flexibility to use any provider that will best help you to pursue your plan goals.
- Capacity to employ or contract staff directly, or have someone employ staff on your behalf.
- Ability to negotiate the costs of your supports so you get the best value-for-money and to use savings to buy more or better quality supports.
- Control over and responsibility for your NDIS funding so you can manage your own budget for the duration of your plan.
- Purchasing supports that link to the goals in your NDIS plan.
- Make clear agreements with your providers about the support you will receive including how they will be provided and paid for.
- Managing your funding so the costs of the support give you value-for-money, and can be met from within your budget.
- Claiming and paying for supports by making payment requests and paying for your supports on time.
- Keeping invoices and receipts to show you have paid for your supports using your NDIS funding.
- Meeting your obligations as an employer if you choose to employ staff directly.
- Showing how you’ve used your self-managed funding towards pursuing your goals at your plan reassessment.
- Advising the NDIA of any significant changes in your circumstances that may result in you being unable to meet your responsibilities as a self-manager.
- Participating in any payment auditing where you will need to provide invoices, receipts or other evidence to show you have spent your funds in-line with your NDIS plan.
Why use a plan manager?
- Increase your financial and plan management skills
- Learn how to self-manage your plan
- Pay providers
- Increase your choice of providers
- Get NDIS plan budget reports and greater budget oversight.
If you are mid-plan and want to change, contact us at 1300 029 354 to discuss how you can include plan management in your plan.
- Your Local Area Coordinator, early childhood partner or support coordinator
- The Provider Finder tool on the NDIS myplace participant portal
- Your friends and family
- Other online resources and websites.
- Contact us on 1300 029 354 or 0415 778 250 and we can assist you.
