The NDIS plan management panel: what's changing from October 2027

Here's what the NDIA has actually said, what hasn't been decided yet, and what you need to do today.

What is the NDIS plan management panel?

As part of the changes under the new NDIS laws, the NDIA says it is "changing how plan management services are priced, designed and delivered to participants". It will establish what it calls a trusted panel of plan managers by 1 October 2027.

Once the panel is in place, participants who use plan management will need to use a plan manager from the panel. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing describes it as choosing "a plan management provider from a list approved by the government".

The deed requirements are in the NDIS Act. They are not a proposal. Schedule 2 Part 6 inserts section 73EA. A person must not be registered to manage plan funding unless a deed with the NDIA is in force. The deed must cover integrity and governance (including reporting to the NDIA), staff and key personnel, how claims are checked and submitted, information and communications technology, and related parties and conflicts of interest. The NDIA must keep a public register of registered plan management providers.

That part of the Act has not started. It starts on a day fixed by proclamation. If it is not proclaimed within 24 months of Royal Assent on 20 August 2026, it starts on 1 September 2028. Until then, today's registration rules still apply. The NDIA's published timetable is a separate date: a panel launch from 1 October 2027.

Why is the NDIA making this change?

The NDIA says the changes are to:

• improve the quality of plan management services
• improve integrity standards
• reduce fraud.

The NDIA says plan managers on the panel "will continue to play an important role in supporting participants to manage their NDIS budgets".

When does the plan management panel start?

Here's the timeline published on the NDIS website:

• From October 2026: the NDIA explains the expected changes and asks plan managers for feedback through a request for information (RFI) on AusTender, open for 5 weeks.
• From April 2027: a request for tender (RFT) is published. Plan managers who want to join the panel must apply. The Act, not the tender, sets the topics the deed must cover.
• From June 2027: the RFT closes. The NDIA assesses applications and tells providers whether they're on the panel.
• From October 2027: the panel launches, with a 6-month transition period. The NDIA will support participants to move to a panel plan manager if their current one isn't on the panel.
• From April 2028: the transition ends. Participants must use a plan manager from the panel, and plan managers who aren't on it can no longer deliver plan management services.

Will I have to change plan managers?

Not yet, and possibly not at all. It depends on which plan managers are selected, and the NDIA won't decide that until after the tender closes in mid-2027.

If your plan manager isn't on the panel, the Department says you'll have 6 months to move to an approved provider, and the NDIA says it will support participants through that move.

What we don't know yet

The Act lists the topics the deed must cover. It does not set the detail inside those topics. The official information still doesn't tell us:

• the detailed standards inside each deed topic
• how many plan managers will be on the panel
• exactly how participants will be told about and supported through a change
• how the new pricing of plan management will work.

The NDIA has said it will explain how the changes may affect participants, plan management businesses and other providers. We'll share updates as they're published.

What this means for you

1. Keep using your plan as normal. The NDIS website says that right now you can continue using your plan and supports as usual.
2. You don't need to do anything today. No panel exists yet, so there's nothing to sign up to or switch.
3. Be careful of anyone claiming to be "on the panel" or "approved" before the NDIA announces who has been selected. Under the published timeline, that won't happen until after the tender closes in mid-2027.
4. Watch for official updates. Information will come from the NDIA through ndis.gov.au and its newsletters. If you get a message you're unsure about, check it on the NDIS website or call the NDIA.
5. Support coordinators: it's worth knowing the timeline so you can reassure participants and families, and help them plan if a change is needed in late 2027 or early 2028.
6. Families and nominees: keep your plan management details, service agreements and statements together so any future transition is simpler.