New to the NDIS? Here's what plan management actually means

    No jargon, no assumed knowledge. Just how the money side of your plan works, and what a plan manager takes off your hands.

    Get plan management set upAsk us a question: 0405 589 006
    • NDIS Registered Provider
    • Australia-wide service
    • Real people, not a call centre queue
    • Invoices processed in 1–2 business days

    How does NDIS plan management work?

    Your NDIS plan includes funding for plan management as a separate line item. Your providers send their invoices to your plan manager instead of to you. The plan manager checks each invoice against your plan and the current NDIS price limits, claims the funding from the NDIA, pays the provider, and records the spend against the right budget so you can see what is left.

    1. You choose your providers and agree the supports you want.
    2. Your provider delivers the support and sends us the invoice.
    3. We check the invoice against your funding and the current price limits.
    4. We claim from the NDIA and pay the provider.
    5. You can see the spend and your remaining budget in your portal at any time.

    Valid, correctly submitted invoices are processed within 1–2 business days. Processing is the step we control. Final payment timing can also depend on NDIA processing and whether we need to clarify details with a provider. For a fuller explanation of the money side, read what plan management is, what a plan manager actually does and what plan management costs and who pays. If you're weighing up providers, how to choose an NDIS plan manager is a neutral checklist you can apply to any of them.

    How the parts fit together

    Diagram showing how the participant, providers, Forward Planning Plus and NDIA funding interact in plan management.

    The three ways an NDIS plan can be managed

    Your plan can use one of these, or a combination across different support categories.

    • NDIA-managed (agency managed)

      The NDIA pays your providers directly. You can only use NDIS registered providers, and you have limited visibility over claims as they happen.

    • Plan-managed

      A registered plan manager manages the financial administration of your plan-managed funding — checking and processing provider invoices, keeps the records and reports your budgets back to you. You can use registered and unregistered providers where the NDIS permits it, at no cost to your support funding.

    • Self-managed

      You pay providers, claim from the NDIA and keep your own records. Maximum flexibility, and the most administrative responsibility.

    Plan management is funded separately by the NDIA. Plan management is funded by the NDIA in your plan — it does not come out of your support budgets and there is no cost to you.

    What we do once your plan is with us

    • Receive invoices from your providers so you don't have to handle them
    • Check invoices against NDIS pricing and your plan budgets before claiming
    • Valid, correctly submitted invoices are processed within 1–2 business days
    • Keep the records the NDIS requires
    • Show your balances and transactions in your participant portal
    • Explain, in plain English, when something can't be processed as submitted

    Processing is the step we control. Final payment timing can also depend on NDIA processing and whether we need to clarify details with a provider.

    Already have a plan manager and want to change? See how switching works.

    What should you expect from a good NDIS plan manager?

    Use these criteria on us, and on anyone else you are comparing. Written answers are more useful than reassurance.

    • Responsiveness

      Can you reach a person who knows your plan, and do you get a reply when you leave a message?

    • Invoice processing

      Ask for the service standard in writing. Ours is: valid, correctly submitted invoices are processed within 1–2 business days.

    • Budget visibility

      Can you see your balances and transactions yourself, or do you have to ask and wait for a report?

    • Explanation when something stalls

      When an invoice can't be processed as submitted, are you told why and what needs to change?

    • Provider choice

      Plan-managed participants can use registered and unregistered providers where the NDIS permits it. Your plan manager should support that, not restrict it.

    • Registration and governance

      Check the provider is an ndis registered provider and that privacy, complaints and service agreement information is easy to find.

    • Switching support

      A good plan manager makes leaving as easy as joining. Look for a clear transition process, not pressure.

    • Fee clarity

      Plan management is funded by the NDIA in your plan — it does not come out of your support budgets and there is no cost to you.

    We have turned these into a scored checklist you can take to any provider: how to choose an NDIS plan manager.

    Get started, or just ask a question first

    You don't need to understand everything before you contact us. Tell us where you're up to and we'll explain the rest.

    Step 1: Your DetailsStep 2: Your Situation

    By submitting, you agree to be contacted by Forward Planning Plus. We respect your privacy and comply with NDIS standards.

    You'll be able to see what's happening

    Plan management should not feel like handing your funding to someone and hoping. Once you're set up with us, the detail is there whenever you want to check it — and if you'd rather ask a person, that's fine too.

    • Budget balances by support categorySee what each part of your plan holds and what is left, without asking anyone for a report first.
    • Spending historyEvery transaction against your plan, so you can check what was claimed, when, and by which provider.
    • Invoice visibility and statusSee the invoices we have received and where each one is up to, rather than hearing about a problem from your provider.
    • Statements you can downloadDownload a statement to keep, to take to a plan review, or to share with a nominee or support coordinator.
    • Works on your phoneAccess it in your phone's browser — there is nothing to install and no separate app to keep updated.

    Portal access is set up once your plan management is active with us. Illustrations on this page show the kind of information available to you — they are not a live account.

    Get started
    Forward
    Planning Plus

    Example Budget vs Actual Report

    Example shown with sample data

    Page 1 of 2 — sample export

    Client NameSample Participant
    NDIS Ref No.Sample reference
    Plan Start – End DateSample plan period

    Budget Summary

    Managed Plan Overview

    Plan overview

    PACE

    Spent

    $31,200.00

    26%

    Budget
    $120,000.00
    Spent
    $31,200.00
    Remaining
    $88,800.00
    Days Left
    214
    Plan start (sample)Plan end (sample)

    Support Purpose

    Core supports

    Budget
    $84,000.00
    Spend
    $24,000.00
    Remaining
    $60,000.00

    Capital supports

    Budget
    $6,000.00
    Spend
    $0.00
    Remaining
    $6,000.00

    Capacity building supports

    Budget
    $30,000.00
    Spend
    $7,200.00
    Remaining
    $22,800.00
    Total Budget
    $120,000.00
    Spend to Date
    $31,200.00
    Left to Spend
    $88,800.00
    % spend
    26.00%

    Providers

    Sample Support Services
    $18,720.00 · 60.00%
    Example Therapy Group
    $6,240.00 · 20.00%
    Sample Community Care
    $4,680.00 · 15.00%
    Plan management
    $1,560.00 · 5.00%
    Total Budget$120,000.00Left to Spend$88,800.00

    Page 2 — support categories

    Core supports

    Budget
    $84,000.00    Spend
    $24,000.00    Remaining
    $60,000.00
    Core supports — sample support categories with budget, spend to date, left to spend and percentage spent. Illustrative sample figures.
    No.Support CategoryBudgetSpend to DateLeft to Spend% Spent
    1Assistance with Daily Life$30,000.00$9,000.00$21,000.0030.00%
    2Transport$4,000.00$1,200.00$2,800.0030.00%
    3Consumables$2,000.00$0.00$2,000.000.00%
    4Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation$48,000.00$13,800.00$34,200.0028.75%
    Total$84,000.00$24,000.00$60,000.0028.57%

    Capital supports

    Budget
    $0.00    Spend
    $0.00    Remaining
    $0.00
    Capital supports — sample support categories with budget, spend to date, left to spend and percentage spent. Illustrative sample figures.
    No.Support CategoryBudgetSpend to DateLeft to Spend% Spent
    Total$0.00$0.00$0.000.00%

    Capacity building supports

    Budget
    $30,000.00    Spend
    $7,200.00    Remaining
    $22,800.00
    Capacity building supports — sample support categories with budget, spend to date, left to spend and percentage spent. Illustrative sample figures.
    No.Support CategoryBudgetSpend to DateLeft to Spend% Spent
    9Increased Social and Community Participation$12,000.00$2,400.00$9,600.0020.00%
    10Finding and Keeping a Job$6,000.00$0.00$6,000.000.00%
    14Choice and Control$3,000.00$1,200.00$1,800.0040.00%
    15Improved Daily Living Skills$9,000.00$3,600.00$5,400.0040.00%
    Total$30,000.00$7,200.00$22,800.0024.00%
    Example Budget vs Actual Report — example shown with sample data. Layout follows the report Forward Planning Plus produces; all names, references and figures are fictional.

    Getting-started questions

    Plan management is a funded support that puts a registered plan manager in charge of the financial administration of your plan: receiving provider invoices, checking them against NDIS pricing and your budgets, processing claims, keeping records and reporting your budgets back to you.

    No. Plan management is funded by the NDIA in your plan — it does not come out of your support budgets and there is no cost to you. It sits in its own budget category, separate from the funding for your supports.

    Ask for it at your planning meeting or plan review — say you would like your plan to be plan-managed. The NDIA includes plan management funding as a separate line item. If your plan is already active and does not include it, you can request it at your next review.

    Yes. Once your plan includes plan management funding, choosing the provider is entirely your decision, and you can change later if it isn't working for you.

    Yes. Plan management does not decide who supports you. You choose your providers, and plan management means you can use registered and unregistered providers where the NDIS permits it for those supports.

    Your NDIS number and plan dates, and contact details for you or your nominee. If you don't have your plan in front of you, call us and we will work through it with you.

    Want the whole picture first?

    Read the complete guide to NDIS plan management — funding, invoices, budgets, provider choice and changing plan managers, in one place.