What this resource is

What it is: a 26-item working checklist covering the five stages of plan implementation: reading the plan, agreeing the plan of action, onboarding providers, putting service agreements in place, and setting up utilisation monitoring.

Who it is for: support coordinators, specialist support coordinators, local area coordinators and plan nominees implementing a newly approved or reassessed NDIS plan.

The problem it solves: most implementation problems are sequencing problems — supports booked before funding periods are understood, providers engaged before rates are confirmed, or evidence collected only once a reassessment is imminent.

How it is used: work through it in order with the plan document open, tick items as you complete them, then print or copy the list into the participant's file.

What it does not determine: it does not decide NDIS eligibility, what a participant's plan funds, whether a support is reasonable and necessary, or whether a claim will be accepted. Items marked as Forward Planning Plus process are our requirements, not NDIA requirements.

How the labels work

Set by the NDIS framework: Drawn from published NDIA or NDIS Commission material. Check the participant's own plan, which is the authority for their funding.
Applies in some situations: Only relevant depending on the plan, the supports in it, or the participant's circumstances.
Sector practice: Not a rule. Widely used because it reduces avoidable rework later in the plan.
Forward Planning Plus process: What we ask for to act on something. Other providers may ask for different information.

The checklist

0 of 26 ticked. Ticks stay in this browser tab and are not saved.

1. Read the plan before anything is booked

Establish what the plan actually funds, for how long, and in what instalments — before commitments are made to providers.

Record the plan start and end dates
Note both dates and the total plan duration. Every utilisation judgement later in the plan is a comparison against the time elapsed.
Set by the NDIS framework
Record the funding periods stated in the plan
Plans release funding in funding periods rather than as a single amount available from day one. The plan document states how the participant's funding is released, and that document is the authority for their arrangement.
Set by the NDIS framework
List each support budget and the amount in it
Separate Core, Capacity Building and Capital. Capacity Building budgets are generally allocated by support area rather than being freely interchangeable, so a shortfall in one area cannot be assumed to be covered by another.
Set by the NDIS framework
Identify any stated supports or quotable items
Stated supports must be used for the purpose specified in the plan. Quotable items usually cannot proceed until a quote is accepted, which affects sequencing.
Applies in some situations
Confirm how each budget is managed
A plan can be plan-managed, self-managed and NDIA-managed in different parts. The management type determines who claims, who a provider invoices, and which providers can be engaged.
Set by the NDIS framework
Transcribe the participant's goals in their own words
Goals are the reference point for whether a support is reasonable and necessary in the participant's circumstances, and later for reassessment evidence.
Set by the NDIS framework

2. Agree the plan of action with the participant

Convert the plan document into a sequenced set of decisions the participant has actually agreed to.

Agree the first three priorities and why they come first
Sequencing matters where one support unlocks another — an assessment before equipment, a functional report before a therapy block.
Sector practice
Confirm consent for each information exchange, in writing
Record who information may be shared with, for what purpose, and how the participant can withdraw consent. Consent is specific, not general.
Set by the NDIS framework
Record who makes and communicates decisions
Note the participant, any nominee, guardian or plan nominee, and who providers should contact. Ambiguity here is a frequent cause of stalled onboarding.
Set by the NDIS framework
Sketch the intended spending shape across the plan
Identify one-off costs, an expected regular rate of service, and anything seasonal. A plan with front-loaded costs will read as ahead of pace early, which is expected rather than a problem.
Sector practice
Refer to a plan manager where funding for plan management is in the plan
Plan management funding sits outside the participant's other budgets. Referring early means invoices have somewhere to go before providers start delivering.
Applies in some situations

3. Onboard each provider

Get providers delivering with correct funding, correct claiming details and a clear point of contact.

Check the provider can deliver under the plan's management type
Registration requirements differ by management type and by support. Some supports may only be delivered by registered providers regardless of how the plan is managed.
Set by the NDIS framework
Confirm the support, the support item and the rate before delivery starts
Rates must sit within the current NDIS price limits where limits apply. Confirming the item and rate before delivery prevents invoices that cannot be claimed as issued.
Set by the NDIS framework
Give the provider the correct invoicing destination and detail set
Send the participant's name, NDIS number, plan dates, where to send invoices and the required invoice fields at the same time, in one message.
Forward Planning Plus process
Confirm the provider has capacity for the intended schedule
Confirm start date and frequency, not just willingness to accept the referral. Unstated waitlists are a common cause of unspent funding.
Sector practice
Agree what the provider will report, and when
Where funding is likely to be revisited at reassessment, agree the reporting cadence at onboarding rather than requesting a report weeks before the plan ends.
Sector practice

4. Service agreements and bookings

Document what each provider will deliver, at what price, and how either party ends the arrangement.

A written service agreement is in place with each ongoing provider
A service agreement records what the participant and the provider have each agreed to. Written agreements are expected practice for ongoing supports, and are required by the NDIS Practice Standards for registered providers in defined circumstances.
Set by the NDIS framework
The agreement states the supports, quantity, frequency and price
Vague agreements produce invoices that cannot be reconciled to anything. Quantity and price should be specific enough to check an invoice against.
Sector practice
Cancellation, travel and non-face-to-face charging are stated
These charges are only claimable in the circumstances set out in the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, and should be described in the agreement rather than appearing first on an invoice.
Set by the NDIS framework
Notice periods and the process for ending the agreement are stated
Includes how much notice each party gives, and what happens to bookings already made.
Sector practice
The agreement tells the participant how to complain
Registered providers must have a complaints management system, and participants can complain directly to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission at any time.
Set by the NDIS framework
The participant holds a copy in an accessible format
An agreement the participant cannot read is not an informed agreement. Confirm the format that works for them.
Set by the NDIS framework

5. Set up monitoring for the rest of the plan

Make utilisation and evidence visible early enough to act, rather than at the end of the plan.

Record a utilisation baseline and a review date
Set a recurring check — commonly monthly, or at each funding period boundary — comparing the proportion of the period elapsed against the proportion of funding used.
Sector practice
Confirm how the participant will see their budget position
Plan-managed participants receive statements from their plan manager. Confirm the participant knows how to read one and who to ask about it.
Forward Planning Plus process
Open an evidence file for reassessment on day one
Collect provider reports, changes in function and support outcomes as they occur. Evidence assembled retrospectively is weaker and slower to produce.
Sector practice
Note the circumstances that would trigger a plan variation request
A significant change in a participant's situation or support needs can be a reason to ask the NDIA to consider varying or reassessing the plan. Recording the trigger in advance shortens the response time.
Applies in some situations

Copy it into an email or your CRM

Plain-text version

Paste straight into an email, a case note or a CRM task. Basis labels are retained in brackets.

NDIS PLAN IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST — FIRST 90 DAYS
Forward Planning Plus · forwardplanningplus.com.au

Labels: [R] set by the NDIS framework · [C] applies in some situations · [P] sector practice · [F] Forward Planning Plus process

1. READ THE PLAN BEFORE ANYTHING IS BOOKED
Establish what the plan actually funds, for how long, and in what instalments — before commitments are made to providers.

[ ] Record the plan start and end dates [R]
    Note both dates and the total plan duration. Every utilisation judgement later in the plan is a comparison against the time elapsed.
[ ] Record the funding periods stated in the plan [R]
    Plans release funding in funding periods rather than as a single amount available from day one. The plan document states how the participant's funding is released, and that document is the authority for their arrangement.
[ ] List each support budget and the amount in it [R]
    Separate Core, Capacity Building and Capital. Capacity Building budgets are generally allocated by support area rather than being freely interchangeable, so a shortfall in one area cannot be assumed to be covered by another.
[ ] Identify any stated supports or quotable items [C]
    Stated supports must be used for the purpose specified in the plan. Quotable items usually cannot proceed until a quote is accepted, which affects sequencing.
[ ] Confirm how each budget is managed [R]
    A plan can be plan-managed, self-managed and NDIA-managed in different parts. The management type determines who claims, who a provider invoices, and which providers can be engaged.
[ ] Transcribe the participant's goals in their own words [R]
    Goals are the reference point for whether a support is reasonable and necessary in the participant's circumstances, and later for reassessment evidence.

2. AGREE THE PLAN OF ACTION WITH THE PARTICIPANT
Convert the plan document into a sequenced set of decisions the participant has actually agreed to.

[ ] Agree the first three priorities and why they come first [P]
    Sequencing matters where one support unlocks another — an assessment before equipment, a functional report before a therapy block.
[ ] Confirm consent for each information exchange, in writing [R]
    Record who information may be shared with, for what purpose, and how the participant can withdraw consent. Consent is specific, not general.
[ ] Record who makes and communicates decisions [R]
    Note the participant, any nominee, guardian or plan nominee, and who providers should contact. Ambiguity here is a frequent cause of stalled onboarding.
[ ] Sketch the intended spending shape across the plan [P]
    Identify one-off costs, an expected regular rate of service, and anything seasonal. A plan with front-loaded costs will read as ahead of pace early, which is expected rather than a problem.
[ ] Refer to a plan manager where funding for plan management is in the plan [C]
    Plan management funding sits outside the participant's other budgets. Referring early means invoices have somewhere to go before providers start delivering.

3. ONBOARD EACH PROVIDER
Get providers delivering with correct funding, correct claiming details and a clear point of contact.

[ ] Check the provider can deliver under the plan's management type [R]
    Registration requirements differ by management type and by support. Some supports may only be delivered by registered providers regardless of how the plan is managed.
[ ] Confirm the support, the support item and the rate before delivery starts [R]
    Rates must sit within the current NDIS price limits where limits apply. Confirming the item and rate before delivery prevents invoices that cannot be claimed as issued.
[ ] Give the provider the correct invoicing destination and detail set [F]
    Send the participant's name, NDIS number, plan dates, where to send invoices and the required invoice fields at the same time, in one message.
[ ] Confirm the provider has capacity for the intended schedule [P]
    Confirm start date and frequency, not just willingness to accept the referral. Unstated waitlists are a common cause of unspent funding.
[ ] Agree what the provider will report, and when [P]
    Where funding is likely to be revisited at reassessment, agree the reporting cadence at onboarding rather than requesting a report weeks before the plan ends.

4. SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND BOOKINGS
Document what each provider will deliver, at what price, and how either party ends the arrangement.

[ ] A written service agreement is in place with each ongoing provider [R]
    A service agreement records what the participant and the provider have each agreed to. Written agreements are expected practice for ongoing supports, and are required by the NDIS Practice Standards for registered providers in defined circumstances.
[ ] The agreement states the supports, quantity, frequency and price [P]
    Vague agreements produce invoices that cannot be reconciled to anything. Quantity and price should be specific enough to check an invoice against.
[ ] Cancellation, travel and non-face-to-face charging are stated [R]
    These charges are only claimable in the circumstances set out in the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, and should be described in the agreement rather than appearing first on an invoice.
[ ] Notice periods and the process for ending the agreement are stated [P]
    Includes how much notice each party gives, and what happens to bookings already made.
[ ] The agreement tells the participant how to complain [R]
    Registered providers must have a complaints management system, and participants can complain directly to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission at any time.
[ ] The participant holds a copy in an accessible format [R]
    An agreement the participant cannot read is not an informed agreement. Confirm the format that works for them.

5. SET UP MONITORING FOR THE REST OF THE PLAN
Make utilisation and evidence visible early enough to act, rather than at the end of the plan.

[ ] Record a utilisation baseline and a review date [P]
    Set a recurring check — commonly monthly, or at each funding period boundary — comparing the proportion of the period elapsed against the proportion of funding used.
[ ] Confirm how the participant will see their budget position [F]
    Plan-managed participants receive statements from their plan manager. Confirm the participant knows how to read one and who to ask about it.
[ ] Open an evidence file for reassessment on day one [P]
    Collect provider reports, changes in function and support outcomes as they occur. Evidence assembled retrospectively is weaker and slower to produce.
[ ] Note the circumstances that would trigger a plan variation request [C]
    A significant change in a participant's situation or support needs can be a reason to ask the NDIA to consider varying or reassessing the plan. Recording the trigger in advance shortens the response time.

This checklist is general process information, not advice. The participant's plan and current NDIA guidance are the authority for what their funding covers.

Implementing a plan-managed plan?

If plan management funding is in the plan, referring early means invoices have somewhere to go before providers start delivering. The referral form takes the details you have already gathered here.

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NDIS plan implementation checklist