What this checklist is

What it is: a 29-item working checklist of the information a plan manager needs to set a participant up, grouped by the part of the referral it belongs to.

Who it is for: support coordinators, local area coordinators and anyone else making a plan management referral on a participant's behalf, with consent.

The problem it solves: most referral delay is caused by missing plan dates, missing consent or an unflagged invoice problem — not by the referral itself.

What it does not determine: it does not decide NDIS eligibility, whether a support is funded, whether an invoice will be paid, or what the NDIA requires. Every item here is information Forward Planning Plus asks for, not an NDIA requirement.

How the labels work

Essential for referral: Without this we have to come back to you before anything can be set up.
Helpful where available: Speeds things up, but a referral can proceed without it.
Only if applicable: Include only where it applies to this participant.

The checklist

0 of 29 ticked · 0 of 9 essential items ticked. Ticks stay in this browser tab and are not saved.

Participant details

Identify the participant correctly the first time.

Full name and preferred name
As it appears on the NDIS plan, plus the name the participant actually uses.
Essential for referral
NDIS number
The participant's NDIS number as shown on their plan.
Essential for referral
Date of birth
Used to match the participant to the correct plan record.
Essential for referral
Best contact method
Phone or email, and who we should contact first — the participant, a nominee or you.
Essential for referral
Communication needs or preferences
Interpreter, plain language, written rather than phone contact, preferred times. Enough to communicate appropriately, no more.
Helpful where available
Location or region
Suburb and state — relevant to service coordination and time zones.
Helpful where available

Plan and funding information

Confirm plan management is funded and know what the plan actually covers.

Plan start and end dates
The current plan period. Determines what can be claimed and when.
Essential for referral
Confirmation that plan management is funded
Plan management is funded under Improved Life Choices in the Capacity Building budget. Check it appears in the current plan before referring.
Essential for referral
A copy of the plan, or the funded category totals
Either the plan document or the amounts funded under Core, Capacity Building and Capital, shared with consent through a secure channel.
Helpful where available
Any stated supports
Stated supports are not flexible; flagging them early avoids incorrect claiming.
Only if applicable
Upcoming reassessment or plan review
If a reassessment is already scheduled or requested, note it.
Only if applicable

Make sure the referral is authorised and we contact the right person.

Participant (or nominee) consent to be referred
Confirm the participant or their authorised decision maker agrees to the referral and to their details being shared with us.
Essential for referral
Nominee, guardian or plan nominee details
Name, relationship and contact details, plus the type of authority they hold.
Only if applicable
Evidence of formal authority
Where a guardianship or administration order applies, note that it exists so it can be recorded correctly.
Only if applicable
Your details as referring support coordinator
Name, organisation, phone and email, so we can come back to you rather than guess.
Essential for referral
Whether you need ongoing budget visibility
Say so up front if you want portal access to budgets and statements, with participant consent.
Helpful where available

Current plan management situation

Know whether this is a new setup or a change mid-plan.

New to plan management, or changing plan manager
The two paths differ. Say which one applies.
Essential for referral
Current plan manager name
Needed where the participant is moving from another plan manager.
Only if applicable
Reason for the change, in factual terms
What was not working operationally — invoice delays, contact difficulty, reporting gaps. Facts, not characterisations.
Helpful where available
Whether any part of the plan is self-managed or agency-managed
Plans can be split across management types. Note which portion we would manage.
Only if applicable

Provider and invoice issues needing attention

Surface anything that will fall over during the transition.

Invoices outstanding or in dispute
Provider name, invoice date, amount and current status, as far as you know it.
Only if applicable
Supports at risk if payment stalls
Where a provider has flagged that continuity depends on payment being resolved.
Only if applicable
Current providers and their invoicing arrangements
Who invoices, how often, and whether any invoice by service agreement schedule.
Helpful where available
Providers who repeatedly invoice incorrectly
Flag them so the invoice detail can be corrected at the source.
Helpful where available

Transition and handover information

Keep budget history and provider relationships intact through the change.

Preferred start date
Any date the participant wants the change to take effect from.
Helpful where available
Spend to date, or most recent statement
So budget tracking continues from a known position rather than restarting.
Helpful where available
Service agreements already in place
Which agreements exist and whether any need updating as part of the change.
Only if applicable
Handover notes
Use the handover template for anything that needs structured capture — unresolved invoices, budgets to monitor, communication preferences.
Helpful where available
Who is telling providers about the change
Agree this explicitly. It is the most common gap in a mid-plan change.
Helpful where available

Copy it into an email or your CRM

Plain-text checklist

Paste straight into an email, a case note or a CRM task. Labels are retained as [E], [H] and [A].

PLAN MANAGER REFERRAL CHECKLIST — Forward Planning Plus
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11

Labels: [E] Essential for referral · [H] Helpful where available · [A] Only if applicable

PARTICIPANT DETAILS
(Identify the participant correctly the first time.)
[ ] (E) Full name and preferred name — As it appears on the NDIS plan, plus the name the participant actually uses.
[ ] (E) NDIS number — The participant's NDIS number as shown on their plan.
[ ] (E) Date of birth — Used to match the participant to the correct plan record.
[ ] (E) Best contact method — Phone or email, and who we should contact first — the participant, a nominee or you.
[ ] (H) Communication needs or preferences — Interpreter, plain language, written rather than phone contact, preferred times. Enough to communicate appropriately, no more.
[ ] (H) Location or region — Suburb and state — relevant to service coordination and time zones.

PLAN AND FUNDING INFORMATION
(Confirm plan management is funded and know what the plan actually covers.)
[ ] (E) Plan start and end dates — The current plan period. Determines what can be claimed and when.
[ ] (E) Confirmation that plan management is funded — Plan management is funded under Improved Life Choices in the Capacity Building budget. Check it appears in the current plan before referring.
[ ] (H) A copy of the plan, or the funded category totals — Either the plan document or the amounts funded under Core, Capacity Building and Capital, shared with consent through a secure channel.
[ ] (A) Any stated supports — Stated supports are not flexible; flagging them early avoids incorrect claiming.
[ ] (A) Upcoming reassessment or plan review — If a reassessment is already scheduled or requested, note it.

NOMINEE, CONSENT AND AUTHORITY
(Make sure the referral is authorised and we contact the right person.)
[ ] (E) Participant (or nominee) consent to be referred — Confirm the participant or their authorised decision maker agrees to the referral and to their details being shared with us.
[ ] (A) Nominee, guardian or plan nominee details — Name, relationship and contact details, plus the type of authority they hold.
[ ] (A) Evidence of formal authority — Where a guardianship or administration order applies, note that it exists so it can be recorded correctly.
[ ] (E) Your details as referring support coordinator — Name, organisation, phone and email, so we can come back to you rather than guess.
[ ] (H) Whether you need ongoing budget visibility — Say so up front if you want portal access to budgets and statements, with participant consent.

CURRENT PLAN MANAGEMENT SITUATION
(Know whether this is a new setup or a change mid-plan.)
[ ] (E) New to plan management, or changing plan manager — The two paths differ. Say which one applies.
[ ] (A) Current plan manager name — Needed where the participant is moving from another plan manager.
[ ] (H) Reason for the change, in factual terms — What was not working operationally — invoice delays, contact difficulty, reporting gaps. Facts, not characterisations.
[ ] (A) Whether any part of the plan is self-managed or agency-managed — Plans can be split across management types. Note which portion we would manage.

PROVIDER AND INVOICE ISSUES NEEDING ATTENTION
(Surface anything that will fall over during the transition.)
[ ] (A) Invoices outstanding or in dispute — Provider name, invoice date, amount and current status, as far as you know it.
[ ] (A) Supports at risk if payment stalls — Where a provider has flagged that continuity depends on payment being resolved.
[ ] (H) Current providers and their invoicing arrangements — Who invoices, how often, and whether any invoice by service agreement schedule.
[ ] (H) Providers who repeatedly invoice incorrectly — Flag them so the invoice detail can be corrected at the source.

TRANSITION AND HANDOVER INFORMATION
(Keep budget history and provider relationships intact through the change.)
[ ] (H) Preferred start date — Any date the participant wants the change to take effect from.
[ ] (H) Spend to date, or most recent statement — So budget tracking continues from a known position rather than restarting.
[ ] (A) Service agreements already in place — Which agreements exist and whether any need updating as part of the change.
[ ] (H) Handover notes — Use the handover template for anything that needs structured capture — unresolved invoices, budgets to monitor, communication preferences.
[ ] (H) Who is telling providers about the change — Agree this explicitly. It is the most common gap in a mid-plan change.

Share only the information needed for the referral, with the participant's or nominee's consent, through a secure channel. There is no need to send clinical records, diagnoses or incident history to set up plan management.

This checklist covers the information Forward Planning Plus needs to act on a plan management referral. It is not an NDIA form and it does not set out NDIA requirements. Nothing on it determines whether a participant is eligible for the NDIS, whether a support is funded, or whether an invoice will be paid.

Forward Planning Plus — 0405 589 006 — admin@forwardplanningplus.com.au

Privacy and scope

Share only the information needed for the referral, with the participant's or nominee's consent, through a secure channel. There is no need to send clinical records, diagnoses or incident history to set up plan management.

This checklist covers the information Forward Planning Plus needs to act on a plan management referral. It is not an NDIA form and it does not set out NDIA requirements. Nothing on it determines whether a participant is eligible for the NDIS, whether a support is funded, or whether an invoice will be paid.

NDIS Registered Provider 4050161030 · ABN 92 657 517 701 · Australia-wide. Our team's professional backgrounds inform how carefully we manage your plan. Plan management does not include clinical, financial or legal advice.

Ready to refer a participant?

If you have the essential items, the referral form takes it from here. If a handover is involved, capture the detail in the handover template first.

Refer a participant Handover template

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Plan manager referral checklist