What is NDIS plan management?

    NDIS plan management is the funding option where a registered plan manager handles the money side of your plan: receiving provider invoices, checking them against your funding, claiming from the NDIA, and keeping your budgets visible. It costs you nothing — the NDIA funds it directly in your plan.

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    The reporting you receive

    Forward
    Planning Plus

    Example Budget vs Actual Report

    Example shown with sample data

    Client NameSample Participant
    Plan Start – End DateSample plan period

    Budget Summary

    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)

    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
    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.
    Budget vs Actual reporting format. Figures shown are an example, not a live account.

    What is an NDIS plan manager?

    An NDIS plan manager is the ndis registered provider or individual you nominate to carry out plan management for you. They receive and check provider invoices, submit claims to the NDIA, make payments, and give you visibility over your budget — all funded directly in your plan.

    It's a distinct claim category, separate from the supports you actually use day to day. Most participants can request it at any plan review, and switching providers doesn't require NDIA approval.

    Exception: not every plan includes plan management funding by default — check your plan or ask your Local Area Coordinator or NDIA planner to add it.

    Next step: see how to get started with plan management.

    What does a plan manager do?

    A plan manager pays your providers, submits claims to the NDIA, tracks your budget, checks invoices against NDIS pricing, and answers questions about your funding. In short: they handle the financial administration of your plan.

    1. Pay your providers: we receive invoices and pay them from your NDIS funding.
    2. Submit claims: every payment is lodged with the NDIA on your behalf.
    3. Track your budget: you get portal access showing what's spent and what's left.
    4. Check compliance: invoices are checked against NDIS pricing and guidelines.
    5. Answer questions: plain-language help on budgets or an invoice.

    You stay in control of which providers and supports you use — a plan manager only handles the paperwork behind the payment.

    The plan management process in detail

    Seven-stage view of how plan management works, from choosing supports and providers through invoice checking, NDIA claiming and provider payment to spending visibility.

    What a plan manager does not do

    It's just as important to know the boundaries of the service as what's included.

    • Does a plan manager choose my supports for me?

      No. Choosing which supports and providers you use is your decision. A plan manager processes the payments once you've made that choice — they don't select services on your behalf.

    • Is a plan manager the same as a support coordinator?

      No. Forward Planning Plus provides plan management only, not support coordination. Support coordination helps you find, set up and connect with services; plan management is strictly about processing invoices, claiming and budget tracking. They are separate supports funded under different categories, and you can have both in the same plan.

    • Can a plan manager give me financial or legal advice?

      Our team's professional backgrounds inform how carefully we manage your plan. Plan management does not include clinical, financial or legal advice.

    Benefits of having a plan manager

    Less paperwork

    We handle invoices, receipts, and claims to the NDIA so you don't have to.

    Budget visibility

    See your spending and remaining funds in a portal, rather than waiting on a report.

    Provider choice

    Use registered and unregistered providers, where the rules permit it.

    Plain-language support

    Ask us about NDIS pricing and claiming rules in plain English, any time.

    Plan management vs self-management vs NDIA-managed: what's the difference?

    All three options fund the same supports — they differ in who pays providers and which providers you can use. Plan-managed and self-managed funding both allow registered and unregistered providers, where permitted; NDIA-managed funding is limited to NDIS registered providers only.

    Comparison of plan-managed, self-managed and NDIA-managed funding
    FeaturePlan-managedSelf-managedNDIA-managed
    Who pays providers?Your plan managerYou doThe NDIA directly
    Registered providers only?NoNoYes
    Cost to youNone — funded in your planNoneNone

    For a full breakdown of all three funding models, including how to combine them across budget categories, see our guide to NDIS funding models: plan-managed vs self-managed vs agency-managed.

    Ready to get started?

    You do not need NDIA approval to choose or change your plan manager. If you are switching, we handle the notification and the hand-over.

    Register nowStep-by-step switching guide

    Plan management, answered

    NDIS plan management is one of three ways to manage the funding in your NDIS plan. A registered plan manager receives provider invoices, checks them against your budget and NDIS pricing, claims the money from the NDIA, and gives you a running view of what's been spent and what's left.

    An NDIS plan manager is the person or organisation that carries out plan management for you. They are usually an NDIS Registered Provider under the 'Improved Life Choices' / financial intermediary category, funded directly in your plan at no cost to you.

    Day to day, a plan manager receives and checks provider invoices, submits claims to the NDIA, pays valid invoices, keeps a budget dashboard current, and answers questions about pricing and claiming rules. 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.

    With plan management, a registered plan manager pays providers and handles claiming on your behalf. With self-management, you pay providers yourself and claim directly from the NDIA. Both let you use registered and unregistered providers; NDIA-managed funding restricts you to registered providers only and the NDIA pays them directly.

    Where this information comes from

    Plan management categories, funding rules and claiming requirements are set by the NDIA and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and can change — always check current guidance.

    Related reading: the complete guide to NDIS plan management, what plan management costs and who pays, how switching plan managers works, getting started with plan management and NDIS invoice requirements for providers.

    Let's make your NDIS plan work better

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