NDIS Plan Management: How It Works and How to Choose a Plan Manager
NDIS plan management means a plan manager pays your providers, claims the money from the NDIA and keeps track of your budget for you. It's one of three ways to manage NDIS funding, and the only one that lets you use unregistered providers without doing the paperwork yourself. The plan manager's fee, up to $104.45 a month in 2026-27, comes out of your plan, not your pocket.
Figures from the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026-27, in effect from 1 July 2026. Last checked 3 November 2026. Official pricing page
What is NDIS plan management?
Every NDIS plan says who manages each part of the funding. There are three ways, and one plan can use more than one of them.
| Feature | NDIA-managed | Plan-managed | Self-managed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays your providers | The NDIA | Your plan manager | You, with money claimed from the NDIA |
| Providers you can use | NDIS-registered only | Registered and unregistered | Registered and unregistered |
| Paperwork for you | Very little | Very little: you check statements | All of it: invoices, payments, records |
| Who tracks the budget | You, in the NDIS portal | Your plan manager, who reports to you | You |
| Cost to you | Nothing | Nothing: the fee comes from your plan | Nothing |
Plan management sits in the middle. You get the same choice of providers as self-management, while a plan manager does the invoices, claims and records. You can also mix types, for example self-managing one budget and having the rest plan-managed.
What does a plan manager do?
A plan manager is a business registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to manage the money side of NDIS plans. The job is administration: making sure the right providers get paid the right amount, from the right part of your budget, at or below the price limit.
What a plan manager does
- Receives your providers' invoices, so providers bill them instead of you
- Checks each invoice is for a support your plan can pay for, at or below the NDIS price limit
- Claims the money from the NDIA and pays the provider
- Keeps the records the NDIA requires
- Sends you statements showing what's been paid and what's left
- Warns you when a budget is running low
What a plan manager doesn't do
- Choose your providers. Who you use is always your decision
- Decide which supports you get or how many hours. Your plan sets that
- Find providers or set up your services. That's a support coordinator's job
- Pay more than the price limit, or pay for things your plan can't cover
- Charge you directly. Their fee comes from your plan
Plan manager vs support coordinator
Both are paid from your plan and both help you use it, so they're easy to mix up. The short version: a plan manager handles the money, and a support coordinator helps you put your plan into action.
| Feature | Plan manager | Support coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Handles the money: pays invoices, claims from the NDIA and tracks your budget | Helps you use your plan: understand it, find providers and set up services |
| Part of your plan | Capacity Building: Improved Life Choices | Capacity Building: Support Coordination |
| How they're paid | A monthly fee of up to $104.45 | By the hour, with limits from $80.06 to $190.54 depending on level |
| Who gets one | Generally anyone who asks for it | Only people whose plan includes support coordination funding |
You can have both: your support coordinator lines up your supports and your plan manager pays for them. Read more about support coordinators.
NDIS plan management fees 2026-27
The NDIA sets the most a plan manager can charge. In 2026-27 there's a single fee: a monthly fee for the ongoing work of managing your plan.
| Fee | Details | Price limit 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Item 14_034_0127_8_3 | $104.45 a month |
| A year of monthly fees | 12 times the monthly limit | $1,253.40 a year |
| Set-up fee | No such item in the 2026-27 price list | None |
- It comes from your plan. The fee is paid from the Improved Life Choices part of your plan, which is set aside for plan management. Paying it doesn't leave less for support workers, therapy or equipment.
- It's a maximum. A plan manager can charge less than the limit, never more.
- It's the same everywhere. The price list has one limit for all of Australia, with no remote or very remote rate.
- You never pay it yourself. If a plan manager asks you for money, such as a joining or set-up fee, ask why. The 2026-27 list has no set-up fee.
Using unregistered providers when you're plan-managed
Plan-managed funding can pay providers who aren't registered with the NDIS Commission as well as those who are. That opens up sole traders, small local businesses and therapists who have chosen not to register. NDIA-managed funding can only pay registered providers. Two rules still apply:
- Price limits still apply. Your plan manager can only pay up to the NDIS price limit for each support, whether or not the provider is registered. Check rates in our NDIS price guide.
- The support must be one your plan can pay for. Your plan manager checks this before paying an invoice.
Unregistered providers still have to follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. A few supports, such as Specialist Disability Accommodation, can only come from registered providers however your plan is managed.
Plan-managed vs self-managed: which suits you?
Both let you use registered and unregistered providers. The difference is who does the admin.
Plan-managed suits you if you
- want provider choice without handling invoices and claims
- would rather someone else checked every invoice against your plan
- want statements and budget alerts done for you
- are new to the NDIS and want to see how the money works first
Self-managed suits you if you
- are organised and happy to pay invoices and keep records
- want to deal with and pay your providers directly
- want to employ your own support workers
- want the most control and don't mind the admin
You can start plan-managed and move to self-management later. Read our self-management guide or take the plan type quiz to see which suits you.
How to get plan management in your NDIS plan
- 1
Ask for it at your planning meeting
Tell your NDIA planner or local area coordinator (LAC) that you want some or all of your plan to be plan-managed. Plan management is generally approved when a participant asks for it.
- 2
Already have a plan? Ask for a change
You don't have to wait for your next reassessment. Contact your LAC or the NDIA on 1800 800 110 and ask for a plan variation to make your funding plan-managed.
- 3
Check your approved plan
It shows which parts of your funding are plan-managed, and includes funding for the plan manager's fee under Improved Life Choices.
- 4
Choose a plan manager
You aren't assigned one, and you don't need to name one at your meeting. Once your plan is approved, compare a few using the questions below.
- 5
Sign a service agreement
Agree in writing what they'll do, how quickly they pay invoices, how they report to you and how much notice you need to give to leave.
- 6
Tell your providers
Give each provider your plan manager's details. From then on they send invoices to your plan manager, not to you.
Our service agreement guide explains what to check before you sign.
How to choose the best plan manager for you
Every plan manager does the same core job, and the fee is capped at the same limit. So the best NDIS plan manager for you is the one with the best service. Ask these questions before you sign:
How many business days do you take to pay an invoice?
Get a number, in writing. Slow payment can make providers less willing to keep working with you.
Will I have a named contact?
Some plan managers give you one person who knows your plan. Others use a shared inbox or call centre. Know which you're getting.
Can I see my balances at any time?
Ask to see their portal or app. It should show what's left in each budget and every invoice paid.
Will you warn me before a budget runs low?
An alert before the money runs out is worth far more than a statement after it's gone.
Can I approve invoices before you pay them?
Worth asking if you want the final say on every payment.
What do you charge?
No more than the $104.45 monthly limit, paid from your plan, with no set-up fee.
How much notice do I give to leave?
Usually 2 to 4 weeks. A long lock-in period or an exit fee is a reason to think twice.
Are you linked to any support providers?
Some plan managers are owned by or connected to support providers. That's allowed, but you're entitled to know, and you should never feel steered.
Are you registered with the NDIS Commission?
Every plan manager must be. You can check on the NDIS Commission's register of providers.
Warning signs
- No clear payment turnaround, or providers chasing late payments
- You only find out a budget has run out after it happens
- Pressure to use particular providers
- Any request to pay plan management fees yourself
How to change your plan manager
You're never locked in. You can change plan manager at any time, mid-plan, without a plan reassessment and without giving a reason.
- Check the notice period in your current service agreement (usually 2 to 4 weeks) and give notice in writing.
- Sign a service agreement with your new plan manager, starting after your notice period ends.
- Ask your new plan manager what they need to be connected to your plan, and whether you need to tell the NDIA.
- Ask your old plan manager for a final statement and a list of any invoices still unpaid.
- Give every provider the new invoicing details and the date to start using them.
- Check the first statement from your new plan manager against the balances you expected.
Do you need a plan manager near you?
No. Plan managers work remotely: invoices, claims and statements are handled online, by email and by phone. That means any plan manager in Australia can manage your plan wherever you live, and the fee limit is the same everywhere.
Some people still prefer a plan manager in their own state. That's a preference, not a requirement, so choose on service first. In WA? See our guide to plan managers in Perth.
Help Alliance is a free, independent matching service. Tell us once what you need, and up to three plan managers who can take you on accept your request and contact you directly. You choose who to go with.
Find a plan manager who can start
Free to use. Tell us what you need, and plan managers who can take you on will contact you. You choose who to go with.
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Related guides
Source: NDIA, NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026-27 v1.1. Help Alliance is a free matching service. It isn't a plan manager or an NDIS provider, and it doesn't provide care.