You can choose any service provider and you aren't bound by NDIS Pricing Arrangement and Price Limits (which is the price range the National Disability Insurance Agency – or NDIA - sets out for services).
Comes with a lot of administration, like opening a separate bank account, paying your service providers (usually out-of-pocket first), and keeping records of receipts and invoices for up to five years.
The NDIA manages your plan and your budget.
You can only choose NDIS-registered service providers, which reduces your choice and control over those you want to work with.
Similar to self management - but without time-consuming paperwork or the daily hassle of administration. Being plan managed means you can use both registered and non-registered service providers, so there are no limits on which ones you can work with.
We can’t speak for other plan managers - but with localised service, swift payment of invoices, a team of experts in your corner to help you to maximise your plan, and the ability to track spending and start new claims on the go (at My Plan Manager that all costs you nothing) – we’re hard-pressed finding a con!
If you have an NDIS plan and want to know what the support categories in it can actually fund, click here to learn more.
If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected] or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (ACDT) Monday to Friday.
If you are looking for a plan manager to take the stress out of the NDIS, click the button below.
To date, our clients have been able to make purchases that fall within their plan budget and goals and be reimbursed by My Plan Manager. This can still occur, but a requirement is that all provider invoices or receipts submitted by clients for reimbursement by the NDIA must include a valid Australian Business Number (ABN).
Alternatively, the NDIA will accept an Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Statement by a supplier form declaration from an exempt service provider in those rare circumstances when a provider may not have an ABN.
These NDIA/ATO requirements are set out on page 10 of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, which My Plan Manager must adhere to.
To ensure compliance with the NDIA – and in order for My Plan Manager to submit your invoice/receipt for reimbursement by the NDIA - you will need to show a tax invoice or receipt that includes an ABN for any plan managed purchases you make.
If you submit to My Plan Manager a receipt or invoice to be processed for reimbursement by the NDIA without a valid ABN, or without the provider completing and returning to My Plan Manager a Statement by a supplier form, we will not be able to process the payment. Further, the NDIA will decline to release funds for payment.
My Plan Manager is required to keep a completed Statement by a supplier form for five years, However, subject to the reasons for the provider not having an ABN, My Plan Manager may require an updated form from time to time.
If you purchase from a business overseas, it is not likely to have an ABN. However, we can process the reimbursement if the business completes a Statement by a supplier form and returns it to [email protected].
Disclaimer: the above information is as provided by the NDIA and published in the NDIA Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. It does not represent and should not be taken to represent financial advice of any sort.
Changes to the way in which client transport budgets and reimbursements are managed have also come into effect to ensure compliance with National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) requirements.
Transport enables you to access disability supports outside your home, and to achieve the goals in your plan. It enables you to travel to and from appointments, or your place of work.
Changes to the transport budget have come into effect because all payments made by Agency and Plan Managers are to be accompanied by evidence of payments being made (reimbursements), or services being provided for which payment is now required (invoices).
These arrangements are set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, which My Plan Manager must adhere to.
To ensure compliance with the NDIA, you will now need to show a tax invoice/receipt for any plan-managed transport services that you use in order for My Plan Manager to reimburse the funds to you.
The easiest way to do this is to send the tax invoice/receipt for your transport to [email protected], along with your bank details. Once My Plan Manager receives this, we can process the payment to your account.
We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and have outlined the steps that you can take to ensure that you are reimbursed for any plan-managed transport you pay for out-of-pocket.
Request and send My Plan Manager the tax invoice/receipt from taxis.
If you take Uber or other rideshare/DiDi, you can download a receipt from the app. For Uber, press the horizontal lines in the top left corner of the home screen, select ‘Your Trips’, then the trip you took at the top of the screen, then select ‘Receipt’. When you do this, you can message or email a PDF copy of the receipt to your inbox, then send us the receipt.
If your supports include a personalised driving service, be sure you request and send us the tax invoice/receipt they issue. Or, they can send their invoice directly to My Plan Manager at [email protected] and we will process the payment straight to their account.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected], or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (ACDT) Monday to Friday. Our team will be more than happy to assist.
When you are new to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), it can be difficult to know everything about managing your plan, and there can be a lot of misunderstanding in the market. That’s why we’ve broken down the biggest plan management myths, and those we are frequently asked about when speaking to new participants and clients.
Truth: Every NDIS participant can access plan management, but at your initial planning meeting – or during a review – you do need to ask your National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) to set up your plan as ‘plan managed’ and include plan management funding in your budget.
Truth: Making changes to your NDIS plan can take time and has traditionally required a plan review, which happens automatically when a plan is set to expire.
Today however, NDIS plan reviews are simpler and faster, with a range of options available to participants seeking to have a plan changed or adjusted.
If your plan has already started and doesn’t include plan management funding, you can contact the NDIS to ask for a light touch review, which we explain here.
Truth: Plan management fees are paid under a specific category of funding in your NDIS plan. They do not come out of your support budget. You can ask to have plan management funding added as an additional funded item at your initial planning meeting, or during a review. You can also request it as part of a light touch review.
Plan management fees are set by the NDIS in its official price guide.
It is one of the benefits of the NDIS that participants can currently be supported by a plan manager without having to use the funds set out for their services and supports to do so.
Truth: Processing invoices is part of the job, but a good plan manager will do a lot more to make plan management easier and better for their clients – like assist you to manage your budget and provide information about NDIA requirements (such as in relation to price limits).
For example, every client at My Plan Manager has an experienced team in their corner to help them to maximise their plan, and make sure it includes the important items that really make a difference to achieving their plan goals.
We also help clients to find information about different providers, which supports them to exercise choice and control, and we monitor for alignment with NDIA pricing arrangements by making sure providers are only claiming what they can.
And, we provide extra tools and resources to make plan management even easier and more convenient – like our mobile app (our client portal on the go), which allows clients to see real-time information about their NDIS plan and start new claims on the go. We also offer free coaching and expertise inside our award-winning online community, Kinora, and our Choice e-news, which is packed with tips and tricks to give participants more control over their plans and goals.
Truth: Unlike being Agency-managed (where the NDIA manages your plan for you), being plan managed means you can use both NDIS-registered and non-registered providers, so there are no limits on which providers you can choose.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at [email protected] or call us on 1800 507 050 from 8am-6pm AEDT, Monday to Friday.
Or click here to join My Plan Manager in a few simple steps.
Some people want to manage their plan funding entirely on their own while others prefer to have the admin taken care of through plan management.
While there are a few different ways to manage your NDIS plan, one option you may not know about is combination management. Combination is essentially accessing the great features of plan management while also self-managing the parts of your plan you want to have more control of.
In case you didn’t already know, there are 4 ways to manage your NDIS plan; agency managed, self-managed, plan managed and combination. We have more information on the first three options here. Let’s take a look at combination management and how it might work for you.
When you set up your NDIS plan, you can choose how you would like to manage your funding. With a combination style of management, you can use a different management style for different budget categories or parts of budget categories. For example, there may be some specific budget categories you want to manage yourself, so you could choose to self-manage those specific categories. But as self-management is quite a lot of work, you may choose to have the rest of your plan managed by a plan manager, to reduce the amount of time and effort you spend on self-management.
Depending on your personal circumstances, it might be easier to have your plan with one management style, but for some people the ease of choosing which budget categories they want more control over can make all the difference.
For example, the flexibility of having different budget categories means you could have your Consumables budget self-managed, so you have the flexibility to personally make claims through the NDIS portal. At the same time, you could have the rest of your budget categories plan managed so you don’t have to do the admin for your whole plan.
Getting combination management in your plan is easy! You just need to ask your NDIS planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) at your planning meeting or review meeting that you would like to use a combination of funding management types for your plan. You then need to choose the type for each support budget category or part of a budget category. If you elect to have any of the budget categories plan managed your planner will allocate funding to pay for your plan manager.
During COVID-19 the NDIS has become more flexible with ‘management only’ changes to your current plan without the need for a full plan review. If you would like to make changes to how your plan is currently managed you will need to reach out to your Early Childhood Early Intervention Coordinator, LAC or National Disability Insurance Scheme Planner or call the NDIS directly on 1800 800 110 and select option 5 to discuss your personal circumstances.
If you're interested in finding out more about combination management, contact us by phone or email to chat about how My Plan Manager can help make your life easier by managing all or part of your plan.
When you pay a provider upfront for a service you want to be reimbursed for the costs as quickly as possible, so you aren’t left out of pocket. There are some things you can do so your reimbursement goes to the right place straight away and we can get the money back to you quickly.
The most important thing is your email subject line. When emailing a reimbursement to us, the email subject line for reimbursements you should include one of these words or phrases:
Including one of these clear instructions in the subject line of your reimbursement email will make sure you get your money back as soon as possible. Our payment system recognises these and sends your email to the right place.
Send your reimbursement requests to our accounts inbox – [email protected] – the same place you send your regular invoices for payment.
This way it will go straight to the right team for processing asap.
You can also submit reimbursements through our online client portal. Simply select ‘Submit Claim’ and then click on Pay To > Myself for reimbursements.
There are three types of supports budgets that may appear in your NDIS plan: core, capacity building and capital. Your NDIS planner will tailor your NDIS plan with funding connected to achieving your goals and supporting you in your day-to-day life.
The core supports budget is funding to support the everyday tasks that relate to your plan and life goals. It’s quite flexible across the four support categories that make up the core supports budget, and it is up to you how you spend it. You can choose to spend your funding interchangeably between the support categories to better suit your needs. For example, you may prefer to spend more of your total core funding on meal preparation and less on taxi expenses. Your support coordinator and plan manager are experts in all things NDIS and can help you to understand how to use your NDIS plan flexibility to get the best outcome!
Name on NDIS portal – “Daily Activities”.
This category will cover all your expenses related to assisting you to undertake daily tasks. This could include:
Funding to cover transport expenses related to the impact of your disability, such as:
Funding to pay for everyday items and low risk/low-cost products, like:
Name on NDIS portal – “Social, community and civic participation”. Covers cost to access and participate in the community, such as:
There are lots of ways to use your core supports budget so you’re getting the best value for your funding.
As the core supports budget is flexible you can make it work for you and choose the services that best suit your life. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Is there a low-cost assistive technology such as an app that could help you to achieve smaller tasks in your day-to-day life? Could you have hand rails installed in the bathroom or around the house to improve your independence?
The majority of our clients have most of their NDIS funding allocated to the core supports budget, so making the most of this is important. Researching providers and finding a provider with competitive pricing can make a big different to your budget. One of the benefits of being plan managed is that you can use any provider, whether they are an NDIS-registered provider or not. Providers who aren’t NDIS-registered generally charge below the NDIS price guide. But it’s important to do your research, ask questions and trial a provider to find one who best suits your needs.
The core supports budget funds your essential everyday tasks and it also needs to last the whole way through your plan. This is where budgeting is important, as you don’t want your core budget to run out before your plan ends. Do the sums on your everyday expenses and work how much it will cost (roughly) to fund for the duration of your plan. If you’re a client of My Plan Manager, we can help you with budgeting, and our online client portal helps you view and track your funding so you can see what you’ve spent and how much you have left. If you’re not a client yet, find out how we could help you manage your plan.
To find out more about the other types of funding (capital supports and capacity building supports) or other NDIS lingo check out NDIS Category Confusion or NDIS Dictionary: Breaking down the jargon.
If you have any queries about how to use your funding please contact us via phone or email and we will be more than happy to assist.
Support worker matching platforms allow you to find and engage individual support workers. Many people like this option because it gives them more control to choose the right person for their needs.
But before you even get to choosing support workers, you need to choose which platform you’ll use. There are a few matching platforms available, so let’s look at what to consider and questions to ask to help you choose the best one for your needs.
There are a few matching platforms available for you to use, or look at further. Some major ones you might already be familiar with include:
Key questions to ask:
All platforms provide the ability to pay for care, but they work in slightly different ways with varying levels of automation, admin and steps involved. For example, they differ greatly around how easy it is to keep track of invoices and payments.
The in-app budgeting tools and a secure digital wallet are harder to come by but really useful so worth looking into.
If you use more than one person to meet your care needs, then you’ll need a matching platform that makes it easy to coordinate. Look into whether the matching platform offers:
This is a big one. The admin that goes with booking, managing and paying for support can be difficult. It’s worth looking into whether the matching platform allows you to:
All platforms have great browse and search functionality yet differ when it comes to ease of booking. Mable’s website is particularly user-friendly. Some platforms don’t have workers’ availability, meaning that making a booking isn’t instant.
Mobility has some helpful features such as automatically-calculated timesheets and the ability to see when workers are on their way to you.
Last, but not least - do your research and learn about all the safety features the matching platform offers.
At My Plan Manager, we like to keep the choice and control firmly in the hands of our clients, so it’s important to research a platform to make sure it meets your needs and expectations.
You may have never thought deeply about what your goals are, let alone sharing them with a complete stranger. But the NDIS requires you to set yourself goals and discuss them with your LAC or NDIS planner. Your NDIS plan funding will link to the purchase of services or items that will help you achieve your goals.
If you can think ahead about the best goals and budget support categories for your NDIS plan, you’ll be able to access the products or services that will help you to make the most of your plan and live your best life.
Devon is 55 years old and wants to access personal training classes through her NDIS plan. Her NDIS goal is to improve her health and wellbeing and build her knowledge of diet and exercise advice.
Oliver is 18 years old and has just finished attending high school. He wants to learn to cook. His NDIS goal is to improve (or develop skills to build) his knowledge of healthy and nutritious cooking including identifying ingredients, managing a budget and preparing food/cooking in a safe and effective manner. This allows him to use his NDIS funding on cooking classes that will help him to achieve this goal.
Ben is 15 years old and really wants to learn to swim. His NDIS goal is to increase his water awareness and water safety, as well as improving his core strength and social participation. Swimming lessons will help Ben to achieve this goal.
Sophie is 35 years old, a mum of two children and wants to build her skills to be able to manage her own NDIS plan. Her NDIS goal is that she would like support to understand, implement and maximise her NDIS plan, including building skills to make connections in her local community and increase her confidence and capacity to connect with new providers.
Please be advised that it will depend on your personal circumstances as to whether the NDIS will consider a support to be “reasonable and necessary” and these examples should be used to assist you to create your own goals to access the services that will give you more choice and control over your life.
