So your NDIS plan is coming to an end and somehow there’s a fairly large amount of funding left that you haven’t spent yet? Don’t stress.
Of course, in the ideal situation, everyone would be able to budget strategically and spend somewhat evenly through the duration of their plan so funding reaches maximum effectiveness and there isn’t a bulk of the funding remaining towards the end. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the reality. Life happens and occasionally NDIS Participants are left with a bulk of their funding unspent at the end of their plan.
Don’t panic
If this is your situation, there’s no need to panic and spend every dollar that you have left. Remain calm! It might seem like the logical thing to do is to spend it all immediately like there’s a fire sale. This could be misinterpreted as unnecessary spending and may still have a negative impact on your plan review.
What will happen if there’s funding left over?
Not spending all of your budget does not necessarily mean that your next plan will be reduced. The NDIA assures participants that each new plan will be carefully considered by the planner and the ‘new’ allocation will always be based on the reasonable and necessary needs of the participant – it should not be based on how much or how little you spent previously.
Of course there are situations where people have had their next plan wrongly reduced because they haven’t accessed all of their funding. We don’t want your choice to be frugal to have negative consequences for you later.
What can you do?
While the planner will most likely look at historic spending, it is a good idea to have explanations for why the total was not spent, rather than to spend in a hurry. If you were not aware of what that allocated money could be used for, had trouble accessing service providers or had periods of being unable to access services for health or other reasons, these will be taken into account and you should share this information when you can.
You may also want to use our budget calculator to make a personalised budget to bring your plan review meeting showing the planner what funding you need to meet your ideal service needs when you have your providers in place.
For those who are at the beginning of a plan and worried about spending through the duration, it may be helpful to use a support coordinator. The team at My Plan Manager is always happy to help you, so contact us and we will help steer you in the right direction.
Participants who are Plan Managed with us at My Plan Manager receive reminders towards the end of their plan, a ‘Plan Review Checklist’ to help prepare you for reviews, plus more information and support to make navigating the NDIS easier.
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