Plan management is the most common way NDIS funding is managed. In the second half of 2025, around 65% of all active participants used a plan manager. It's popular, but it's often misunderstood. This article explains what a plan manager actually does, what it doesn't do, and how to tell whether it suits you.

*A note before we start: Wollondilly Total Care is a plan manager, and we also deliver other NDIS supports. We've written this article to explain plan management honestly, including the other options, so you can choose what suits you.*

## The three ways to manage NDIS funding

Every NDIS plan says how the funding will be managed. There are three options, and you can use a mix:

- **Agency-managed:** the NDIA pays your providers and keeps the financial records. You can only use registered providers, and you can't pay more than the NDIS price limits.
- **Plan-managed:** your plan manager pays your providers and keeps the financial records. You can use unregistered providers, with some exceptions, but you can't pay more than the NDIS price limits.
- **Self-managed:** you pay your providers and keep the financial records yourself. You can use unregistered providers, with some exceptions, and you can pay more than the NDIS price limits by agreement.

Whichever option you choose, you still choose your providers. You're also still responsible for making sure your funding is spent on NDIS supports, in line with your plan, and lasts the whole plan.

## What a plan manager does

A plan manager's main job is **financial administration**. They pay your providers from your plan, check claims and keep records of your spending. In practice, a plan manager:

- receives your providers' invoices
- checks claims against your plan and the NDIS rules
- pays your providers from your plan
- keeps track of your spending and keeps records of it
- gives you reports so you can see how your budget is going.

A good plan manager also helps you build your own skills in managing your funding, if that's something you want.

## What a plan manager doesn't do

This is where expectations most often go wrong. A plan manager's role covers the plan-managed funding in your plan, not finding providers or managing your whole plan. It isn't responsible for:

- finding and connecting you with providers
- connecting you with community or mainstream services
- day-to-day management of your whole plan.

That kind of help is the job of a **support coordinator**, if you have one funded, or your my NDIS contact. Some plan managers will point you towards providers. But the NDIA says plan managers who recommend providers they have a relationship with should tell you about that relationship.

## Does plan management cost you anything?

Not out of your own pocket, as long as plan management is funded in your plan. If you choose a registered plan manager, the NDIA includes funding in your plan to cover the cost. That funding sits separately from your other supports, so paying your plan manager doesn't eat into your support funding.

For 2026–27, the NDIS sets a maximum plan management fee of **$104.45 a month**. It's the same everywhere in Australia, and the one-off set-up fee that used to apply has been removed.

## Who plan management suits

Plan management suits people who want to use unregistered providers without handling the invoices and records themselves. It can be a good fit if you:

- want to use unregistered providers, but don't want to handle invoices and records yourself
- want someone to check claims before they're paid
- want regular statements so you can keep an eye on your budget
- want to build your confidence before moving to self-management.

It may not be the best fit if you want full control over every payment and are comfortable keeping records and making claims yourself. In that case, self-management gives you the most flexibility. And if you're happy to use only registered providers and want the NDIA to handle payments, agency management is simpler still.

## Choosing a plan manager

Plan management must be delivered by a registered provider. You choose your plan manager, and you can find one through the NDIS Provider finder, your support coordinator, or friends and family.

Before you sign up, ask for a **service agreement**. It should set out:

- what the plan manager will do for you
- how long the arrangement runs
- the fees
- how you'll communicate
- how problems will be sorted out
- how either of you can end the arrangement.

It's also worth asking about **conflicts of interest**. The NDIA suggests questions like these:

- Do you have a conflict of interest policy I can read?
- Do you or your organisation have a connection with any provider you've recommended?
- Can you give me a list of other provider options?

If your plan manager also provides other supports to you, as we sometimes do, they should tell you upfront. They should also check those invoices with you in the same way as any other provider's.

## Changing plan managers or how your funding is managed

You can ask to change how your funding is managed at any time. If that's the only change, the NDIA can usually do it as a plan variation without reassessing your whole plan.

You can also change plan managers. Check your service agreement for the notice period first.