Will I have more funding and more choices if I self-manage?

Firstly, what is self management? 

Self management essentially means that you take care of all the admin associated with your NDIS funding, as well as finding your support providers, reviewing their service agreements and making your appointments. You take on the responsibility of ensuring all of your providers are paid, your budget is managed, and you adhere to the NDIA requirements. You will also need to keep effective records, including all receipts and invoices, for auditing purposes. 

What are the benefits? 

The main benefit of self-management is the ability to be able to choose both registered and unregistered providers. This can give you more flexibility when choosing your providers. This is also the case if you are plan managed. However, if you are NDIA managed, you can only choose from registered providers. 

You also have the option of paying providers above the maximum price limit. 

When it comes to your NDIS funding, you may have heard the myth that self-management will give you more funding than other modes of managing your plan. 

This is only a myth, the way in which you manage your funds does not increase or decrease the amount of funding you get to spend on your supports. It is common to think that plan management costs more than being self-managed, as it is a service. The good news though, is that plan management is funded in addition to your NDIS plan, so it is of no extra cost to you and does not take away any of your allocated funding. It also depends on how much value you put on your time. You could be spending up to 20 hours a week on administration when you self-manage. A plan manager takes care of all of this for you, giving you more time to focus on your goals. 

Okay, so what about flexibility? Do I have more choices if I self-manage? 

Self-management will allow for more choices and flexibility than being NDIA-managed, but not in comparison to plan management. As we mentioned earlier, if you are NDIA managed, you can only utilise registered providers. However, if you are self managed or plan managed, you can use either registered or unregistered providers. This is great because it gives you more options to find supports that really help you to achieve your goals. Being self managed won’t give you any more choice than being plan managed. No matter how you manage your funds, all of your supports still have to be deemed reasonable and necessary. The added bonus of plan management is that a good plan manager will help you fine-tune your funding and budgets, and so you might find you are actually able to access more supports than you first thought.

So what’s the best option?

For most people, plan management is the best option. It allows you all the flexibility of self management but with none of the hassle. All of the financial side of things is completely taken care of, and you have more time to enjoy the progress you’re making with your supports and living your life. However, some people really enjoy taking a hands-on role in managing their finances and administration and feel confident and happy doing so. If that’s you, then that’s fantastic. However, if you don’t feel completely confident navigating the administration side of the NDIS, or simply don’t want to spend the time doing it, plan management is the best option. It’s completely free, allows you access to any provider you choose and takes care of all the tricky stuff for you. 

Can I switch to plan management from being self managed or NDIA managed?

Yes! It’s actually really easy to switch. You can request at your next plan review to have NDIS plan management included in your next plan. You can also make a special request and contact the NDIS directly on 1800 800 110 and request to switch to being plan-managed. We can help you with this process if you need. 

All Disability Plan Management provides a personal plan management solution, suited to your situation and needs. If you want to learn more about the benefits of being plan managed, we’d be happy to help.