How your NDIS funding is managed changes almost nothing about what supports you can access — but it changes a lot about paperwork, choice of providers, and how much admin lands on you. Here's the difference, in plain terms.
Plan-managed, in short
A plan manager pays your invoices on your behalf and keeps records for you, using funding set aside in your plan specifically for this purpose. You can use both NDIS-registered and non-registered providers, and you don't need to track every invoice yourself.
Self-managed, in short
You pay providers directly and claim the cost back from the NDIA yourself, keeping your own receipts and records. It gives you the most flexibility over who you engage and how, but comes with more day-to-day admin.
Which one is right for you?
If you'd rather not deal with invoices and record-keeping, plan-managed is usually the easier path. If you want maximum flexibility in providers and are comfortable with some paperwork, self-management can be worth it. Many participants also choose a mix — self-managing some funding categories and plan-managing others.
If you're not sure which fits your situation, our support coordination team is happy to talk it through with you.
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