NDIS Plan Management Frequently Asked Questions

What is NDIS plan management?

Plan management is a way of managing the funding in your NDIS plan.

A registered plan manager handles the financial administration of your plan-managed budgets. This includes processing invoices, paying providers, keeping financial records and helping you monitor your spending.

You remain in control of your supports and choose which providers you want to work with.

What does Manage Mode do as my plan manager?

Manage Mode can:

• Receive and review provider invoices.
• Submit eligible claims to the NDIS.
• Pay your providers.
• Maintain the required invoices and financial records.
• Provide information about your spending and remaining funding.
• Help you understand the financial side of your plan.
• Establish an invoice-approval process if you would like to review invoices before
  they are paid.
• Work with your providers to resolve invoice issues.

Our role is to administer your plan-managed funding. We do not manage every part of your NDIS plan or organise your day-to-day supports.

Will I have a dedicated plan manager?

Straight forward answer is yes, absolutely (but only if you want that). Manage Mode uses a team-based service model rather than assigning each participant to one dedicated plan manager by default.

Our plan-management team has the information needed to help you, so you do not need to wait for a specific person when you call or email. Any team member can review your account and assist with your enquiry.

We understand that you may find a team member you particularly enjoy working with. You are always welcome to ask for that person or contact them directly by phone or email. If they are unavailable, another member of our team will still be able to assist you.

This approach gives you continuity and access to a larger team while still allowing you to build a relationship with the people you prefer working with.

What is the difference between a plan manager and a support coordinator?

A plan manager looks after the financial administration of your plan-managed funding. This includes processing invoices, paying providers and helping you monitor your budget.

A support coordinator helps you understand and implement your plan, find and connect with providers, organise supports and build your ability to manage your services.

Some participants have funding for both services. A plan manager does not replace a support coordinator.

Does plan management cost me anything?

There is no out-of-pocket cost when plan management is included in your NDIS plan.

The NDIS includes separate funding to pay a registered plan manager. Plan- management funding is a stated support, which means it can only be used for plan- management services.

Does plan management reduce my other NDIS funding?

No. The funding allocated for plan management is separate from the funding available for your other NDIS supports.

How do I know if my funding is plan-managed?

Your NDIS plan will identify which support budgets are plan-managed. The relevant budget may say:

“This funding component is plan managed.”

Your plan will also include separate funding for a registered plan manager within your Capacity Building supports under Choice and Control. In some plans, this may be described as support to help you manage your plan funding and pay for services using a registered plan manager.

Can different parts of my plan be managed differently?

Yes. Your plan can use a combination of:

• Plan-managed funding.
• Self-managed funding.
• NDIA-managed funding.

For example, your Core Supports may be plan-managed while another support category is NDIA-managed. Manage Mode can only process payments from budgets identified as plan-managed.

How do I sign up with Manage Mode?

You can complete the online registration process through the Manage Mode website.

We generally require:

• Your NDIS participant details.
• Last Name.
• Date of Birth.
• NDIS number.
• A PDF copy of your approved plan where available.
• A completed Manage Mode Service Agreement.
• Details of any nominee or authorised representative.
• Your preferences for invoice approvals and communication.

Contact us if you are unable to complete the online process and we can discuss another suitable option.

Who can complete the sign-up process?

The participant, an authorised nominee or a legally recognised representative can complete the sign up process.

A support coordinator, family member or provider may help with the registration process, but the appropriate participant or authorised representative must provide the required consent and authority.

Does Manage Mode need to be recorded as my provider and plan manager with the NDIS?

Yes. Before we can access your plan-managed funding and submit claims, Manage Mode must be recorded with the NDIS as both your plan manager and my provider.

You can nominate Manage Mode through the my NDIS participant portal, during an NDIS planning meeting, or by contacting the NDIS directly. In most cases, Manage Mode may also send you a relationship request to accept through the participant portal.

Can I ask for plan management during my current plan if I’m set up for a different funding type?

Yes. You can speak with your my NDIS contact about changing how some or all of your funding is managed.

This may be helpful if you have NDIA-managed funding and would like to use unregistered providers, or if you are self-managed and no longer want to handle the administration of your plan yourself.

The NDIA will determine whether the change can be made through a plan variation or whether another planning process is required.

Can I change from another plan manager to Manage Mode?

Yes. You can change plan managers during your NDIS plan at any time.

We recommend you:

1. Check the notice requirements in your current plan manager’s Service Agreement.
2. Tell your current plan manager that you are ending the service.
3. Complete Manage Mode’s online registration and Service Agreement.
4. Confirm whether there are any outstanding invoices that still need to be processed.

You can change plan managers at any time, although we recommend you tell your existing plan manager before making the change.

What happens when I receive a new or reassessed NDIS plan?

Please tell Manage Mode as soon as you receive a new plan or become aware that your plan has been changed, replaced, suspended or reassessed.

We may need updated information about:

• Your new plan dates.
• Your available budgets.
• Your funding periods.
• Which budgets are plan-managed.
• Your my provider relationship.
• Any new stated or category-specific supports.

Providing this information promptly can help prevent invoice and payment delays.

What is an NDIS funding period?

A funding period is the period of time during which a particular portion of your NDIS funding is available.

Instead of making all the funding in a plan available at once, the NDIA may release funding in regular amounts throughout the life of the plan.

Funding periods do not change the total amount of funding in your plan. They change when portions of that funding become available.

How long is a funding period?

Funding periods may be one, three, six or twelve months, depending on the participant’s circumstances and the types of supports involved.

The NDIS will generally begin by considering three-month funding periods, but different periods may apply based on factors such as:

• Your preferences.
• Your support needs.
• The types and costs of your supports.
•  Identified risks.
•  Your total plan funding.
•  How funding has been used in previous plans.

Different support budgets within the same plan may have different funding periods.

How do funding periods work?

Your plan will show:

•  The start and end date of each funding period.
•  The amount available during the period.
•  Which funding component or support category the period applies to.
• When the next amount of funding will become available.

For example, a twelve-month plan with three-month funding periods may make approximately one-quarter of the relevant funding available at the beginning of each period.

Some supports may be funded differently. One-off or higher-cost supports may have more funding available when the support is expected to be purchased.

Do funding periods reduce my total NDIS budget?

No. Funding periods do not reduce your total approved budget.

They determine when different parts of your approved funding become available during the life of your plan.

What happens to funding I do not use during a funding period?

Unused funding generally rolls over into the next funding period within the same NDIS plan.

For example, if you have $5,000 left at the end of one period, that amount may be added to the funding released for your next period.

Unused funding does not generally roll over from an ended plan into a completely new plan.

Can I use funding from a future funding period early?

Funding from a future funding period generally cannot be brought forward.

In exceptional circumstances, the NDIA may bring funding forward where there is an urgent need. Bringing funding forward does not increase your total plan budget and may mean less funding is available later in the plan.

If your circumstances or support needs have changed, contact the NDIA as early as possible to discuss your options.

Where can I see my funding periods?

Funding-period information may be available in:

•  Your NDIS plan document.
•  The my NDIS participant portal.
•  The my NDIS app.
• Manage Mode’s budget information and app.

How can I keep track of my NDIS funding?

Manage Mode provides regular budget information and access to live spending information through our app or portal.

You can review:

•  Invoices that have been processed.
•  Your spending by support category.
•  Your remaining funding.
•  Your current funding-period availability.
•  Whether your spending appears faster or slower than expected.

Participants remain responsible for regularly checking their budgets and making sure they do not commit to services beyond their available funding. Plan managers should also provide monthly information about spending and remaining funding.

What should I do if my budget is running low?

Contact Manage Mode as early as possible.

We can explain:

•  Your spending to date.
•  Your remaining plan-managed funding.
• Your current funding-period availability.
•  Which invoices are still awaiting processing.
•  Whether there appear to be unusual or unexpected charges.

You may also need to speak with your providers, support coordinator or my NDIS contact about adjusting future services.

Manage Mode cannot add funding to your plan or transfer funding where the plan and NDIS rules do not allow it.

Can my nominee or support coordinator access my budget information?

Yes, where you or your authorised nominee have provided the required consent.

Manage Mode can provide authorised people with access to relevant budget information. We also offer live budget monitoring for support coordinators where the appropriate authority has been provided.

You control who is permitted to receive informati

on or communicate with us about your plan.

Can I use registered and unregistered providers?

Participants with plan-managed funding can use registered or unregistered providers.

However, some supports must be delivered by registered providers. These include:

•  Specialist disability accommodation.
•  Supported Independent Living.

Other registration requirements may apply depending on the support and current NDIS rules.

Does Manage Mode choose my providers?

No. You choose and manage your providers.

Manage Mode can communicate with providers about invoices, payments and claiming requirements, but finding and coordinating providers is generally the responsibility of the participant, nominee, support coordinator or recovery coach.

Do I need a Service Agreement with each provider?

A written Service Agreement is strongly recommended, however not essential.

A Service Agreement can record:

•  The supports being delivered.
•  The agreed price.
•  When and how supports will be delivered.
• Cancellation terms.
•  Provider travel and other charges.
•  Responsibilities of the participant and provider.
•  How either party can end the arrangement.

A clear Service Agreement can help prevent unexpected charges and invoice disputes.

Does Manage Mode decide what I can purchase?

Manage Mode does not decide what funding the NDIA includes in your plan and cannot approve new supports on the NDIA’s behalf.

As a registered plan manager, we must check whether a claim:

•  Is for an NDIS Funded Support.
•  Is in line with your plan.
•  Relates to a plan-managed budget.
•  Has sufficient funding available.
•  Meets applicable pricing and claiming requirements.
•  Is supported by an appropriate invoice or receipt.

We may ask for additional information or be unable to process a claim where these requirements are not met.

What are NDIS supports?

NDIS supports are the services, items and equipment that NDIS funding may be used to purchase.

The NDIS maintains lists of supports that may be funded and items that are not NDIS supports. A purchase must also be appropriate for the participant’s individual plan and disability support needs.

What is a replacement support?

A replacement support is an item, service or piece of equipment that is not ordinarily an NDIS support but may be approved to replace an existing support in your plan.

A replacement support:

•  Is not additional funding.
•  Must replace an existing support or supports.
•  Must relate to your disability support needs.
•  Must generally cost the same or less than the support it replaces.
•  Must provide the same or a better outcome.
•  Must be approved in writing by the NDIA before it is purchased.

Manage Mode cannot approve a replacement support on the NDIA’s behalf.

What can Consumables funding be used for?

Consumables is a Core Supports category that may be used for everyday disability- related items and certain low-cost, low-risk assistive technology.

Depending on your plan and disability support needs, Consumables funding may be used for items such as:

•  Continence products, including pads and bed protectors.
•  Disability-related health consumables included in your plan.
•  Modified cutlery and disability-related eating or drinking aids.
•  Dressing and personal-care aids.
•  Shower chairs and certain bathing or toileting aids.
•  Incontinence alarms.
•  Walking sticks or canes.
•  Short portable ramps.
•  Screen magnifiers.
•  Text-to-voice applications.
•  Talking kitchen scales.
•  Washing-line adaptors.
•  Other low-cost, low-risk assistive technology.

Low-cost assistive technology generally costs less than $1,500, can usually be purchased from a store or online, does not need to be customised and can be used safely without complex setup.

What requirements apply to a Consumables purchase?

A Consumables purchase must:

•  Be a NDIS support.
•  Relate directly to your disability support needs.
•  Be in line with your plan.
•  Help you work towards your goals or maintain your independence.
•  Be safe and appropriate for you to use.
•  Represent value for money.
•  Have sufficient funding available.

Some items may also require supporting information or a recommendation from an allied health professional, even where they are relatively low cost.

What cannot usually be purchased with Consumables funding?

Consumables funding is not a general shopping allowance.

It generally cannot be used for ordinary living expenses that everyone is expected to pay for, such as:

•  Groceries and takeaway food.
• Standard toiletries.
•  Standard household cleaning products.
•  Ordinary clothing and footwear.
•  Rent, utilities or household bills.
•  Medication and pharmaceutical expenses.
•  General household furniture or appliances.
•  Entertainment subscriptions.
•  Mobile phones, tablets, smart watches or computers.
•  Items that are primarily for convenience rather than a disability-related need.

Some items that are not ordinarily NDIS supports may only be purchased if the NDIA has approved them in writing as a replacement support.

Should I check before buying a Consumables item?

Yes. We recommend contacting Manage Mode before purchasing an unusual,
unfamiliar or higher-cost item.
We can check:

•  Whether you have funding available.
•  Whether the relevant budget is plan-managed.
•  Whether the item appears to be an NDIS support.
•  Whether additional information may be required.

Manage Mode cannot guarantee that an item will be claimable without reviewing your plan, the item and the supporting information.

Can Core funding be used flexibly for Consumables?

Some Core Supports funding may be flexible across Core support categories.

However, flexibility depends on how your funding is described in your plan. Funding identified as a stated support must be used for the specific purpose stated by the NDIA.

Low-cost assistive technology may sometimes be purchased using flexible Core funding where there is not enough remaining in the Consumables category, provided the purchase is otherwise permitted by the participant’s plan and NDIS rules.

What is the NDIS pricing schedule?

The NDIS pricing schedule contains information about appropriate maximum prices and claiming requirements for NDIS supports.

It may include information about:

•  Maximum prices.
•  Support-item numbers.
•  Units of support.
•  Provider travel.
•  Non-face-to-face supports.
•  Cancellation claims.
•  Remote and very remote pricing.
•  Other claiming conditions.

Providers and participants should discuss and agree to prices before services are delivered. The current NDIS pricing schedule took effect on 1 July 2026.

How are invoices sent to Manage Mode?

Providers can email invoices directly to: invoices@managemode.com.au

Participants and nominees may also forward invoices to this address.

Using the dedicated invoice email helps our team process invoices efficiently.

What information should an invoice include?

To help prevent delays, an invoice should include:

•  The provider’s business or trading name.
•  The provider’s ABN.
•  Provider contact details.
•  A unique invoice number.
•  The invoice date.
• The participant’s full name.
•  The date or dates the services were delivered.
•  The relevant NDIS support-item number, where known.
•  A clear description of the support provided.
•  The quantity, hours or units delivered.
•  The agreed rate or unit price.
•  The total amount being claimed.
• The provider’s bank-account details.
  Manage Mode also provides an invoice template for providers. 

How quickly does Manage Mode pay invoices?

Complete and valid invoices are generally paid within two to four business days.

Processing may take longer where:

•  Information is missing or incorrect.
•  We require participant or nominee approval.
•  There is insufficient funding.
•  The relevant funding period has been exhausted.
•  The support does not align with the available budget.
•  The amount does not meet applicable NDIS requirements.
•  We need information from the provider, participant or NDIA.
•  A provider’s bank details need to be confirmed.
•  The NDIS claiming system is experiencing delays.
•  The NDIS put the invoice on hold and require additional information before it can be paid.

Where feedback is required before processing, Manage Mode will contact the relevant person promptly.

Can I approve invoices before they are paid?

Yes. Manage Mode can establish an invoice-approval process through our app, or via email or SMS.

This allows you or your nominee to review invoices before they are paid. You can choose how involved you would like to be in the process.

Contact our team if you would like to turn invoice approvals on, turn them off or change who is responsible for approving invoices.

Why has an invoice been delayed or returned?

Common reasons include:

•  Missing invoice information.
•  Incorrect participant information.
•  An invoice date or service date outside the participant’s plan.
•  Insufficient funding.
•  Insufficient funding within the current funding period.
•  An incorrect support category or item number.
•  A rate above the permitted amount.
•  Duplicate charges.
•  An invoice that has already been paid.
•  A support that is not an NDIS support.
•  A support that is not in line with the participant’s plan.
•  Missing participant approval.
•  Provider bank details that need to be verified.

Where possible, we will explain what information or correction is required.

Can I request reimbursement for something I paid for myself?

An eligible purchase may sometimes be reimbursed to a participant or nominee.

Before making an out-of-pocket purchase, contact Manage Mode if you are unsure whether it can be claimed.

We will generally require:

•  An itemised invoice or receipt.
•  Evidence that the item or service has been paid for.
•  Details of the participant who received the support.
•  The date the support or item was provided.
•  A description of the support or item.
•  The bank details for the reimbursement.
•  Any supporting information needed to establish that the purchase is an NDIS support.

The purchase must still be in line with your plan, have sufficient funding available and meet NDIS requirements.

Can a provider see my entire NDIS plan?

Not automatically.

Providers should only receive the information needed to deliver their supports or process their invoices, unless you have authorised additional information to be shared.

How does Manage Mode use my personal information?

Manage Mode collects and uses information required to:

•  Deliver plan-management services.
•  Process provider invoices and payments.
•  Maintain legally required financial records.
•  Communicate with the NDIA.
•  Provide budget reports.
•  Respond to enquiries.
•  Meet registration, audit, compliance and safeguarding obligations.

More information is available in the Manage Mode Privacy Policy.

How do I provide feedback or make a complaint?

We welcome feedback about our services.

Please contact Manage Mode and explain:

•  What happened.
•  When it happened.
•  Who was involved.
•  How the issue affected you.
•  What outcome you would like.

We will review your concerns and work with you to resolve the matter.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint about a registered NDIS provider, you may contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

Questions or disputes about an NDIA planning or funding decision should generally be directed to the NDIA.

How can I contact Manage Mode?

Email: info@managemode.com.au

Invoice email: invoices@managemode.com.au

1300 119 800

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Still have a question?

Contact the Manage Mode team and we will help you understand your budget, invoices and plan-management options.

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