NDIS Self Management

Can I buy it with my NDIS funds? 

NOTE: this resource has been updated to include the NDIS support lists introduced in October 2024.

If you can answer YES to these questions and it meets the requirements of the NDIS Supports List, it is likely you can spend your funding on it

1. Will the support help you to reach the goals in your NDIS plan?

The support you buy must be linked to the support budgets and goals in your current NDIS plan and related to your disability. 

2. Is the support reasonably priced and good value?

The support should give you good value-for-money compared to other options. Remember you can choose to pay less and get more support, or pay more for a higher quality support that meets your needs. 

3. Can you afford the support within your support budget?

Your NDIS funding needs to last for the length of your plan. Work out your budget early so you know what you can afford. This will help you to track your funding and make decisions about any changes to your supports during your plan. 

4. Will the support help you to connect with your community and improve the relationships you have with family and friends?

The support you buy should help you to participate in activities with friends and other members of your community, or help you fnd or keep a job.

5. Is the support something that should be funded by the NDIS and not other government services?

In your NDIS plan the funded supports will not include support that is provided by other government services. For example, dental, health or hospital services, education, housing and public transport are all provided by other government services. 

6. Is the support safe? 

The support you buy must be legal. It should not cause harm or put yourself or other people at risk.

What supports will not be funded by the NDIS?

The NDIS Act and the rules made under the NDIS Act also tell us which supports will not be funded by the NDIS. A support will not be funded if it:

• is not related to the participant's disability
• duplicates other supports already funded by a different mechanism through the NDIS
• relates to day-to-day living costs that are not related to a participant's support needs, or
• is likely to cause harm to the participant or pose a risk to others.

The is an NDIS Suppot List of things you cannot spend your funding on.

Sources:

• Reasonable and Necessay Supports
• What can I spend my NDIS funds on?
• What can't be funded by the NDIS?

Let's compare Self Managed vs Plan Managed vs Agency Managed

When you receive a new NDIS plan, the NDIS asks you HOW you want to manage your plan?

What they actually mean is WHO is going to be paying your bills!

There are 3 ways your NDIS plan funding can be managed. 

HOW do I decide how I want to manage my NDIS plan?

Take a look at the table below where we compare Self Management vs Plan Manangement vs Agency Mananged

Nearly 70% of NDIS Participants are plan managed.

WHEN do I choose how I want to manage my NDIS plan?

Your NDIS Access Meeting
The first opportunity you have to tell the NDIS how you want to manage your NDIS plan is during your NDIS Access Meeting. Your LAC will record this info in your record.

Your NDIS Plan Meeting
Your Plan Meeting is where the Planner will ask/confirm how you want to manage your plan. 

You will need to provide him with details of the Plan Mananger you want to use, so do your research before the meeting!

Can I change how I mange my NDIS Plan?

Yes you can. You can request to change at any time!

The most popular change is from self-managed to plan-managed or from agency-managed to plan-managed.

We work closely with Plan Hero Plan Management who are an independent Plan Manager (this means they only offer plan management).

They have specialist plan managers with live experience and deep knowledge about the NDIS. 

Find our how to change to plan managed here

How to choose Plan Hero as your NDIS Plan Manager

How to Endorse Plan Hero

If you want to choose Plan Hero as your NDIS plan manager, simply call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 and 'endorse' (tell them what you want) Plan Hero Plan Managers by providing this information:

Name: Plan Hero Pty Ltd

Provider#: 4050079575

ABN: 43 641 197 659

Visit the Plan Hero Website

Should self-managed participants use the screening process?

As self-managed participants are largely in control of their funds and support systems, they also have the option of using the new NDIS Worker Screening process. They can decide for themselves whether or not they will require their workers to undergo the screening process.

It works in the same way as it would for a registered NDIS provider:

when a worker applies for their check, they will nominate the employer in order to verify their application.

In this instance, a worker would nominate the self-managed participant and once verified, they would be linked to the worker.

The self-managed participant can then view the status of their screening check application, including when it is accepted and when it expires.

One thing self-managed participants should note is that in order for the worker to nominate them as their employer, participants need to have access to the NDIS Worker Screening Database (NWSD).

To register for access to the NWSD please head to this website or read the resource Quick reference guide: Request access to the NDIS Worker Screening Database (NWSD) Self-managed participant.

Although self-managed participants have the option of using the screening process, it is a recommended option for the safeguard of their safety and wellbeing.

This resource is for participants that self manage their NDIS plan and covers hiring self-employed or independent support workers who have an Australian Business Number (ABN).

Self Managed participants can hire their own support workers with an ABN!

As a self-managed participant you can use ANY provider whether they are NDIS registered or not.

When you self manage your NDIS Plan, you can hire a support worker to help you achieve the goals set out in your plan.

You can:

1. Engage the services of a care company who provides you with a support worker of your choice OR
2. Find and then hire an independent support worker as a contractor if they have an Australian Business Number (ABN) 

Why or when would you consider hiring a support worker yourself?

Hiring your own support worker might involve a little work, but it gives you flexibility with their hours and the chance to negotiate their rates and hours. 

Being self managed means you may be able to negotiate a lower hourly rate (lower than the NDIS support catalogue) since the support worker receives the full amount when you pay them directly (a care company will take a cut) - this will help stretch your funding.

This will be especially useful when you are hiring a support worker over the weekend (or public holiday) as the support catalogue rates are very much higher over these periods.

It's more FLEXIBLE
You can hire someone you already know (not family members) or someone who lives nearby. The hours you need could vary and many agencies will have support worker minimum service times. When you hire someone directly it may be easier to fill the hours you need more easily.

Here are some examples of where MyCareSpace members have hired their own support workers who have their own ABN:

• Sue is able to hire her next-door neighbour, who is a good friend, to look after her son for just a couple of hours every afternoon between him finishing school and her getting home from work.
  They don't need any disability certification if this is not important to you.  Her son knows her neighbour well, and because they are next door, there is no travel issue for the short period she needs them. They are also flexible and she can call them up to stay on if she's running late.
   
• Tony hires the coaching assistant from their inclusive football club to take his son to footie matches on the weekends.
   
• Amy needs help in the morning to get showered and dressed. She pays her friend, who lives just down the road, to pop over for an hour in the early mornings to help her.

How to get started when hiring your own Support Worker with an ABN

Before you can hire someome, identify what your needs are. You will need to do this regardless of whether you already have someone in mind or will need to find someone.

To start, you will need to think about (and document) the following:

1. The areas of your life where you want the help of a support worker.

Make a list of where you need help with:

• Personal care
• Health needs (going to medical appointments etc)
• Accessing the community - getting out an about, going shopping etc
• Daily living requirements like help with cooking, cleaning etc
• Everyday tasks like sending emails.

It may be helpful to write a daily plan of what you do (or want to do) every day and work off that.

It will take some time to get this together and you are probably going to have a few versions before you have it ready.

See this Sample Duty Statement from MyPlace (WA) which is part of their resource on engaging support workers (referenced below in its entirety). It will help you identify the duties you may need a support worker to perform.

2. What is your support budget?

This will influence how many hours of support you can pay for. Your NDIS funding for support workers falls under CORE - Assistance with Daily Life in your NDIS plan.

Look at your total funding for support workers for the year and divide it by 52. Now you have a weekly budget. 

According to the NDIS Support Catalogue, the weekly hourly rate is around the $50-ish, the Saturday hourly rate around $72-ish and the Sunday hourly rate around $95.

If you can negotiate better rates than that, you are going to be able to stretch your funds.

3. What kind of support worker would you like?

It's helpful listing the type of qualities you would like in a support worker. For example punctuality, flexibility, discretion, physical strength, patience etc. Perhaps you might prefer a support worker that shares your interest or has skills you'd like to learn.

4. Get help

MyPlace WA has created a comprehensive resource on the process of finding and hiring a support worker and also documenting what you need from them beforehand. It covers:

• Planning your support needs, documenting your needs and your budget
• Duty statements (what must they do), employment adverts and application forms 
• What kind of support worker you want, employee interviews and picking the right workers
• Work safety, worker management and termination

MyPlace WA - A Guide to Engaging Your Own Support Workers

5. Finding Support Workers

You might already have someone in mind and that's the reason you are travelling down this path. Alternatively, you can put ads out on NDIS Facebook groups or other online platforms or even just use word of mouth.

Here is a Sample Application Form from MyPlace (WA) which is part of their resource on engaging support workers (referenced below in its entirety).

​How to make sure your support worker is a contractor and not an employee

For every worker that you engage personally, you need to look at the specific working arrangement to determine whether that person is an employee or a contractor.

Why does this matter?
Because your legal, financial and tax obligations are different if your worker is an employee or a contractor.

A contractor (independent support worker) can typically:

• decide how the work will be done
• agree to the hours that make up the job
• are usually engaged for a specific task or time
• usually have their own insurance
• use their own tools and equipment
• pay their own tax and GST
• have an ABN and submits invoices
• don’t receive paid leave

Source: Dept of Fair Trading

There won’t be one thing on its own that decides whether a support worker is an employee or an independent contractor. You need to consider all of these factors making sure your support worker is an independent contractor. 

The ATO website has a great tool that asks you a series of questions to determine whether you are engaging a worker as an employee or contractor for tax and superannuation purposes.

Visit ATO Website Check Tool

What do I need so that I can hire my own support worker?

1. They need an ABN and Insurance

An independent contractor is a person who has an Australian Business Number (ABN) and is generally responsible for managing their own insurance, tax and superannuation.

If you are self-managing and want to hire a support worker directly as a contractor, you need to make sure they have:

• an ABN
• appropriate insurance - MyCareSpace has been working with insurers to provide insurances to disability support workers. Get an instant online insurance quote here
  If a support worker is driving your car, you will need to make sure you have them listed as a nominated driver on your comprehensive motor vehicle insurance policy.

2. They need to invoice you

​Support workers who are contractors can charge per hour at a rate agreed upon by you. They will need to invoice you for their support hours.

An invoice should include:

• Name
   
• ABN
   
• Description of service:
  Tip from the team at Plan Partners: A plan manager will need to link the service description to the participant’s funding category and price limits, therefore use the similar language to the NDIA will be ideal for example – Assistance with Daily Living Weekday or In Home Support Weekdays. We suggest this is best practice as it would help the participant understand how their funds being used against available funding and this will assist the participant at plan review as well.
   
• Number of hours at an agreed rate
   
• Total cost

3. What about a Police Check and Working with Children Check

As a matter of course you should get both of these before hiring a support worker (especially for a child) - even if you think you know them well.

Contacts for obtaining National Police Clearance

Contacts for obtaining Working with Children Screening

How can my support worker apply for an ABN?

The ATO website has a quick and easy application process.

TIP: have your tax file number handy for quicker application as the ATO can identify you from that easily.

Apply for an ABN

We asked one of our members to share their practical experience about making the decision to self manage and what it actually involves - a question we receive weekly at MyCareSpace. Here's what she had to say:

During an NDIS planning meeting you will be asked how you would like to manage your NDIS funding.  You have a choice between self-managed, plan-managed, NDIA-managed or a combination of all three.

If you are unsure which to choose you should know that self-managed will ALWAYS give you the greatest flexibility over your funding.

Being self-managed means you are not bound by the NDIS price guide.  For example you can pay a higher hourly rate for a therapist if you think they are worth it. 

You can pay any provider or buy any support as long as it is legal and safe, it will help you achieve your plan goals and you have the funding in your budget. 

A useful checklist on Page 10 of ‘Booklet 3 -Using your NDIS plan’ will help you to know what you can spend your funding on.  If you can tick all the boxes in this checklist then you are good to go!

How difficult is it to self manage my NDIS plan?

You may be thinking that self-management sounds like a difficult, time-consuming option.  But it’s really no different to paying a regular household bill.  If you are doing that already, you are more than capable of self-managing. 

It takes me 3 minutes and 20 seconds to submit a claim for reimbursement and organise my records (yes I timed myself). 

The hardest thing about self-managing is just remembering to do it.

What do I actually have to do when making a claim as a self manager?

This is breakdown of what I do:

1. Print the emailed invoice. 
2. Enter the invoice details into a basic spreadsheet which tracks the budget totals. 
3. Log into the NDIS myplace portal via myGov and make a payment request by filling in the required information. 
4. After pressing submit, I print this page as it lists the payment request number. 
5. Record the payment request number on my spreadsheet. 

Generally, the funds will appear in my nominated bank account the next day. 

It then takes me another minute to pay the invoice, print a receipt and staple the invoice, payment request and receipt together and file in a folder.  It isn’t even necessary to keep hard copies (that’s just how my brain works). 

All your record keeping could be done digitally and there are even apps available to help you manage your payments/funds balance.  You can pick whatever system works for you.  You are simply required to keep records for 5 years in the event you are ever audited, which is no different from what the ATO require for tax purposes.  Over a month, I probably spend half an hour on the required record keeping.

How is self managing different to plan managing?

If you are someone who doesn’t enjoy paying bills, then you might chose to be plan-managed instead.

This means someone else will pay the bills and keep records for you.  One disadvantage is that plan-managers have to stick to the NDIS price guide and may be less willing to let you be creative with the services or goods you purchase. 

You would also need to trust that your plan-manager is paying the bills on time and keeping you in the loop as to where your funding is at. 

I would recommend logging into the myplace portal to keep a track of your budget balances and approving every invoice before it is paid, in-case of billing errors.  So self-management is really only an additional step on top of this. 

The option of NDIA-managed gives you the least choice and control because:

• you can only use registered providers and
• are bound by the NDIS price guide. 

It is also a lot harder to keep a track of your funding as payments occur in the background. 

You have to trust implicitly that providers are charging correctly.  The MyCareSpace resources titled Self Management vs Plan Management shows you the difference between these three choices.

My experience with self managing

My daughter was one of the first NDIS participants in a trial area.  Her first plan was automatically set up as NDIA-managed because she was accessing state services (I didn’t know any better). 

We moved interstate a couple of months later and her plan was switched to self-managed as the NDIS had not been rolled out in that state.  I was left to my own devices with no real guidance of what to do.  But it’s not like that anymore. 

Back then, I didn’t understand I had flexibility with how we used her funding.  If I had known that, I would have made different choices in the supports we chose to engage to help her achieve her goals.  There is now lots of information available from NDIS to guide you, peer support groups, courses (you can use some of your plan funding to upskill yourself) and online resources that can give you the knowledge and confidence that self-management is the right choice for you. 

Here are some practical tips and tricks for self-management:

• Check each invoice you receive, providers make billing mistakes.
   
• Photocopy or scan paper receipts because they can fade over time.
   
• If you submit a payment request before 5pm on a weekday, the funds will usually be in your account the next day. 
   
• Record the payment request number with each invoice.  In the event you are audited you will be asked for evidence of a claim related to a particular payment request number.  It will just be easier to find what you are looking for.
   
• Open a separate bank account for reimbursement of your NDIS funds, it just keeps things tidier.  I have a separate account ‘In Trust’ for my daughter. 
   
• You might choose to have a separate email account for all your NDIS correspondence, I just use a separate folder on my personal email account.
   
• Ask your LAC or planner for a copy of the NDIS guide to:Self Management when you get your plan.
   
• Listen to others experiences but take any ‘advice’ with a grain of salt, they may not be correct.  But you might learn some good ideas about how to use your funding.

So what can I buy with my funds when I'm self managing?

You will always hear people saying you can’t buy this or you can’t buy that when using your NDIS funding. 

But it is important to remember that what anyone buys with their self-managed funding will be different for each individual. 

Remember to use the checklist when deciding what you can spend your funding on and if you tick all the boxes then have confidence that you are doing the right thing.  Good luck!

*Please note: This is written from the prospective of a mum who is the nominee for my child’s NDIS plan.  So while I talk about my plan, I understand that it is my daughter's plan and funding, not mine. 

MyCareSpace can offer you support in self-managing

As a self-manager, you are still not alone.

Our Connections Team will help you find options in your local area that meet your needs.

Get in touch today

Self Managing your NDIS plan gives you the flexibility and choice to decide what supports you buy to meet your NDIS plan goals. It lets you think creatively about how you can use your funds to best meet your needs.

If you self manage your plan you can use ANY service provider and pay ANY price so long as the purchases meets the Self Management Can I buy that? checklist

When asked what advice you would give someone who had just decided to Self Manage, this is what our community said:

Banking

• Open a separate bank account that doesn’t charge fees. 
• Your bank account should be in the name of the participant. 
• Consider a bank account that has a credit card attached which you can use to pay for services - make sure its one that you get frequent flyer points on!
• Find the best bank account with no fees here.

Engaging Service Providers

• Don't set up all your services to start at once, start withthey what you already have that is working and build from there. 
• You can engage someone you know as a support worker if they have an ABN.
• You can also employ a support worker yourself if your care budget is large.
• Check the NDIS page 8 checklist when deciding CAN I  BUY THAT?  

Budgeting

• Set up an excel spreadsheet to keep track of all your claims and upload each claim and supporting docs on the portal. That way the NDIS can see what you are claiming.
• At the beginning of your plan, if possible set aside 5-10% of your NDIS plan budgets as "emergency funds".
  This can be used through the year if a crisis or awesome opportunity arises that means you need extra support for a period (if it's an ongoing situation, be sure to ask for a "Change of Circumstances" review).

  You should otherwise have a buffer at the end of your plan in case you overspend a little, and you also have extra fund to use to stock up on consumables or low cost assistive technologies, or some extra support for trips out and about in that final month of your plan.

Paying Bills

• Make sure your invoices have the right info on them. Find out what's needed here.
• Set up a gmail account just for invoices, receipts etc that way it’s all together and not mixed in with your personal stuff. I wish I had done this!
• Relax and remind yourself that you have managed to pay bills and budget for all your needs up til now. This is no different, but if you make a mistake you can fill out a form or make a call and correct it. Enjoy.

Record Keeping

• You will need to be able to demonstrate that you've made decisions that follow the requirements of being reasonable and necessary.
• Keep all of your paperwork for five years: What records you need to keep
• Have a system in place: be organized and keep all paperwork.
• Make separate folders in Gmail for each service providers' email/invoices.

Help with Self Managing

You don't have to do this alone, especially not to start off with.

• You can hire someone to help you (bookkeeper, admin assistant, accountant) or buy software/programs (MYOB, Excel etc) to assist in budgeting, paying workers or record keeping.
• Your CORE funding can be used to pay for these services. See extract from the Support Catalogue:

  01_134_0117_8_1   

  Self-Management Capacity Building

  $63.23/hr, $88.52/hr(remote), $94.85/hr (very remote)

Do you have a tip for someone starting at a Self Manager?

Add a comment below with your advice.

This resource covers engaging a support worker as an EMPLOYEE. 

We have another resource hiring an independent support worker directly when they have their own ABN.

I'm self managing my NDIS plan, how can I employ my own support workers?

Many people with disabilities feel more in control of their life if they can choose their own support workers and manage the employment arrangements themselves.

When you self-manage your NDIS Plan, there are unique ways that you can hire a support worker (other than engage a care company) to help you achieve the goals set out in your NDIS Plan.

You can:

• Directly employ a support worker OR
• Engage an independent support worker as a contractor if they have an Australian Business Number (ABN)

For every worker that you engage personally, you need to look at the specific working arrangement to determine whether that person is an employee or a contractor.

Why does this matter?
Because your legal, financial and tax obligations are different if your worker is an employee or a contractor.

This resource covers employing your own support workers. If you need to know more about engaging your own support worker with an ABN, check out our resource.

How to know if your support worker is your employee or a contractor?

The ATO website has a great tool that asks you a series of questions to determine whether you are engaging a worker as an employee or contractor for tax and superannuation purposes.

Are they a contractor? 
Then they simply need an ABN and can invoice you. 

Are they an employee?
Then you have additional tax and super responsibilities which we mention below.

Use the ATO Website Check Tool to determine if your support worker is an employee or contractor.

Common factors that influence whether your support worker is an Employee or Contractor can be found on this resource by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Why Employ your Support Workers?

Employment is often a great option if you have a large funding package and will be hiring a number of support workers for extended periods. Direct employment of these workers may give you the ultimate control over the people who work with you, the hours they work and the tasks that they perform. Employing your own support workers give you a sense of stability and permanence.

You also know with certainty that you have the support for the hours you need it. No last minute no shows or cancellations. 

You do not need to directly employ all of the staff who deliver your NDIA funded supports. 

Employing your own Support Workers

Employing your own staff can be a big change for people who have been used to having support workers directly from a service provider.

However, you do not have to do everything yourself, you can delegate many of the admin and day-to-day management tasks, e.g. you can pay a bookkeeper to handle a lot of the administrative responsibilities: payroll, tax, workers compensation, superannuation, insurances.

If you choose to employ your own support workers, you need to be aware that there are legal responsibilities that come along with being an employer such as:

• Recruiting and training your staff: Making sure your staff have the right skills, qualifications and training
   
• Withholding staff tax and paying it to the ATO
   
• Withholding and paying superannuation
   
• Making sure that you have workers compensation and other insurances
   
• Negotiating the rate of pay and conditions and ensuring compliance with the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award 2010 or other relevant award
   
• Paying wages on the due date, and giving out group certificates at the end of the financial year
   
• Following work health and safety obligations
   
• Making sure your workers have a current National Police Clearance, as well as a Working with Children/Working with Vulnerable People Screening checks if required.

Getting Started

Before you get to the legal and tax requirements (withholding tax number, super, insurance etc), you need to decide if this is the best option for you.

MyPlace WA has created a comprehensive resource that addresses the tasks, decisions and requirements that you will be facing in order to employ a support worker. These include

• Planning your support needs, what duties are required, and how much is your budget
• Duty statements (what must they do), employment adverts and application forms 
• What kind of support worker you want, employee interviews and picking the right workers
• Work safety, worker management and termination

A Guide to Engaging your own Support Workers

The Legal and Tax Stuff

After you have decided you are ready to go with this option, the legal and tax responsibilities need to be covered. The NDIS have created a resource that guides you through each requirement.

Directly Engaging your Own Staff- NDIS Guide

What supports can I get to help me employ a support worker?

You don't need to do this alone

Again, let us stress that employing your own staff is a task that requires admin and financial tasks that you may not have been performing before. You may not have the time or skills to be managing admin, payroll, tax and superannuation yourself. 

Your NDIS funding can be used to pay for the help you need. Some examples of supports that can help you include:

• bookkeeping and accounting services
• employment services
• software applications

Your CORE funding can be used to pay for these services. See extract from the Support Catalogue:

01_134_0117_8_1   

Self-Management Capacity Building

$63.23/hr, $88.52/hr(remote), $94.85/hr (very remote)

========================================

Sources

Tips & Tricks - Self Managing your Supports

Hiring your own workers - a guide to the law (easy english)

Directly Engaging your Own Staff- NDIS Guide

Who is an employee? Who is an independent contractor?

What records do I need to keep when self managing my NDIS plan?

The Official Info from NDIS

Any invoices, receipts, pay slips and bank statements need to be kept for five years as evidence that you have responsibly self-managed your support budgets and payment requests.

The NDIA undertake random audits to make sure self-managed funds are being spent and managed properly. You may be asked at any time to provide evidence of a payment that matches a payment request you have made.

It is important to keep your records organised so you can show the NDIA how you have spent your funds.

Records of payments will need to have:

• the provider’s name
• their ABN
• the date of the support
• a short description of the support provided and how this relates to the support categories and goals in your plan
• the amount of support provided
• the price of the support.

How do I make a Payment Request?

Using the online myplace portal is the easiest and quickest way to make a Payment Request. To make a Payment Request log in to your myplace portal and select the Payment Request option.

You can then enter the:

• start and end date for the support
• payment amount
• support category (the self-managed support budget in your NDIS plan that you want to draw funds from).

The Payment Request needs to match the invoice or receipt from your provider, or if you are directly employing staff, your payroll records.

It should be made against the support category that matches the type of support you are making a request for.

Once you have submitted a Payment Request it will take within 24 to 48 hours to be paid into your bank account.

Tips from Participants

nearly all of my services give me an invoice with either 7 or 14 day payment. Once I get the invoice I claim on the portal, the money is usually in my account within 48 hours then I pay the invoice. Some providers ask for payment up front but most are happy to invoice.Also when I buy at low risk consumables I pay up front then claim.

Some places you need to pay upfront however 99 percent of mine i have a great relationship with and they invoice and i pay as soon as money is through (normally next business day)

I get an invoice from all my providers on a monthly basis, I submit the amount with date 1/6/19 to 30/6/19 the amount is paid in 2 days.... and then I transfer $$ to providers 

I keep a seperate bank account with a float and pay upfront

pay with credit card, claim the points and rewards.

Sources

• Self Management Guide

Can I buy it with my NDIS funding? 

Page 8 of the NDIS guide to self-management provides guidance for participants who are self-managing when they ask the question: can I spend my NDIS funds on that? This page 8 is often referred to as the Self Management checklist.

If you answer YES to each question, you can buy it.

Will the support help you to reach the goals in your NDIS plan?

The support you buy must be linked to the support budgets and goals in your current NDIS plan and related to your disability. 

Is the support reasonably priced and good value?

The support should give you good value-for-money compared to other options. Remember you can choose to pay less and get more support, or pay more for a higher quality support that meets your needs. 

Can you afford the support within your support budget?

Your NDIS funding needs to last for the length of your plan. Work out your budget early so you know what you can afford. This will help you to track your funding and make decisions about any changes to your supports during your plan. 

Will the support help you to connect with your community and improve the relationships you have with family and friends?

The support you buy should help you to participate in activities with friends and other members of your community, or help you fnd or keep a job. 

Is the support something that should be funded by the NDIS and not other government services?

In your NDIS plan the funded supports will not include support that is provided by other government services. For example, dental, health or hospital services, education, housing and public transport are all provided by other government services. 

Is the support safe?

The support you buy must be legal. It should not cause harm or put yourself or other people at risk. 

References:

What Can I Buy? - NDIS Self Management Guide (see pg 8)

Self Management

When choosing to self manage, you will receive funding from the NDIA so that you can select and pay for the services that will help you or your child meet your goals. This was summarised for us by a self managing participant as: "Buy it, pay it, claim it. Or claim it, buy it, pay it. Keep the bill and receipt. "

You are:

• not limited to using only NDIS registered providers - they can be mainstream or disability providers of any kind. This means that you have access to wider range of services and service providers. For example: You could employ your neighbour who your child knows well, to care for them in the afternoons (so long as they have an ABN, insurance etc).
   
• not tied to the NDIS Price Guide and can pay a provider whatever you like or whatever they demand. You have the ability to negotiate prices.

You will have to:

• Open a separate bank account that is only used for your NDIS funds. The name of the bank account should be in the participant's name or in your name if they are a child. It's best to look for a fee free bank account (like for students) as you cannot claim your bank fees against your NDIS funds. **TIP: Take the details of this account to your planning meeting if you have decided to self manage.
   
• Choose and organise your own providers. 
   
• Book your own services and set up service agreements with all the your providers.
   
• Pay service providers. You will need to pay providers after their service and then claim the invoice on the NDIS portal. You should receive the funds back within 2 days. If you have a good relationship with your provider, you will be able to wait for the funds before you pay them. Some providers require payment on the spot and so you may be out of pocket until re-imbursed.

  Tips from Participants on how to manage payments:

  • Have a 'float' in your bank account that allows you to pay before claiming
  • Have a credit card against your nominated bank account that you only use for NDIS services so that you can prepay. This also makes it easy to track payments. The card may also have benefits like frequent flyer etc.
     
• Manage your total plan budget. Be aware of how much you have spent and how much you have left. 
   
• Keep records of purchase invoices and receipts for all your purchases.

  ​Tip from Participants on how to keep related info:

  • Create an email address that is only for NDIS related services
  • Have a folder on your Google Drive where you store invoices, receipts etc.
     
• Link the supports you purchase to the goals in your NDIS plan.
  You will need to be able to answer the question of 'Is this a disability-related expense? I.e would I buy it if I did not have a disability. Does it cover the 'reasonable and necessary' requirements of the NDIA.
   

You can have help Self Managing

You can ask your planner or LAC for help to self manage using:

• support coordination hours
• bookkeeping and accounting services**
• employment services**
• software applications**
• peer support organisations.

*** You can claim this from your Core Funding. See the NDIS Support Catalogue for Plan and Self Management Capacity Building line items.

Advantages of Self Managing

• Not restricted to only NDIS registered providers so can use existing providers. This gives you the flexibility to hire whoever you want. Side note: A participant said: "We’ve been NDIA managed up til now but all our therapists have dropped their registration because it costs too much. To access their services I have to be self managed."
   
• You can be mroe innovative in what you spend your funding on.
   
• Participants in rural/remote areas have more provider options available to them.
   
• Not restricted to NDIS price guide prices so you negotiate rates or can pay higher rates where necessary.
   
• You can employ your own support staff directly. You can get help setting this up.

Disadvantages of Self Managing

• Not restricted to NDIS price guide so providers can demand more than the NDIS rate.
   
• Need to have the capacity and time to engage with providers, pay invoices etc.
   
• Need to keep records and receipts in case of audit

Tips for Self Managing from the Community

Plan Management

Every Participant has the right to a Plan Manager should they choose to be Plan Managed. The funds for a Plan Manager are specific and do not take away from any other area of funding in your plan. The NDIS will pay your Plan Manager, who will directly pay for all supports you have asked them to manage.

Choosing Plan Management offers some of the same advantages as Self Management, namely:

Like Self Managing, you are:

• not limited to using only NDIS registered providers - just like self managing, they can be mainstream or disability providers of any kind. For example where you might regularly use a therapist who is a sole trader, a cleaner or even a carer who does not want to go through the process of NDIS registration. You can continue to use them.

Your Plan Manager will:

• Pay all your bills - you can send them to your Plan Manager when you receive them or service providers can send the bills directly to the Plan Manager for payment.
• Send you monthly statements to help you track your plan spending.
• Reimburse you for anything you need to pay upfront.
• Some Plan Managers will help you with establishing service agreements with providers.

Advantages of Plan Managing

• Not restricted to only NDIS registered providers so can use existing providers. This gives you flexibility to hire whoever you want.
• No need to worry about paying providers, your Plan Manager does that for you.
• No need to keep receipts and invoices in case of audit.
• A great Plan Manager will help you get the best value from your allocated NDIS funds and will make sure that you don't run out of funds unexpectedly.
• You don't need to use the NDIS Portal.
• Using a Plan Manager is a great stepping stone to learning to self manage.

Disadvantages of Plan Managing

• If you choose a provider who charges above the NDIS Price Guide, you will need to pay the difference yourself because plan managers have to stick to the price guide.
• Like any other service provider/service, you may engage a Plan Manager who provides a poor service: is slow to pay invoices, unresponsive to your needs and unhelpful. So, as with any other NDIS providers that you engage,  look for recommendations or meet with prospective plan managers before choosing a plan manager. 

Summary

In summary, the key differences between Self Management and Plan Management are:

• Plan Managers need to stick to the NDIS price guide and Self Managers can pay any price.
• Plan Managers take care of paying invoices/providers and claiming funds back from the NDIA. You need not do any paperwork. Self Managers do it all themselves.
• Both options allow you to choose providers that are not NDIS registered.
• Both options offer far more flexibility and greater value for money than being NDIA Agency managed.

Agency Managed or Combination

On a final note, when the NDIA manages your plan, the NDIS will directly pay your support providers for you. You have to choose registered NDIS providers if the NDIA manages your plan.

You don't have to choose one option for the whole plan (for example you may want to agency manage your core funding so that you can use agency support workers but you may want to self-manage your capacity-building budget so that you can choose therapists who may not be registered providers). Alternatively, there are some services that can only be Agency managed like behavioural supports.

Sources:
NDIS Guide to Self Management
Service Agreements with Providers
Plan Managed Funding Explained
NDIA Managed Funding Explained