With an NDIS plan, there are three options of how you can manage your funding: Self Management, Plan Management and Agency Management. You could even do a mix of these across your different support purposes and budgets.
Your NDIS management options
When learning about different NDIS management options, it’s important to remember that every individual is different. This means that every person with an NDIS plan will have unique support preferences and different lifestyles.
If you know other people with an NDIS plan, it may be helpful for you to discuss with them which management type suits them. However, it can also be useful to create your own path by seeking professional advice and doing your own research. It may be helpful to map out your aspirations, life goals, support needs and how much effort you are willing to provide to manage your NDIS funds.
With an NDIS plan, you can adopt one of these three core management options.
Agency-managed
Agency managed plans are plans that are managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The NDIA will work directly with your chosen NDIS registered provider to seek out disability support for you. The NDIA will maintain all your NDIS funds. If your NDIS funding is managed by the NDIA:
- You can only use NDIS-registered providers for your support
- You can’t use your NDIS funding to book independent support workers on Mable (see FAQs below for more information on this).
Plan-managed
A plan-managed NDIS plan means a financial intermediary maintains the financial aspects of your NDIS plan.
A Plan Manager may receive and pay invoices, plus make claims from the NDIS portal on your behalf. When you choose a plan manager, the NDIS will add extra funds to pay your plan manager.
If your NDIS payments are managed by a plan manager, you can choose to work with both registered and non-registered providers for your support, but you will need to follow the price limits for supports set out by the NDIS for your Plan Manager to be able to claim them from your plan.
Learn in detail about how plan management works, and how to find a plan manager.
Self-managed
If you’ve chosen to self-manage your NDIS plan, you receive your NDIS plan funding directly and control how it’s spent to meet your support needs, in line with what’s included in your plan. You choose, book and negotiate rates with service providers directly and you’re not required to adhere to NDIS Price Limits, but can use them as a guide. You can choose to work with both registered and non-registered providers for your support.
You’re responsible for administration tasks and meeting the rules of your NDIS plan. This includes: ensuring that the support you book links to the goals in your plan, managing your budget, ensuring you have service agreements in place with your providers, claiming and paying for supports, keeping invoices and receipts and preparing your documents for plan reassessment.
Learn more about NDIS management types and how they work with Mable.
How Mable works with your self-managed or plan-managed NDIS funding
If you choose plan management or self-management for your NDIS funding, you can book independent support workers on Mable with your NDIS funding.
Mable provides safeguards plus features and services to assist you to manage your support team and bookings on Mable and track your support and how it relates to the goals in your NDIS plan. These include:
- Online service agreements
- Worker search with search filters
- Private, public and last-minute job posts
- An inbox to save your chats with workers
- Online meet-and-greets
- A calendar to plan your support sessions
- Session notes to track how the support is working towards your goals, these can be shared with your therapists and downloaded to form part of your reassessment reporting
- Invoice and receipt tracking, downloads and exports
- An Australia-based customer support team to assist you
- An online help centre, industry news, newsletters and notifications.
If you’re self-managing your NDIS plan You can do this by emailing info@mable.com.au with either: The cover letter from the NDIA which advises you’ve been approved for self-management; or The section in your ‘Plan Budgets Table’ that confirms how the supports will be paid: ‘NDIS will pay me directly for these supports’.
If you’re self-managing your NDIS plan
You can do this by emailing info@mable.com.au with either: The cover letter from the NDIA which advises you’ve been approved for self-management; or The section in your ‘Plan Budgets Table’ that confirms how the supports will be paid: ‘NDIS will pay me directly for these supports’.
If you’re plan-managing your NDIS plan
You can do this by emailing info@mable.com.au with either:
- An email from your plan manager which confirms they’ll pay invoices from Mable on your behalf and includes the information Mable should include on the invoices and the email address where the invoices should be sent; or
- If your plan manager is unable to provide confirmation, a copy of your monthly statement from them (or similar document) that confirms they are your current plan manager.
Once we’ve verified your document, we’ll approve your account and you can start booking support workers on Mable. Verification takes one business day.
Paying your independent support workers on Mable
After you’ve found a support worker on Mable, your support worker will send you a service agreement to review and, once accepted, you can begin receiving support. After a support session, your support worker will submit support hours which, once approved, are converted into an invoice by Mable.
- If your NDIS plan is self-managed, Mable invoices you directly each week for any support hours that have been approved in the previous week (7-day payment terms) and you use the invoices to claim from the NDIS portal. Then, once you’ve transferred the funds to Mable, we’ll process the payment and send it to your worker within two business days.
- If your NDIS plan is plan-managed, Mable invoices your plan manager each week for any support hours that have been approved in the previous week (7-day payment terms) and they’ll make payments on your behalf or, If your plan manager requires your approval before paying invoices, we’ll invoice you directly and you’ll forward invoices to them. Then, once we’ve received payment from your plan manager, we’ll process the payment and send it to your worker within two business days.
Start connecting with supports through Mable
You can connect with support workers by either posting a job in the online community or by searching for workers in your local area who suit your support requirements. You can learn more about how to book support workers.
FAQs
What’s the difference between NDIS registered and non-registered providers?
Service providers that are formally registered with the National Disability Insurance Agency and have been approved by the NDIA to deliver NDIS funded services are called registered NDIS providers.
The NDIS Commission regulates all NDIS providers, provides national consistency, promotes safety and quality services, resolves problems and identifies areas for improvement.
Service providers that choose not to register with the NDIA — but can still provide NDIS-funded supports — are called non-registered NDIS providers.
NDIS participants whose plan is self-managed or plan managed can use non-registered NDIS providers in most circumstances. However, non-registered NDIS service providers can’t deliver some services such as Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), services and supports to NDIS participants whose plans are NDIA-managed, supports that involve restrictive practices, services or supports to older people with disability who are receiving continuity of supports under the Commonwealth Continuity of Support Programme relating to Specialist Disability Services for Older People.
NDIS participants who are self-managing or plan-managing their plan can access services from registered or non-registered providers (except for the specific services and supports such as those listed above that require registration with the NDIS Commission) if they:
- Self-manage the supports and services in their plan;
- Have someone else to do it for them (a plan nominee); or
- Use a registered plan manager.
Why isn’t Mable NDIS registered?
Mable is not a traditional support provider organisation, it is an online platform. Mable doesn’t provide support, so it does not fit into any of the currently available provider registration categories.
Mable is an online platform that uses technology to connect people – including older Australians, people with disability or their carers – with independent support workers and support service providers in their community. These sole traders and small businesses may or may not be NDIS-registered.
By providing an online platform with safeguards where people can find, connect and manage their support teams, they have more choice and control over the support they receive and can pay lower hourly rates for support than NDIS reference rates. You can pay less and workers can earn more. Learn how Mable’s pricing works for everyone.
Why can’t I use Mable if my NDIS plan is NDIA-managed?
If you’ve chosen to have your NDIS plan managed by the NDIA (also referred to as agency-management), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is responsible for managing payments and keeping payment records of spending using your NDIS plan funding. If your NDIS funding is managed by the NDIA, you can only use NDIS-registered providers for your support. This means you cannot use Mable to book support.
