Thinking of switching NDIS plan managers? Start by checking your service agreement, lining up a registered replacement, and asking the NDIA to update your details. Your funding stays put, your old manager should pass any unpaid invoices to the new one, and any unresolved problems can be taken to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
You don’t have to stay with the same plan manager until your NDIS plan ends. If the service isn’t working, you can switch during your current plan. Switching providers doesn’t cancel your current NDIS plan.
Here’s what you need to know before making the switch, including what happens to your funding and unpaid invoices.
Reasons You May Consider Changing Plan Managers
If you’ve searched “change NDIS plan manager”, there’s a good chance the current service no longer meets your needs.
Warning signs may include:
- Calls and emails regularly going unanswered
- Missing or confusing monthly statements
- Poor visibility over spending and remaining funds
- Repeated invoice errors or payment delays
- Claims being processed without a clear approval process
- No warning when spending is off track
- Complaints that never seem to get resolved
- Communication that doesn’t meet your access needs
Plan managers must monitor budgets, check and process invoices, keep financial records, seek participant authorisation when managing claims, and provide monthly statements. Those statements should show spending, remaining funds, and any concerns about overspending.
You can raise the issue with your plan manager first. If it isn’t resolved, or you don’t feel comfortable dealing with them directly, you can report an issue or make a complaint about an NDIS provider to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
What to Check in Your Current Service Agreement
Before sending your goodbye email, make sure to read the service agreement so you don’t end up being caught out by an unexpected clause later.
Check:
- How much notice you must give
- Whether notice must be in writing
- The earliest finishing date
- What both sides must do during the notice period
- How disputes about ending the service are handled
There isn’t one universal notice period for participants. Follow the agreement you signed. It should explain the service duration, each party’s responsibilities, and the process for changing or cancelling the arrangement.
Check the required notice period, and ask your provider to explain any proposed cancellation charge in writing. Any charge must be permitted under your service agreement and the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
How to Change Your NDIS Plan Manager
1. Find a Replacement First
Once you’ve selected a replacement, confirm that they’re available for your intended start date. This helps avoid confusion about who should process invoices during the changeover.
2. Give Notice
Send notice according to the exit process in your current service agreement. State your intended final date clearly, and keep a written copy. A polite, direct message will do.
3. Tell the NDIA
Ask for the old plan manager to be removed and the new one recorded. You can speak with the person listed as your NDIS contact, call the National Contact Centre on 1800 800 110, or submit an enquiry through the NDIS service hub.
4. Sign the New Agreement
Confirm the start date, then sign the new service agreement.
5. Confirm the Changeover Date
Make sure you, the old provider, and the new provider all have the same dates. The replacement must be recorded as your plan manager and as a “my provider” before it can access the relevant plan information, submit claims, and be paid.
What Happens to Outstanding Invoices and Your Remaining Budget?
Changing plan managers doesn’t itself alter the funding approved in your current NDIS plan. The replacement provider takes over the financial administration of the relevant plan-managed budgets.
Once recorded, the replacement becomes responsible for outstanding invoices. The previous plan manager should forward unpaid invoices to the new one. Claims lodged by the former manager after the relationship ends will be rejected, even if the support was delivered earlier.
Tell your regular providers:
- Where to send future invoices
- Any reference number or invoice details the new manager wants providers to use
- Who’s handling invoices already submitted
Choosing a New Plan Manager Who Better Suits You
A polished brand is nice, but that isn’t always a guarantee they’ll process your invoices flawlessly. Ask the questions that show how the service actually works.
- Are you registered for NDIS plan management?
- How can I view my remaining funding?
- How often will I receive statements?
- Can I approve invoices before they’re claimed?
- How do you handle incorrect or rejected invoices?
- Will you warn me if spending is off track?
- Can you use my preferred communication method?
- How do you manage privacy and conflicts of interest?
- How will you handle older unpaid invoices?
All NDIS plan managers must be registered providers. Before signing an agreement, check that the NDIS Commission’s Provider Register shows an approved registration status and includes Plan Management in the provider’s approved registration groups.
Changing a Plan Manager Is Not the Same as Changing Your NDIS Plan
Replacing one plan manager with another doesn’t normally require a new NDIS plan.
Becoming plan-managed is different. It changes how some or all of your funding is managed, rather than simply replacing the provider handling it. You can ask your NDIS contact about moving to plan management during your current plan.
An NDIS plan change request is more relevant when changes to your disability-related needs, living situation, or required supports mean your existing plan no longer works. What people often call an NDIS plan review after a change of circumstances may involve a plan variation for a smaller update or a plan reassessment when a new plan is needed. Neither process is required simply because you’re switching plan managers.
Get Reliable NDIS Support From Mango Tree Allied
Mango Tree Allied is a registered NDIS provider based in Melbourne. We’ll connect you with an NDIS support coordinator from our team that can help you understand funding, compare providers, organise service agreements, and keep supports connected.
Here’s how our organisation can help adults, children, teenagers, and families:
NDIS Plan Management: Help with invoices, claims, provider payments, budget tracking, and financial records. Confirm the team’s current plan management registration details before signing an agreement.
Support Coordination: Help understanding your plan, comparing providers, organising service agreements, and following up referrals.
Specialist Support Coordination: Higher-level help when complex needs, risks, or several providers make service changes harder to manage.
Psychosocial Recovery Coaching: Support with routines, goals, confidence, and service connections for people with psychosocial disability.
Support with plan reassessment preparation: Help organising reports, updates, and key information when broader support needs have changed.
NDIS Community Participation: Support to join social activities, recreational outings, and community events.
NDIS Personal Care Providers: Practical help with personal hygiene, mobility, and everyday routines.
For support in Melbourne, simply call 1300 159 854 or email connect@mangoallied.com.
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