FAQs
Home | FAQs
NDIS Plan Management is third party management of your NDIS funding. Plan Managers keep records, pay service providers, track budgets and manage NDIS compliance requirements. We are YOUR personal bookkeepers. With Trinity Plan Management you still have complete control of your NDIS plan so you can choose your Service Providers and how much you want to spend on your services, but we take care of the paperwork, so you have time to do the things you love.
You are always in control of your plan spending. We can help you by:
- Receiving invoices from your Service Providers so you don’t have to deal with bills
- Accessing your funding via the NDIS portal and paying providers on your behalf
- Tracking expenses within each of the categories of funding in your plan so you don’t over or underspend
- Keeping you informed of how much you have in the plan at any one time so you can make better decisions
- Maintaining audit trails for NDIS compliance
- Liaising with Support Coordinators to help them get the most out of your funding
- Liaising with Local Area Coordinators (LACs) where needed to keep them aware of any major developments.
The NDIS offers you three options for how you can manage your funding: NDIA-managed (agency managed), self-managed and plan-managed. It is up to you to choose the management that best suits you.
Plan management offers benefits at no cost to you. Plan management combines the control and independence that you get with self management, but without the stress of having to manage your funding, budget, payments and paperwork. At Trinity Plan Management we offer plan management that focuses on getting you the best outcomes for your situation.
There are three options to manage your NDIS funds:
- NDIA-managed (agency-managed): the NDIA holds your funding and pays providers on your behalf. All providers need to be NDIS registered.
- Self-managed: You have choice of the service providers you use (providers do not need to be NDIS registered but must have an ABN number). You receive invoices directly from the service provider, pay them either from your personal funds and then claim the money back from the NDIS or provide each service providers details to make payment. With self-managed funding you are responsible for ensuring timely payment, keeping records, complying with NDIS requirements, and managing your budget.
- Plan-managed: you have choice of the service providers you use but an independent plan manager manages the funds for you. Service providers invoice the plan manager directly and the plan manager takes care of the payments on your behalf. Plan managers take care of your NDIA compliance requirements and provide you with updates regarding your funding and remaining funds.
You can choose one or a combination of these three. Many people select self-management as they want control over their spending and choice over their service providers. They quickly find that paying for services and managing the paperwork is overwhelming. With plan management they can get the help they need to manage payments while still having control and choice over their services
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a national scheme providing disability support. For many people, the NDIS offers the first opportunity to get the disability support they need.
Under the NDIS, participants are provided with funding to support individual goals. Funding is allocated directly to individuals based on their needs and goals. The NDIS provides support to eligible people with intellectual physical, sensory, cognitive and psychosocial disability. Early intervention supports can also be provided for eligible people with disability or children with developmental delay.
The NDIS is designed to help people get the support they need so their skills and independence improve over time. NDIS is not a welfare system.
NDIS participants can choose where and when they receive support and can choose their own providers.
The NDIS provides funding to participants to purchase a range of supports aimed at increasing the participant’s independence, inclusion, and social and economic participation. Funding is designed to support participants to meet their goals and objectives.
In the NDIS payment system, supports for participants fall into three categories: core, capital and capacity building.
In your NDIS plan you will receive funding that will be assigned to different categories – core, capital and capacity building supports. Budgets are subject to NDIS rules in relation to these three categories.
Each of these categories covers different kinds of supports you can purchase
1. Core supports enable a participant to complete daily living activities, including:
- Help around the house – for example, cooking or laundry
- Support in independent or shared living arrangements
- Respite care
- Getting out and about, for example, to the gym, pool, shopping or social activities
- Classes to help develop your skills – for example, dance, craft, cooking
- Support to purchase everyday items – for example, nutrition products, interpreting or translating
- Specialised transport for people unable to use public transport
- Consumables and autism and sensory equipment, including things like weighted blankets, sensory tools and even trampolines
2. Capital supports These include investments such as assistive technologies, equipment, home or vehicle modifications, and other capital supports. Examples of capital supports include:
- Assistive technologies, for example bariatric equipment, pressure care and wheelchairs
- Vehicle modifications
- Home modifications, including rails and ramps to make living in your home easier
- Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) for complex needs
3. Capacity building These are supports that enable a participant to build their independence and skills. Capacity building support includes:
• Support coordination to help you get the most value out of your funded package
• Help to link you with all of the different service providers that you may need
• Support to understand and improve your living arrangement
• Individual skills development to support independent living
• Help to increase community participation including community access programs
• Centre-based respite
• Help looking for and maintaining work, study or further education
• Assistance to build life skills and improve relationships
• Assistance to support wellbeing and increase mobility, such as personal training
• Specialised driver training
• Early childhood intervention
• Massage and other therapy services
When making purchases of supports, consumables, equipment and etc. NDIS expects the purchase to be reasonable and necessary. Having a good understanding of reasonable and necessary helps you use your NDIS funds in a way that meets the NDIS guidelines.
Reasonable and necessary is the funding criteria used by the NDIS. Reasonable is something that is fair and necessary is something you need because of your disability.
In order to be considered ‘reasonable and necessary’ a support service must meet certain criteria based on section 32 of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act)
Please refer to the link below with further supporting information:
https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/supports-funded-ndis/reasonable-and-necessary-supports
The below checklist will help you understand how you can spend your NDIS funding.
To be considered reasonable and necessary, a support must
- Be related to your disability needs
- This means any support / goods you apply for should be something you need due to your disability, not something you would simply like to have.
- Must not include day-to-day living costs
- Day-to-day living costs not related to your disability do not count as reasonable and necessary supports.
- Example of day-to-day costs are electricity, internet, gas, grocery, toys, books etc.
- Should represent value for money
- The support / goods should give you good value-for-money compared to other options.
- The NDIS expects that in a situation where you support needs are met by two options that are just as effective, you opt for the cheaper option.
- Must be likely to be effective and work for your
- The support / goods should be able to help you meet the goals in your NDIS plan.
- Should take into account support given to you by other government services, your family, carers, networks and community
- Is the support provided by other government services? For example, dental health or hospital services, education, public transport and housing are all provided by other government agency.
- Is it Safe and Legal?
- The support / goods that you purchase must be legal. It should not cause harm or others at risk.
Who can help me make these decisions?
- Allied health providers
- Your Local Area Coordinator (LAC)
- Your Support Coordinator (if funded in plan)
Trinity Plan Management takes no reasonability for your decision to purchase supports, service or goods. Your claim may be audited at any time by the NDIA. In the event of the NDIA seeking reimbursement, the responsibility is the purchasing participant.
Your NDIS funding provision will depend on your situation. The NDIS funds reasonable and necessary support and equipment that a person with a disability needs.
Supports must be related to your disability, represent value for money, be likely to be effective and beneficial, and take into account the informal support you receive from friends, family and community.
NDIS funding doesn’t cover general everyday living expenses that people without disability would be required to pay, such as train travel, rent, groceries, mobile phone or movie tickets.
Assistance from the NDIS is not means tested and has no impact on income support such as the Disability Support Pension and Carers Allowance
Your NDIS plan is a key document that outlines your goals and the supports you’ll need to achieve your goals. It’s a good idea to get support working out your NDIS plan
There is no out-of-pocket expense for NDIS Participants.
Choosing Plan Management will not reduce the funding you are allocated for your other supports. This is a top-up provided by the NDIS to ensure that you receive the administrative help you require.
If you ticked the box to include plan management at the time of your application, you will have received funding to cover plan management fees in your funding. If you applied for self-managed funding and you later realise you require the assistance of a Plan Manager, an application can be made to NDIS for additional funds to cover this service. We can help you to do this.
Contact us for help today.
Yes! Plan Management is all about supporting your choice. You can ask for Plan Management to be included in your plan at your planning meeting, your plan review meeting or at any time while you receive NDIS support
Yes, one of the benefits of using Trinity Plan Management as your Plan Manager is that you can use your preferred provider, regardless of whether they are NDIS registered or not
No. For your protection, NDIS requires all providers to have an ABN, including unregistered providers. You can encourage your provider to register for an ABN, it’s free and easy to apply for an ABN, for more information go to: https://www.business.gov.au/registrations/register-for-an-australian-business-number-abn
It’s easy! Go to our Register Now page to sign up online immediately or simply email your plan to hello@trinityplanmanagement.com.au and we’ll contact you within 24 hours. Easy
There are three different ways of making sure that your service providers are paid:
- 1. Use the website to upload the invoice here
- 2. Email your invoice to claims@trinitybookkeeping.com.au
- 3. Your providers can also upload your invoices on our website or email them to claims@trinitybookkeeping.com.au To help with this we can provide information for your service providers that shows them how they need to invoice to ensure they receive prompt payment
At Trinity Plan Management, we aim to pay your invoice within 3 to 5 business days after we receive an invoice that is approved to pay. There must be sufficient funds in your plan, and the support must be covered as a plan-managed area.
If you opt-in for the Standing Authority method, authorisation happens automatically. This means you won’t have to authorise the invoice and we can process the invoice as soon as we receive i
One of Trinity Plan Management’s goals is to develop your capacity in making choices and having control. So, yes, you can authorise us to pay all of your providers automatically ¬– you’ll need to give us authorisation to do this, or you can see all of your invoices and authorise each payment via our app
Any unspent funds you are allocated are returned to the NDIA. If you do not spend all of the allocated funds in your plan, your new plan might have less funding allocated to certain areas.
If you are currently receiving funding under the NDIS and you turn 65, you can either choose to remain with the NDIS or you can transition to the aged care system
Contact Us Today
Our NDIS support and management lets you spend more time on what matters
NDIS Plan Management Australia Wide
We work with NDIS participants and Support Coordinators across the whole of Australia. We offer a one-to-one personalised services. No call centre here!
Proudly providing NDIS Plan Management Services to:
- Hobart
- Launceston
- Devonport
- Burnie
- Perth
- Bunbury
- Geraldton
- Albany
- Kalgoorlie-Boulder
- Busselton
- Karratha
- Porth Hedland
- Broome
- Brisbane
- Gold Coast
- Sunshine Coast
- Townsville
- Cairns
- Toowoomba
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Hervey Bay
- Bundaberg
- Gladstone
- Maryborough
- Mt Isa
- Darwin
- Alice Springs
- Adelaide
- Mount Gambier
- Gawler
- Mount Barker
- Whyalla
- Murray Bridge
- Sydney
- Newcastle
- Wollongong
- North Shore
- Hunter Valley
- Central Coast
- Maitland
- Blue Mountains
- Tweed Heads
- Coffs Harbour
- Wagga Wagga
- Albury
- Port Macquarie
- Tamworth
- Dubbo
- Orange
- Canberra
- Nowra – Bomaderry
- Queanbeyan
- Bathurst
- Lismore
- Armidale
- Goulburn
- Cessnock
- Melbourne
- Geelong
- Ballarat
- Bendigo
- Mildura
- Shepparton
- Wodonga
- Warrnambool
- Melton
- Sunbury
- Wangarrata
- Ocean Grove
- Albert Park
- Balaclava
- Elwood
- Emerald Hill
- Glen Iris
- Malvern
- Prahran
- Richmond
- South Yarra
- Toorak
- Windsor
- Banyule
- Broadmeadows
- Brunswick
- Bundoora
- Campbellfield
- Canterbury
- Coburg
- Craigieburn
- Croxton West
- Dallas
- Darebin
- Diamond Creek
- Doreen
- Eaglemont
- Eltham
- Epping
- Fairfield
- Fawkner
- Gilberton
- Glenroy
- Grace Park
- Greensborough
- Greenvale
- Hadfield
- Heidelberg
- Heidelberg Heights
- Ivanhoe
- Kingsbury
- Lalor
- Lower Plenty
- Macleod
- Meadow Heights
- Mernda
- Mill Park
- Mont Park
- Montmorency
- Morang South
- Moreland
- Northcote
- Oak Park
- Pascoe Vale
- Plenty Lower
- Preston
- Reservoir
- Rosanna
- Roxburgh Park
- South Morang
- Sunbury
- Thomastown
- Thornbury
- Tullamarine
- Viewbank
- Wallaby Creek
- Watsonia
- Westmeadows
- Whittlesea
- Wollert
- Yallambie
- Abbotsford
- Alamein
- Alphington
- Ashburton
- Auburn South
- Balwyn
- Bell
- Bulleen
- Camberwell
- Clifton Hill
- Collingwood
- Cotham
- Fitzroy
- Hawthorn
- Kew
- Parliament House
- Port Estowe Lower
- Wallan
- Airport West
- Albanvale
- Albion
- Altona
- Ascot Vale
- Avondale Heights
- Braybrook
- Braybrook North
- Brookfield
- Burnside
- Cairnlea
- Carlton
- Caroline Springs
- Delahey
- Docklands
- East Keilor
- Essendon
- Flemington
- Footscray
- Glengala
- Hillside
- Jolimont
- Keilor
- Keilor Downs
- Kensington
- Kings Park
- Kingsville
- Kuranjang
- Laverton
- Maidstone
- Maribyrnong
- Melton
- Moonee Ponds
- Newport
- Niddrie
- Paisley
- Parkville
- Plumpton
- Robinson
- Seabrook
- Seddon
- Southbank
- St Albans
- St Kilda
- Strathmore
- Sunshine
- Sydenham
- Taylors Hill
- West Footscray
- Williamstown
- Yarraville
- Armadale
- Joondalup
- Cockburn
- Fremantle
- Gosnells
- Kwinana
- Mandurah
- Melville
- Rockingham
- Bayswater
- Joondalup
- Stirling
- Swan
- Vincent
- Wanneroo
- Warwick
- Woodvale
- Yanchep
- Belmont
- Kalamunda
- Midland
- Victoria Park
- Claremont
- Cottesloe
- East Fremantle
- Leederville
- Mosman Park
- Nedlands
- Northbridge
- Osborne Park
- Perth (CBD)
- Scarborough
- South Perth
- Subiaco
- Waterford
- Wembley
- West Perth
- Woodlands
