Self-managed vs plan-managed: what it actually means for booking therapy

Three Therapy team

If you're new to the NDIS, "self-managed" and "plan-managed" get thrown around a lot without much explanation of what they actually change day to day. Here's what each one means specifically for booking occupational therapy or physiotherapy with us.

The short version

Both self-managed and plan-managed funding give you the freedom to choose your own therapists — including providers like us who aren't registered NDIS providers. The real difference is who handles the paperwork and payment.

What it means when you book with us

Practically, here's how each plays out:

• If you're self-managed: we invoice you directly after each session. You pay us, then submit the invoice yourself for reimbursement through the NDIS portal. We'll always give you a compliant invoice with everything the NDIS portal needs.
• If you're plan-managed: we invoice your plan manager directly. You're not out of pocket at any point, and you don't need to submit anything yourself — the plan manager pays us from your allocated funds.

What about NDIA-managed (agency-managed) plans?

This is the third category, and it works differently again — the NDIA pays providers directly through the portal, but only registered NDIS providers can be used. Since we're not currently a registered NDIS provider, we're only able to see self-managed and plan-managed participants at this stage.

Not sure which one you are?

Check your NDIS plan document, or look at how your plan is set up in the myplace portal — it will say which category applies to each support category in your plan. It's also completely fine to ask us; we can usually tell from how you describe your situation, and we'll guide you through whichever applies.