This is one of the most common points of confusion in the whole NDIS process, and it’s worth getting right because it affects which providers you can use and how much admin lands on you.
Agency-managed (NDIA-managed)
The NDIA pays providers directly. You can only use registered NDIS providers. There’s very little paperwork on your end, but less flexibility in who you can choose to work with.
Plan-managed
A plan manager (a separate, funded service) pays your invoices and handles the financial admin on your behalf. You can use both registered and unregistered providers, giving you much more choice, while someone else still handles the paperwork. This is the most common middle-ground option, and for many families it offers the best balance of flexibility and simplicity.
Self-managed
You handle the funding and paperwork yourself — paying providers directly and claiming it back. This gives you the most flexibility and control (including the widest choice of providers), but comes with the most responsibility for record-keeping and compliance.
You can also mix them
It’s entirely possible to have different parts of your plan managed differently — for example, Support Coordination self-managed while Core supports are plan-managed. This is worth discussing at your planning meeting if different parts of your situation call for different levels of involvement.
A practical way to decide
If you want maximum choice of providers with minimal admin, plan-managed is usually the easiest starting point. If you’re confident with paperwork and want full control, self-managed is worth considering. If you’d rather not think about funding at all and are comfortable with a smaller, registered-provider-only pool, agency-managed is the simplest.
None of these choices are permanent — you can request a change at your next plan review if your first choice isn’t working for you.
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