NDIS plan management vs. support coordination: What’s the difference?
Navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can feel overwhelming, especially when you first start hearing terms like NDIS support coordination, plan management, budgets, providers, services, and funding categories.
While both plan managers and support coordinators play valuable roles in helping participants use their funding effectively, they are very different functions within the NDIS. Understanding how each one works is important for making confident decisions and getting the most out of your plan.
This guide breaks down the differences between NDIS Plan Management and Support Coordination, how they contribute to your goals, what each can and cannot do, and how to decide which type of support is right for you.
What is NDIS plan management?
Plan Management is a financial administration service funded by the NDIS. When a participant chooses plan management, they are supported by a qualified Plan Manager (usually an organization or a registered provider) who handles the financial and bookkeeping side of their NDIS plan.
Key responsibilities of a plan manager
1) Processing and paying invoices
A Plan Manager receives invoices from your service providers, checks them against your plan budget, and processes payment through the NDIS portal. This removes the need for participants to manage or submit claims themselves.
2) Budget tracking and financial reporting
Plan Managers monitor spending across your plan categories to help ensure funds last throughout the plan period. They provide regular statements, budget summaries, and alerts if certain categories are tracking too fast or too slow.
3) Allowing access to both registered and unregistered providers
One of the biggest advantages of choosing Plan Management is flexibility. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can use unregistered providers, giving them more options for therapy, support workers, and community programs.
4) Providing financial guidance (not decision-making)
Plan Managers can explain how different support categories work, what is reasonable and necessary, and how to stay compliant with NDIS guidelines, but they do not choose providers or coordinate your supports. Their role is financial, not operational.
What plan managers cannot do
It is a common misconception that Plan Managers help organise services or recommend providers. In reality, they do not:
- source or organise support workers
- create service agreements
- schedule or coordinate services
- resolve provider conflicts
- decide how funding should be allocated between goals
- help participants understand broader life, housing, health, or community needs
These responsibilities belong to another role in the NDIS: Support Coordination.
What is NDIS support coordination?
Support Coordination is a capacity-building service that helps participants understand, organise, and implement their NDIS plan. While Plan Management focuses on the “finance” side, Support Coordination focuses on the “connections and decision-making” side.
Different levels of support coordination
- Support Connection: The most basic level, aimed at helping participants connect with providers and begin using their plan.
- Support Coordination (Level 2): More intensive support that includes building skills, managing challenges, coordinating a range of providers, and increasing independence.
- Specialist Support Coordination: For participants with complex needs, such as significant behavioral, psychosocial, or high medical needs. This level is delivered by highly trained practitioners who can help stabilise complex environments and provide tailored strategies.
What support coordinators do
Support coordinators play a hands-on role in helping participants make informed decisions and put their plan into action. Their responsibilities typically include:
- Helping you understand your NDIS plan: Support coordinators explain funding categories, how each budget can be used, and how the plan relates to your goals and everyday needs.
- Finding and connecting you with suitable providers: This includes researching options, checking availability, gathering quotes, and helping you decide which services best support your goals.
- Setting up service agreements and schedules: A support coordinator helps create agreements, ensures the participant understands their rights and responsibilities, and assists with booking and organising services.
- Problem-solving and managing challenges: If providers aren’t delivering what they promised, if your circumstances change, or if there are barriers to accessing support, a support coordinator helps resolve issues and find alternatives.
- Strengthening your ability to self-manage in the future: Support coordination is considered a capacity-building support because the goal is to help participants gain skills and confidence to navigate the NDIS more independently over time.
- Reporting to the NDIS: Support coordinators often provide progress summaries, risk assessments, incident responses, and reports for plan reviews or reassessments.
What support coordinators cannot do
Even though they help with decision-making and daily management of supports, support coordinators do not:
- pay invoices
- manage your NDIS budget
- approve or decline expenses
- complete bookkeeping or financial tracking
- act as your advocate in legal or formal matters
- provide therapy or direct support (unless qualified separately)
These tasks fall under the Plan Manager or other specialists.
Plan management vs. support coordination: Key differences
Below is a simple comparison to highlight the main distinctions:
| Plan Management | Support Coordination |
| Handles the financial administration of your plan | Helps you understand and implement your plan |
| Pays invoices and tracks budgets | Finds providers, sets up services, and organises supports |
| Provides financial advice and reporting | Provides guidance, problem-solving, and coordination |
| Does not organise services | Does not handle financial processing |
| Increases flexibility by allowing unregistered providers | Builds capacity and helps participants navigate the NDIS |
| Always funded under Capacity Building – Improved Life Choices | Funded only if included in a participant’s plan |
In short: Plan Management handles the money; Support Coordination handles the connections.
Both are complementary, and many participants use both services at the same time.
How to know which one you need
Most participants benefit from Plan Management because it is simple, flexible, and removes financial stress. It also does not affect the amount of your other funding. If you choose plan management, the NDIS adds extra funds specifically for this service.
Support Coordination, however, is included only when the NDIS believes a participant needs help building capacity, navigating services, or managing complex needs. You may require Support Coordination if:
- your support needs are complex
- you are new to the NDIS
- you need help understanding your plan
- you have multiple providers to coordinate
- you struggle with decision-making or connecting with services
- your environment requires stabilisation or problem-solving
Understanding your options
Understanding the distinction between NDIS Plan Management and Support Coordination helps you make informed choices and ensures your supports work together effectively.
Plan Managers take care of the financial and administrative responsibilities, while Support Coordinators focus on helping you navigate, understand, and implement your plan. Both roles exist to increase your independence, reduce stress, and support you in achieving your goals, just in different ways.
