How to Change Your NDIS Plan Manager Without Switching Twice
Your plan manager might pay invoices late, ignore your emails or send statements you can’t follow. You don’t have to put up with that. When you change plan manager, NDIS funding, goals and supports stay exactly the same. Only the business that pays your invoices changes.
This guide walks you through the switch step by step. It includes the part most guides skip: keeping your support workers, nurses and other providers paid during the handover. It also helps you decide whether to switch now or wait for the NDIA’s new plan manager panel in 2027.
Quick answer: You can change plan managers at any time, even halfway through a plan. Choose a new plan manager and sign their service agreement. Give your current plan manager written notice, then tell the NDIA who your new plan manager is. Finally, send the new details to every provider you use. Allow two to four weeks for everything to settle.
Can You Change Plan Manager? NDIS Rules in Plain English
Yes, choice and control apply to plan management just as they apply to your support workers. You can switch at any point in your plan. You don’t need to wait for a plan reassessment.
What changes when you switch:
- who receives and pays your provider invoices
- who sends your budget statements
- who you call with questions about your spending
What stays the same:
- your plan, budgets and total funding
- your goals and plan dates
- your support providers, unless you decide to change them too
A plan manager and a support provider are separate businesses with separate jobs. Your plan manager handles the money. Your support provider delivers the care. Changing one doesn’t mean changing the other. If you’re still getting used to this split, our guide to how NDIS plan management works explains it from the beginning.
A quick note on cost: plan management is normally funded through its own line in your plan. Switching shouldn’t come out of your support hours. Check your plan, and ask your new plan manager how their fees will be claimed.
Signs It’s Time to Switch
Every plan manager has an off week. Patterns are what matter. If any of these sound familiar, start keeping notes.
| Warning sign | Why it matters | Try this first |
|---|---|---|
| Providers keep chasing you about unpaid invoices | From 1 December 2026, providers must claim within 90 days of a support. Slow payment puts pressure on everyone. | Ask for their standard payment time in writing |
| You can’t reach anyone, or replies take days | You can’t make quick decisions about your budget | Ask for a named contact person |
| Statements are late, missing or confusing | You can’t see how much is left. Record-keeping rules are also getting stricter. | Ask for a plain monthly statement |
| Invoices are paid from the wrong budget or at the wrong rate | One budget can run dry while another sits unused | Ask for a correction and an explanation |
| Charges you didn’t agree to | It’s a trust problem, not just an admin problem | Compare the charges with your service agreement |
| They won’t say whether they’re applying for the 2027 panel | You may be forced to move later anyway | Ask the question directly |
Most of these deserve one honest conversation first. If nothing improves within a few weeks, or the same problem keeps coming back, it’s reasonable to move on.
Switch Now or Wait for the 2027 Panel?
Most guides on changing NDIS plan managers don’t cover this question, but it can save you a second round of paperwork.
The NDIA plans to have a panel of approved plan managers in place by 1 October 2027. A six-month transition will follow. After that, you must use a plan manager from the panel, and businesses not selected can no longer offer plan management. The tender that sets the selection rules is due in 2027. Our article on the NDIS plan management changes coming in 2027 covers the full timeline.
This means that if you switch now to a plan manager who doesn’t make the panel, you’ll switch again. That’s extra admin, but it isn’t a disaster. Use this table to weigh it up.
| Switch now if… | Consider waiting if… |
|---|---|
| Your providers aren’t being paid on time | The problems are minor, like an app you dislike |
| You’ve raised issues and nothing has changed | Your plan reassessment is only weeks away |
| Errors are draining the wrong budget | Your plan manager fixes problems when you ask |
| You can’t get clear answers about your money | You’d rather see the approved panel list first |
Our view: don’t stay with a plan manager who isn’t paying your providers just to avoid a possible second switch. Unpaid invoices can put your supports at risk. Waiting only makes sense when the service is basically working.
When you build a shortlist, ask each plan manager three questions:
- Do you plan to apply for the NDIA plan management panel?
- If you aren’t selected, how will you help me move to a panel plan manager?
- How many days do you usually take to pay a provider invoice?
Nobody can promise they’ll be selected, because the panel requirements haven’t been published. A clear, honest answer is still a good sign. A vague or defensive one tells you something too.
How to Change Plan Manager: NDIS Steps That Keep Payments Flowing
If you’ve decided to switch, follow these steps in order. The order matters. Most payment gaps happen when people end the old arrangement before the new one is ready.
1: Gather your paperwork
Before you contact anyone, collect:
- your NDIS number and your plan start and end dates
- a copy of the service agreement with each of your providers
- your budget statements for the past 12 months
- a list of every provider you use, with any invoices you know are still unpaid
Download your statements now. Some plan managers close portal access once you leave.
2: Choose your new plan manager
Compare at least two or three plan managers. Ask each one:
- How quickly do you pay invoices, and how will I know when you have?
- What do your statements look like? Can I see a sample?
- Will I have a named contact person?
- How will you handle invoices for supports delivered before I switch?
- Are you a registered NDIS provider? You can check this on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s provider register.
Don’t choose on fees alone. Plan management pricing is regulated, so the real differences are speed, accuracy and communication.
3: Sign the new agreement and set a changeover date
Sign your new plan manager’s service agreement and agree on an exact changeover date. Then confirm in writing who will pay invoices for supports delivered before that date.
Some plan managers take over all unpaid invoices once they are endorsed. Others need older invoices to stay with your previous plan manager. Don’t assume either way. If you’re unsure what a fair agreement should include, our guide to NDIS service agreements explains what to look for.
4: Give your current plan manager written notice
Check the notice period in your current agreement, then send your notice by email so you have a record. Ask them to:
- confirm your end date
- list the invoices they will still pay
- send a final statement once everything is processed
On older, non-PACE plans, your current plan manager also needs to release your plan so the new one can take over. That can take a couple of weeks.
5: Tell the NDIA
How you do this depends on which system your plan is on.
| PACE plans (most current plans) | Older plans | |
|---|---|---|
| Who tells the NDIA | You or your nominee | Mostly handled between the two plan managers |
| How | Call 1800 800 110, ask your LAC or planner, or update “my providers” in the myNDIS portal | Your old plan manager releases the plan, then your new one takes over |
| What to say | “I’d like to endorse [business name] as my plan manager from [date].” Ask that your old plan manager’s relationship be ended. | Confirm the release date with both plan managers |
| Keep a record of | The date, the staff member’s name and any reference number | The confirmed release date |
Not sure which system you’re on? Ask your LAC or call the NDIA. They can tell you on the spot.
6: Tell every provider the same day
This is the step people forget. It’s also the one that causes the most stress.
Send each provider your new plan manager’s name, invoice email address and the changeover date. Include everyone: support workers, therapists, nurses, your SIL provider, transport and cleaning services.
Under the 90-day claim rule, an invoice that sits in the wrong inbox for weeks is a real problem for your provider. The quicker everyone has the new details, the smoother the switch will be.
7: Check your first statement
About four to six weeks after the switch, check three things:
- invoices from around the changeover date have been paid
- nothing has been paid twice
- your old plan manager’s final statement balances
Keep everything in one folder, paper or digital. It will save you time if a question comes up later.
Copy-and-Paste Templates
Change the details in brackets, then send.
Notice to your current plan manager
Subject: Ending plan management services – [Full name], NDIS no. [number]
Hello [name],
I’m writing to let you know I’m ending my plan management agreement with you. My last day with you will be [date], in line with my notice period.
Please confirm this end date, send me a list of invoices you will still process, and email my final statement once everything is paid.
Thank you for your help.
[Your name, or nominee name and relationship]
Update for your support providers
Subject: New plan manager from [date] – [Full name]
Hello,
From [date], my new plan manager is [business name]. Please send all invoices for supports delivered from that date to [invoice email].
For supports delivered before [date], please [send to my previous plan manager / also send to the new plan manager], as agreed.
Please let me know if you need anything else.
[Your name]
Common Mistakes When You Change Plan Manager (NDIS)
These are the problems we see most often when participants and families are switching plan managers:
- Ending the old agreement first. If the new plan manager isn’t endorsed yet, there’s a gap where nobody can pay invoices.
- Forgetting an occasional provider. The therapist you see once a month or the transport service you use for appointments often misses the update.
- Not agreeing who pays older invoices. This one causes most “I thought they were paying it” problems.
- Losing your records. If you don’t download statements before leaving, you may have to request them later.
- Switching during a plan reassessment. Two big changes at once doubles the chance of something slipping. Wait a few weeks if you can.
- Switching in a hurry without asking about the 2027 panel. Five minutes of questions now can save a second switch later.
What a Smooth Switch Looks Like
Here is an illustrative example. A participant in Western Sydney receives morning personal care four days a week and a weekly cleaning visit. Her plan manager has paid three invoices late in two months, and her providers have started emailing her about it.
She shortlists two new plan managers, signs with one and agrees on a changeover date of the 1st of the month. On the same afternoon she calls the NDIA to endorse the new plan manager. She also emails her old plan manager her notice and sends her providers the update template above. Her morning support doesn’t stop for a single day, and her first statement from the new plan manager shows every invoice paid within a week.
Nothing about her care changed. She simply did the steps in order and told everyone at the same time.
How Care Wise Connection Can Help
Care Wise Connection is a registered NDIS provider in Sydney. We are not a plan manager, so we have no reason to steer you towards any particular one. Our focus is keeping your support steady while the paperwork changes around you.
When you switch NDIS plan manager, we can:
- Update our invoicing details on the day you tell us
- Keep your assistance with daily living, personal care, SIL and nursing support running without a break
- Walk you through how your service agreement with us works with your new plan manager
Questions about your support during a switch? Speak with our Sydney team or call 0272 640 777.
This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. NDIS rules and timelines can change. Check current details with the NDIA or your plan manager before you act. Information is current as at October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, your plan, budgets, goals and plan dates stay the same. Only the business that pays your invoices and sends your statements changes.
No, your plan manager and your support providers are separate. You only need to give your providers the new plan manager’s name, invoice email and changeover date.
It depends on the plan managers involved. Some new plan managers take over all unpaid invoices once endorsed, while others need older invoices to go through your previous plan manager. Agree on this in writing before you switch.
If your providers aren’t being paid or problems keep recurring, switch now. If the service mostly works, you could wait until the approved panel is known in 2027 to avoid switching twice.
You can ask the NDIA about changing how your funding is managed. Self-management means more admin for you, and agency-managed funds can only be used with registered providers.
