We’re committed to helping you manage your own funding if that’s what you want to do. There are risks for us all in managing our money.
Where possible, we’ll help you make decisions about money, just as all Australians do.
If you want to manage your own funding, there’s a few things to keep in mind. You’ll have more choice and control over your plan.
You’ll also have extra responsibilities, like keeping receipts for what you buy with your funding.
Learn more about self-managing .
You, or your plan nominee or child representative, can self-manage your funding unless:
- you, or your plan nominee or child representative, are currently bankrupt or insolvent under administration
- there’s an unreasonable risk if you self-manage your funding.
Are you bankrupt or insolvent?
You can’t manage your NDIS funding if you’re currently an insolvent under administration.
Your plan nominee or child representative also can’t manage your funding if they’re an insolvent under administration.
Insolvent generally means you can’t pay your debts when they are due.
Your NDIS funding can’t be self-managed if you, or your plan nominee or child representative:
- are currently bankrupt – contact the Australian Financial Security Authority if you’re not sure
- have your property under the control of people you owe money to, for example, your bank or the Australian Financial Security Authority
- have a personal insolvency agreement to repay money you owe, and you haven’t followed the agreement
- have a debt agreement to repay money you owe.
This also applies if you, or your plan nominee or child representative, are an insolvent under administration in another country.
You might be able to self-manage your funding after you stop being an insolvent under administration. But we’ll consider if there might be an unreasonable risk in you managing your own funding.
Your plan nominee might be a company or body corporate, like a service provider or advocacy organisation. If so, they can’t be insolvent either.
A company or organisation can’t manage your funding if they are under voluntary administration, liquidation or receivership .
Is there an unreasonable risk if you self-manage your funding?
You have the same right as all Australians to take reasonable risks in managing your money. We respect your right to take reasonable risks in self-managing your NDIS funding.
But you can’t self-manage your funding if this would create an ‘unreasonable risk to you’.
Your plan nominee or child representative also can’t manage your funding if that would be an unreasonable risk to you.
If you’re older than 18 and want to self-manage your funding, we’ll consider if this could put you at risk.
This could be if you’re vulnerable to physical, mental or financial harm. Or, if someone might pressure you to do something.
We'll also think about:
- how well you make decisions and manage your money
- how well you managed your funding in the past, for example if you managed disability funding before the NDIS
- if you were previously bankrupt or insolvent under administration, how well you manage your money now
- if you have a court or tribunal order that someone else, such as a financial trustee or guardian, manages your money
- if your informal supports could help you reduce any risks, for example if they help you manage your money.
We consider what strategies we could use to reduce risks, including:
- giving you a shorter plan
- having regular check-ins
- including supports in your plan to help you manage your funding.
When we think about risks, we think about the types of supports you want to manage. There might be unreasonable risks for you to self-manage some supports, but you might be able to manage others.
For example, it might be risky for you to manage the funding for a $30,000 home modification. But you might be able to manage a $500 home modification like a grab rail.
If your plan nominee or child representative wants to manage your funding, we’ll think about:
- how well they manage their money
- if any business or other interests might affect how they manage your money
- whether we believe they will use your NDIS funding according to your plan
- if any safeguards or strategies in your plan could help reduce any risks to you.
What if you want to learn to manage your funding in the future?
We might be able to fund supports to help build your skills to manage your NDIS funding.
For example, we might be able to fund a support called ‘Training in plan and financial management’.
This can help you learn to:
- budget and keep records of your purchases
- choose your supports and get the most out of your plan
- claim your NDIS funding, pay providers and make service agreements.
This support will need to meet the NDIS funding criteria for us to fund it in your plan. Either a plan manager or a support coordinator can provide this support.
For more information about this support, talk to your planner, local area coordinator or early childhood partner.