A letter arrives saying your plan manager is closing down, and suddenly you have a job you never asked for: finding a new one. It is happening to more NDIS participants every month. In August 2026, Leisure Networks announced it would phase out plan management for around 2,800 participants. In May 2026, Interchange WA in Perth did the same. Others have quietly wound down too.
The good news is that a plan manager closing is far less dramatic than it sounds, because of one simple fact: your money was never with your plan manager in the first place. Here is exactly what is going on, and what to do, step by step.
Why are plan managers closing?
Three pressures are squeezing the industry at once. Plan management fees have been frozen by the NDIS since 2019, seven years and counting, while wages and costs have risen. Compliance obligations keep growing. And under the reforms currently before Parliament, plan management is planned to move to a panel of government approved providers from 1 October 2027, with proposed rules that make it very hard to offer plan management alongside other NDIS services.
That last point is why large community organisations are exiting: they would rather keep their other supports than give everything up for plan management. Expect more closures before the panel arrives. The providers built to last in this environment are the ones that do plan management only.
First: what a closure does not change
- Your funding is safe. Your NDIS budget is held by the NDIA, not by your plan manager. A closing plan manager cannot take a cent of it with them.
- Your plan does not change. No plan review or reassessment happens because of a closure.
- Your supports continue. Your providers keep delivering services exactly as before.
- Switching is free. Plan management is funded by the NDIS under its own budget line. There are no exit fees and no joining fees.
The five steps
- 1. Read the letters properly. A closing plan manager must tell you the end date, your options and what happens next. The dates matter most. Put the end date in your calendar.
- 2. Decide who you want. Many closing plan managers nominate a preferred successor and offer an easy transfer to them. Taking that offer is fine. But the choice is always yours, and a forced change is the perfect moment to choose the plan manager you actually want. Our guide to the 12 questions to ask a plan manager covers what to look for, and given why closures are happening, it is worth favouring providers that do plan management only.
- 3. Endorse your new plan manager with the NDIS. You or your plan nominee confirm the change in the my NDIS portal, or by calling the NDIA on 1800 800 110. Only you, your nominee or your guardian can do this, and it usually takes effect within days.
- 4. Let your providers know where to send invoices. Your new plan manager will usually help with this. Any invoices from before the switch are processed by your new plan manager, so nothing goes unpaid in the changeover.
- 5. Keep an eye on the first month. Check your first budget statement from the new plan manager, and forward on any stray invoices that went to the old one. After that, it is business as usual.
What happens if I do nothing?
Do not test this one. If your plan manager closes and no new one is endorsed, providers have nowhere to send invoices and payments stop until it is sorted out. The fix is simple, but it is stressful and avoidable. Ten minutes of choosing and one phone call to the NDIA is all it takes to avoid the gap.
Frequently asked questions
Does my NDIS funding change when my plan manager closes?
No. Your budget is held by the NDIA, not your plan manager, so a closure cannot affect your funding, your plan or your supports.
Do I have to go with the plan manager my old one recommends?
No. A closing plan manager can suggest or arrange a successor, but the decision is always yours. You can choose any registered plan manager in Australia.
Does switching plan managers cost anything?
No. Plan management is funded by the NDIS separately from your other supports, and there are no fees to leave one plan manager or join another.
Do I need a plan review to change plan managers?
No. Changing between plan managers is a records change with the NDIA, done through the my NDIS portal or by calling 1800 800 110. A review is only involved if you change how your plan is managed, for example moving from agency managed to plan managed.
What happens to invoices my old plan manager had not paid?
Your new plan manager processes them, including invoices for supports delivered before you switched. Ask your old plan manager to forward anything outstanding to your new one.
Need a new plan manager?
Dedicated Plan Management is a family run, registered NDIS plan manager (registration number 4050163721) supporting participants across Australia. Plan management is all we do, which is exactly the structure the new NDIS rules favour. You get a dedicated plan manager who knows you, fast invoice payments, and full visibility of your budget online. Sign up online in a few minutes and we will handle the rest, including guiding you through the endorsement step.
About this article
This article is general information, not personal advice. Switching processes are described per official NDIS guidance, and closure examples are drawn from public announcements by the organisations named. The panel arrangements from October 2027 are proposed reforms currently before Parliament and may change. For questions about your own plan, contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110.
Last updated 5 August 2026.