Plan-Managed Service Fees: What’s Normal & What’s Not

Service fees vs admin fees (plain English)

When you’re plan-managed, you might see more than one type of charge on a provider’s invoice or statement: service fees and admin fees. Service fees are for the actual supports you receive (for example, allied health sessions, support worker hours, or therapy time). Admin fees (sometimes called “management fees”, “processing fees”, or “plan management fees”) are for the paperwork and processes around getting those supports paid under your NDIS plan.

It helps to check who is charging what. Under plan management, many day-to-day tasks—like keeping records, claiming, and handling plan-managed payments—can be part of plan management arrangements. If a provider also charges an admin fee, ask: “Is this fee for managing my appointment and paperwork with NDIS, or is it duplicating plan manager tasks?” Ideally, you should see charges that clearly match the service delivered, and any extra admin charges should be explained in plain terms.

My Care Finders can help you compare providers and work out whether what you’re being charged is reasonable and clearly described. You can also use tools like MyMoney NDIS (www.planmanager.net.au) to understand how plan-managed costs may be tracked against your funding. If you feel unsure, request a fee schedule and a sample invoice before you proceed—especially if you’re comparing two providers.

Key takeaway: Service fees pay for support you receive; admin fees should be clearly explained and not “double-charge” the same plan-managed tasks.

• Ask for a breakdown: what part is service time, and what part is admin/processing?
• Check if the admin fee is a fixed amount, a percentage, or per claim.
• Confirm how it links to your budget—what funding category it uses and how it affects your plan.
• If anything looks unclear or inconsistent, contact your plan manager and compare with My Care Finders’ guidance.