SELF MANAGING YOUR NDIS PACKAGE by Heather Renton

SELF MANAGING YOUR NDIS PACKAGE by Heather Renton Syndromes Without A Name (SWAN) Australia

Disclaimer • The information presented today is correct to my knowledge at the time of writing this presentation. It is based on my personal experience of self managing my child’s NDIS package. Please note that NDIS information is subject to change without notice and SWAN Australia or myself cannot be held accountable for any misguided or false information. We encourage you to do your own planning and research around the NDIS and self managing your NDIS package. • The self managing process and advice reflected in this presentation is what SWAN Australia and I consider important when self managing your NDIS plan and are independent of the NDIA’s views.

Why Self Manage • Choice and control (are not limited by NDIS providers) • Employ: Ø Who you want Ø Where you want Ø When you want Ø And how you want • More choice of community activities e. g. RDA • Maximize your hours for support workers and allied health professionals • Not sure self management is for you? Visit https: //ndis. gov. au/participant/self-managing-budgets. html

Self Managing Steps Section 1 my. Gov and your plan

How To Use the NDIS Portal 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. my. Gov Explained Linking your NDIS account to my. Gov Accessing your child’s plan Viewing your child’s plan on my. Gov Plan sections explained NDIS support categories (plan budget) What your plan looks like Interpreting your plan Payment requests – uploading and reviewing Support budgets

Linking my. Gov to your NDIS account • Register for My. Gov and link your NDIS account https: //my. gov. au • Using your NDIS access code (received over the phone or by post), link your child’s NDIS service to your my. Gov account • Add your child’s NDIS bank account to their NDIS account

Linking my. Gov to your NDIS account • Click on NDIS tab to go to my plan

Accessing Your Child’s Plan • Select your child’s name to view their plan details and then select their plan

Viewing the plan on my. Gov • Select your child’s plan

Viewing the plan on my. Gov

Plan Sections Explained 1. About Me • Living arrangements, relationship and support • Daily Life 2. My Goals • My Plan's Goal(s): - e. g. Daily life and relationships • Medium to Long Term Life Goals : - e. g. Learning 3. Informal and Mainstream Supports • Informal • Community

Plan Sections Explained 4. My Supports

NDIS Support Categories (Plan Budget)

What Your Plan Looks Like A/ Cover Letter • Will state that the supports specified in the plan are reasonable and necessary • Will state if you can self manage • How to lodge an internal review – within 3 months B/ Part 1 – About Me • Where you live and the people who support me • My daily life C/ Part 2 – My Goals • My first goal is: • My second goal is: • My long term goals and aspirations are:

What Your Plan Looks Like D/ My Supports • Family and friends • My informal supports • Services and community groups • My community and mainstream supports • NDIS reasonable and necessary supports budgets

Interpreting Your Plan • Go to NDIS pricing guidelines https: //www. ndis. gov. au/providers/pricing -and-payment • Translate your plan by matching it to the pricing guide and by dividing the allocated budget for the support in your plan by the price per hour in the pricing guide to calculate the numbers of hours you have for that support • To view budget on my. Gov visit: Child’s Plan/Child’s Support Budgets • Transpose onto an Excel spreadsheet (if you don’t trust the NDIS portal). Set each worksheet up with support e. g. core – daily living, CB – Relationships. Include hours, rates, total funding, used funding, funds remaining input a graph based on figures

Payment Requests • Upload payment requests (invoices) to the portal by clicking on child’s name payment requests

Uploading A Payment Requests • Add a payment request by entering the support start and end dates • Select support category and enter the amount you are claiming

Viewing Payment Requests • View and confirm payment request • Record payment details and number on spreadsheet (if desired)

Check Support Budget • Select child’s support budget Client’s Name Client’s Name

Check Support Budget

Self Managing Steps Section 2 Employing your own staff and seeking service providers

Self Managing Steps • Information on self managing your plan can be found on the NDIS website: https: //ndis. gov. au/participant/self-managing-budgets. html • From there you can download the “Self Managing your Plan Document” and the “Self Managing Capacity Building Fact Sheet” Employing your own support staff if your support worker does not have their own ABN 1. Register for PAYG 2. Register for Work. Cover 3. Advertise and employ staff (relevant if they have an ABN) 4. Service agreements (different service agreements for PAYG and ABN providers) 5. Superannuation (if you are required or choose to pay it) 6. Tax withheld 7. Employee registration form, checklist and handbook 8. Time sheets & invoices (required to pay invoices for ABN providers) 9. Other tips

Registering for PAYG • To find out more about PAYG visit: https: //www. ato. gov. au/business/payg-withholding • Determine what form you need to complete to register for PAYG. • If you do not have an ABN you will need to complete a NAT 3377 https: //www. ato. gov. au/assets/0/104/188/217/c 1 a 08841 -4 b 7 b-4 d 3 e-8 c 40 -6 dc 72 fff 7 bed. pdf • If you do have an ABN you will need to complete a NAT 2954 or connect through your business portal, contact the ATO by phone or through your tax agent or BAS agent http: //www. incentiveaccountants. com. au/template/files/5525/n 2954. pdf • You can ask the ATO to integrate your accounts so it sits on 2 different levels, so it is separate from your business account

Registering for Work. Cover 1. Visit https: //www. worksafe. vic. gov. au/insurance/apply to find out about applying for Work. Cover insurance 2. Register online and nominate your agent, the price is set by the Government and is the same regardless of agent. 3. You will need to pay the fee on a financial year basis e. g. if you employ someone in April you will need to pay the fee in April and then again after 1 July. The cost is determined by the total amount you anticipate paying your employees.

Advertise and Employ Staff 1. Visit a list of registered NDIS providers https: //ndis. gov. au/document/finding-and-engaging-providers/find-registered-serviceproviders. html 2. Visit the NDIS information on directly employing your own staffhttps: //ndis. gov. au/html/sites/default/files/Directly-engaging-my-own-staff. pdf 3. Advertise on university websites e. g. http: //www. latrobe. edu. au/careers/advertise 4. Interview your staff and let them meet your child to see if there is a connection or you feel comfortable employing them. It is often good to meet potential employees on neutral territory. 5. Check referees, ensure they have a current disability state police check clearance and Working with Children/Working with Vulnerable People Screening, first aid is desired but not required 6. Ask your employee to complete a TFN (NAT 3092). You will need to complete your section of this form, keep a copy and post the original to the ATO https: //www. ato. gov. au/Forms/TFNdeclaration/https: //www. ato. gov. au/assets/0/104/1328/1465/82 fba 3 a 5 -9935 -4 a 9 f-b 92943 bb 11 f 60 c 39. pdf

Service Agreements • Complete a service agreement between you and the person you are employing. https: //ndis. gov. au/html/sites/default/files/documents/making_a_service_agreement_0. pdf • A service agreement outlines the supports that will be delivered and the responsibilities and obligations of both parties. It should include: Ø The service and supports outlined in the agreement (including how they will be provided) Ø The cost of supports and terms of payment Ø The location and time the supports will be provided Ø Time frame of supports and service agreement Ø How disputes will be resolved Ø Cancellation policy Ø Amending and terminating the agreement Ø Employee and employer responsibilities under the agreement • Base rates of pay, duties and conditions under the MA 000100 - Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (http: //awardviewer. fwo. gov. au/award/show/MA 000100)

To Download Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 [MA 000100] • Visit Fairwork Ombudsman https: //www. fairwork. gov. au/awards-and-agreements/awards/list-of-awards

Pay Rates under #MA 000100 Award • Select Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 [MA 000100] Pay Guide to download the award and look for the Home Care Employee rate you wish to pay your employee • Be aware pay rates increase each year the first pay cycle after 1 July so it is a good idea to subscribe to the award updates through the Fair Work website.

To Determine Pay Level & Pay Point Category • Answer the questions until you need to select the Home Care category and click on the down arrow to read the description so you can best select the pay level you would like to pay

Pay Rates under #MA 000100 Award • Visit Fairwork Odbudsman https: //www. fairwork. gov. au • To Determine the Award Pay Rates, click on Pay/Minimum Wages/Pay

To Determine Pay Level & Pay Point Category • Visit https: //calculate. fairwork. gov. au/Find. Your. Award

Pay Rates and #MA 000100 Award

Superannuation • If you pay an employee $450 or more (before tax) in a calendar month, you have to pay the Super Guarantee (SG) of 9. 5% on top of their ordinary time earnings (OTE) unless your employee is under 18 or is a private or domestic worker, such as a carer. They must also work for more than 30 hours per week to qualify for the Super Guarantee. You can choose to pay super even if not required to do so. You can either use the ATO App to determine if you need to pay the Super Guarantee or visit: https: //www. ato. gov. au/Business/Super-foremployers/Working-out-if-you-have-to-pay-super/ • You will need to show the amount of superannuation you pay your worker on their payslip along with their fund name and number • To pay superannuation you need to use a clearing house. If you employ less than 19 employees you can use the ATO free clearing house by first registering at: https: //www. ato. gov. au/Business/Super-for-employers/Paying-super-contributions/Small. Business-Superannuation-Clearing-House/

Superannuation and Tax Withheld

Superannuation • You will need to register your employees name, date of birth and the superfund name and ABN and USI number. If you know the super fund name you can get the ABN and USI by using the http: //www. superfundlookup. gov. au website or looking on the individual superfund website.

Superannuation

Tax Withheld • You may not need to withhold any tax if your employee have ticked that they are claiming the tax free threshold. • Either download the ATO App or download the Tax withheld calculator from the ATO website to calculate the amount of tax to be withheld. https: //www. ato. gov. au/calculators-and-tools/tax-withheldcalculator/ • You will need to complete a BAS lodgment once a quarter and pay the tax you have withheld through the ATO portal or through a tax agent. You will need to pay this from your NDIS bank account e. g. if you pay your worker earns $800. 00, $18. 00 is withheld as tax and the net pay your worker receives is $782. 00. You will need to reclaim $800. 00 from NDIS and pay $18. 00 to the ATO at lodgment time.

Employee Registration Form • Contact details and date of birth • Bank details • 2 emergency contacts • Medical details – GP, ambulance member, health fund, allergies, medication • Drivers license number, confidence level with taking my child on public transport or in their own car • TFN, WWC number, police check number, first aid certificate • Signed acknowledgment they have received and understood their service agreement and provided true and accurate information on their employee registration from.

Employee Checklist • Checks completed and recorded e. g. referee check, WWC, police check • TFN completed, recorded and forwarded to ATO • Support worker registration form • Bank account details recorded as a payee on X’s NDIS bank account • Superannuation fund details recorded • Employee handbook given and explained • Service agreement explained and signed • Timesheet/invoicing App explained • Orientation/induction • Workers compensation insurance paid

Employee Handbook • About the client: Ø Their family Ø The disability Ø Education Ø Activities Ø Eating Ø Self Care Skills Ø Sensory Issues Ø Behaviours Ø Challenges • Emergency contact details

Employee Handbook • House orientation Ø House entrance/exit Ø Client’s preferred activities Ø Food preparation Ø Self care and cleaning Ø Out of bounds areas and activities Ø Animals Ø Emergency procedures Ø Questions

Time Sheets & Pay slips • Set up separate email for NDIS invoices/time sheets • Use an App for time sheet e. g. Hourly Rate • Create a pay slip – use commercial ones e. g. https: //www. fairwork. gov. au/pay-slips-and-record-keeping or write your own in Excel and save pay slip as a pdf to email client. Include: Ø Employee and employers name (and ABN if applicable) Ø Employees award and classification of award Ø Pay period, processed date and run number Ø Rate of pay Ø Ordinary hours, over time, leave, entitlements, tax, super and net pay Ø This pay and pay year to date • Withhold tax if need be, pay superannuation if relevant, pay employees net pay into their bank account via EFT from your NDIS account • Email pay slip to client • Submit quarterly BAS through ATO portal

Other Tips • Log NDIS plan on a tracking Excel spreadsheet with formulas or keep a paper copy of your plan expenditure • Set up folders with indices for different support category and services e. g. core – daily living, core – social and community participation • Set up separate email for all NDIS invoices • Upload plan, service agreements, employee checklist, employee registration and employee handbook, tracking spreadsheet to cloud server or back up on a hard drive or thumb drive