Who does what
What a Nominee Does
Someone who may communicate with the NDIA or make certain NDIS decisions on your behalf.
There are two types
Plan Nominees and Correspondence Nominees.
Your wishes remain important
A nominee must listen to you and act in a way that supports your wishes and wellbeing.
Their authority has limits
A nominee cannot automatically make every decision about your life or supports.
Plain language guide
The detail, broken into useful sections.
Read the sections that matter to you. The content has not been shortened or changed, only organised so it is easier to scan.
What is a nominee?
A person formally recognised by the NDIA to act on behalf of an adult participant. They are not paid by the NDIA. Nominees are generally for participants 18 or older — younger participants usually have a child representative, such as a parent or guardian.
Plan Nominee
May make certain decisions about your plan — asking for changes, preparing for a new plan, decisions about plan management, communicating with the NDIA about funded supports, managing or helping manage funding, and working with providers. The NDIA records the scope of their authority.
Correspondence Nominee
May receive letters, emails and notices from the NDIA, request information, communicate with the NDIA, and help you understand correspondence. They do not automatically have authority to make plan decisions.
The same person can hold both roles, or different people can hold each. You may have one, the other, or neither.
What a nominee must do
- Find out what you want and listen to your views
- Support your wishes and wellbeing
- Act in your interests, not their own
- Help you participate in decisions
- Support you to build your decision making skills
- Keep information private
- Act within the authority given to them
What being a nominee does not allow
It does not let someone control every part of your life, make every health or personal decision, access every provider record, sign every contract, override your wishes without proper reason, or use your funding for themselves. Guardianship and financial management orders are separate arrangements.
Adding, changing or removing a nominee
You can ask the NDIA. They may ask who you want appointed, which role, what they should see and do, how long the appointment lasts, and whether the arrangement supports your wishes and wellbeing.
SCL Support Services
What SCL can help with
SCL will:
- Check a nominee or representative’s authority where needed
- Continue involving you in decisions
- Share information only within that authority
- Record relevant nominee details
- Communicate in a way you understand
- Raise concerns where someone appears to be acting outside their authority or against your interests
An NDIS nominee and an SCL representative are not necessarily the same thing. We may ask you to complete a Representative Nomination Form when you want someone involved in your services.
Official information
This page explains things in plain language. The NDIS is the authority on the rules, and they change. Check the official pages for the current position.
Last checked: August 2026
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