Financial Management Software for Public Trustees & Guardians

Modernising Financial Administration for Public Trustees and Guardians

SpendAble has stripped away the logistical barriers that once hindered represented people. With purpose-built software and debit cards it is faster to manage, harder to abuse, and fundamentally more dignified.
Colorful gradientA participant holding a SpendAble Debit Card
The trusted fund management standard for State Public Trustees and NDIS, Aged Care and Child & Family Services providers nation-wide.
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Why SpendAble?

Purpose-built software layer for State Trustees, bridging the gap between legislative compliance and client financial independence.

Funding Speed

Funding Speed

Deploy funds instantly for scheduled and adhoc payments instead of waiting 48 hours

Financial Visibility

Financial Visibility

Real time digital audit trail of all spending, replacing cash and third party accounts that restrict your visibility

Participant Agency

Participant Agency

Say goodbye to gift vouchers and providers deciding how your clients spend. Issue a card in the client's own name

Efficiency

Fast Client Onboarding

A simple online onboarding to get a debit card for represented people that supports the need for client manager involvement and doesn't need a branch visit or long days on the phone

The Old Way vs The SpendAble Way

Replace manual trustee workflows with the automated client fund management standard for State Public Trustees

SpendAble v trustee process
Spendable vs legacy processes

How We Compare to Legacy Band-Aids & Competition

SpendAble is the only solution in this category purpose-built for represented persons and their trustees

Capability
FEATURE
Custom-built for Trustees
Built for PWD / represented person first
Card in client's own name
Graduated independence pathway
Merchant-level spending controls
Category-level spending limits
Full digital audit trail
Real-time transaction visibility
Financial abuse protection
Works across all merchants
COST
Cost Competitive
No hidden fees
No lost balances (unspent funds returned)
IMPLEMENTATION
No IT integration required
No supplier/vendor onboarding
Deployable within weeks
SpendAble
Number of users
Individual user analytics
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Individual user analytics
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Total credit limit
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16
Vouchers & Gift Cards
Number of users
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Individual user analytics
a red X
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Individual user analytics
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Total credit limit
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Behaviour analytics
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Weekly reports
3
neutral
Weekly reports
3
a red X
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Monthly reports
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Custom reports
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Custom reports
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neutral
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3
Bank Transfer / Direct Debit
Number of users
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Individual user analytics
a red X
Individual user analytics
a red X
Total credit limit
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a red X
Behaviour analytics
a red X
Weekly reports
3
a red X
Weekly reports
3
a red X
Monthly reports
neutral
Custom reports
a red X
Custom reports
a red X
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7.5
General Expense Tool
Number of users
A white circle with a blue tick in it
Individual user analytics
a red X
Individual user analytics
a red X
Total credit limit
a red X
Behaviour analytics
a red X
Weekly reports
3
neutral
Weekly reports
3
neutral
Monthly reports
neutral
Custom reports
neutral
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Custom reports
neutral
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6

Legacy systems are outdated and limited

Vouchers

How it Works

Pre-establish account with supplier. Distribute voucher to client. Client redeems for item or service. Trustee pays after delivery.

Key Limitations

Cumbersome supplier onboarding. Hard to track balance and spending by client. Manual payment processing. Client has no flexibility to choose where they shop.

SpendAble's approach

No vendor management required. Block or whitelist merchants on the card. Real-time balance and spending by client.

Gift Cards

How it Works

Order cards restricted to a specific merchant. Distribute to clients. Client uses card at that merchant.

Key Limitations

~10% breakage — unspent funds kept by merchant. Card is in merchant's name, not client's. Restricted to one retailer.

SpendAble's approach

Trustee locks money to a specific purpose. Client uses their own card anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Unspent funds returned to client's estate.

Invoice/Bank Deposit

How it Works

Trustee receives invoice on behalf of client. Trustee processes and pays invoice directly.

Key Limitations

Full burden on trustee to liaise and process each invoice. Slow for both trustee and client. No client involvement in purchase.

SpendAble's approach

SpendAble allows trustees to allocate funds for the client to spend directly — avoiding manual invoice processing.

Bank Card

How it Works

Not currently supported by most trustees for at-risk clients.

Key Limitations

No mechanism to restrict categories or block merchants. No oversight of spending. Not suitable for clients with complex needs.

SpendAble's approach

Each client has a personalised card with configurable controls. Trustees set the guardrails; clients have genuine autonomy within them.
Legislation & Strategy

State-by-State Legislation & Strategic Priorities

As Australian State Trustees transition to supported decision-making mandates, SpendAble provides the digital infrastructure to bridge the gap between legacy systems and modern guardianship standards.

Key Context

NSW Trustee & Guardian manages 52,000+ financial administration clients — the largest caseload of any Public Trustee in Australia.

Strategic Priority

Legacy modernisation and a new operating model for less-complex FA clients. The organisation is actively seeking lighter-touch technology that sits on top of existing systems rather than replacing them.

Legislative Driver

NSW Guardianship Act 1987 and the 2023 supported decision-making reforms. The NCAT review process increasingly requires auditable evidence of client financial capability.

SpendAble Alignment

SpendAble's SaaS platform sits on top of existing trust accounting systems with no integration required. Case managers act as monitors rather than active gatekeepers — directly matching the new operating model for less-complex clients.

Key Context

State Trustees Victoria manages approximately 9,000 financial administration clients. The April 2025 VAGO audit named "declined requests for extra money" as the #1 FA client complaint.

Strategic Priority

Directly addressing the VAGO audit findings and operationalising the Financial Independence Program (FIP) — the "paying own bills" step for clients building financial capability.

Legislative Driver

Guardianship and Administration Act 2019 (Vic) and the VAGO audit recommendations. The audit's findings on declined requests are a direct mandate for process reform.

SpendAble Alignment

SpendAble's SaaS platform sits on top of existing trust accounting systems with no integration required. Case managers act as monitors rather than active gatekeepers — directly matching the new operating model for less-complex clients.

Key Context

Queensland Public Trustee is leading the sector on financial independence, with a dedicated Financial Independence Pathway (FIP) and the MyQPT client portal.

Strategic Priority

Making the FIP scalable — the program currently serves approximately 150 clients and the organisation wants to expand it significantly.

Legislative Driver

Guardianship and Administration Act 2000 (Qld) and the Customers First Strategy, which positions the FIP as a flagship program.

SpendAble Alignment

SpendAble's SaaS platform sits on top of existing trust accounting systems with no integration required. Case managers act as monitors rather than active gatekeepers — directly matching the new operating model for less-complex clients.

Key Context

The Public Trustee of WA is currently running an Income Management Trial to test graduated financial independence for represented clients.

Strategic Priority

Generating auditable evidence of financial capability to support tribunal and capacity review processes.

Legislative Driver

Guardianship and Administration Act 1990 (WA) and the Income Management Trial framework.

SpendAble Alignment

SpendAble provides the digital backbone for graduated independence — generating a permanent, auditable transaction history rather than relying on subjective case notes.

Key Context

The Public Trustee of SA is in the consideration phase following the Disability Royal Commission Recommendation 6.16, which called for financial skills development programs for represented people.

Strategic Priority

Developing a structured financial capability program that meets the DRC recommendation.

Legislative Driver

Guardianship and Administration Act 1993 (SA) and the DRC Final Report (2023).

SpendAble Alignment

SpendAble's SaaS platform sits on top of existing trust accounting systems with no integration required. Case managers act as monitors rather than active gatekeepers — directly matching the new operating model for less-complex clients.

Key Context

Both are actively developing or trialling independence pathways. ACT is running an active financial independence trial; NT is in early development of a Towards Independence Pathway.

Strategic Priority

Launching compliant, scalable independence tools without being blocked by legacy CRM dependencies or failed internal technology projects.

Legislative Driver

Guardianship and Management of Property Act 1991 (ACT); Adult Guardianship Act 1988 (NT).

SpendAble Alignment

SpendAble allows these smaller teams to launch standalone, compliant independence tools immediately — bypassing legacy system constraints entirely.
A happy NDIS disability provider

"SpendAble has helped our case managers transition from 'gatekeepers' to 'facilitators."

Executive Manager
State Public Trustee

Ready to see why Australian State Public Trustees and leading national providers have switched to SpendAble for client fund management?

No integration required. No platform dependency. Deployable within weeks.
Chris Kessaris, SpendAble CFO

Frequently Asked Questions

How does SpendAble replace gift cards and vouchers for Public Trustees?

SpendAble issues each represented person a Mastercard debit card in their own name. The trustee loads funds to the card in minutes. Spending controls — category limits, merchant blocking, spend caps — are enforced automatically at the point of transaction. Unspent funds remain in the client's account, not with a merchant.

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How does SpendAble support the supported decision-making requirements of the Guardianship and Administration Act?

SpendAble gives represented people a card in their own name and genuine spending autonomy within trustee-set boundaries. The trustee sets the guardrails; the client makes the choices. This directly operationalises the supported decision-making model required by the 2023 legislative amendments.

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Can SpendAble be used for financial independence pathway clients?

Yes. SpendAble's graduated control model allows trustees to progressively loosen spending restrictions as a client builds financial capability. The transaction history creates auditable evidence of responsible spending for use in tribunal and capacity review processes.

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How long does it take to deploy SpendAble?

SpendAble is a standalone SaaS platform with no integration requirements. Deployment typically takes weeks, not months — and does not depend on any existing technology replacement project.

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Does SpendAble work alongside existing trust accounting systems?

Yes. SpendAble is a standalone SaaS platform. It does not require integration with existing trust accounting or case management systems and can be deployed independently of any technology replacement project.

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How does SpendAble prevent financial abuse of represented people?

Real-time transaction monitoring, merchant blocking, and category restrictions create multiple layers of protection. Because every transaction is recorded in the client's name with a digital receipt, unusual spending patterns are immediately visible to the case manager — unlike cash or third-party bank accounts.

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Which Public Trustees use SpendAble?

SpendAble is currently deployed at two state-based Public Trustees in Australia. A detailed case study is available for download.

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What happens to a client's SpendAble card if they change support providers?

The card and account belong to the client, not the provider. When a client moves to a new provider, their SpendAble card and account move with them. There is no disruption to their financial arrangements.

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