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Payment assistance policy

If you’re having trouble paying your bill, talk to us early. Help is free, and our goal is to keep your business connected.

This is our financial hardship policy, also called our payment assistance policy. It applies to our residential and small business customers.

Our commitment

  • Our goal is to keep customers who are experiencing financial hardship connected.
  • We only use disconnection as a last resort.
  • You have the right to apply for financial hardship assistance.
  • Applying, being assessed and receiving assistance are free. We never charge for them.

How to ask for help

You don’t need a form. Contact us in any of these ways and tell us you need help paying:

To check how your application is going, contact us the same way. Someone you trust, such as a financial counsellor, can contact us for you. If you need an interpreter, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450, or use the National Relay Service.

Who can get assistance

You can get assistance if you’re experiencing financial hardship or other financial difficulty that affects your ability to pay us, and you want to use one of the options below.

What we may ask for

If you need short-term help (up to 3 billing cycles), or you’re affected by domestic or family violence, we won’t ask you for evidence.

We may ask for information that shows you’re in financial hardship only if you need longer-term help and either the amount to repay is more than $1,000, you’ve been with us for less than 2 months, or we reasonably suspect fraud. If we do, we’ll only ask for what’s strictly necessary. We’ll explain how it will be used and kept, let you show it to us rather than hand over copies where you prefer, and keep any record only for as long as the assessment needs.

How long it takes

  1. We tell you how long we expect the assessment to take.
  2. We complete the assessment as soon as we can, and within 5 business days of receiving your complete application.
  3. We tell you the outcome within 2 business days after completing the assessment. If it becomes clear you’re not eligible, we tell you straight away.
  4. Your arrangement starts as soon as you agree to it. We confirm it in writing within 2 business days, including what it involves, how long it lasts, your rights and obligations, and when we could take credit management action.
  5. If your situation changes, let us know within 14 days. We’ll review your arrangement within 5 business days of hearing from you.

Ways we can help

We tailor assistance to your circumstances and what you can afford. Options include:

  • More time to pay, by postponing, extending or deferring a bill’s due date
  • A payment plan based on what you can afford
  • A discount on a bill charge, or a credit to your account
  • Waiving some or all of a debt, where appropriate
  • Spend controls, such as blocking overseas or premium calls, or switching off automatic mobile data top-ups
  • Removing features you don’t need, at no cost
  • Moving you to a plan that better suits your circumstances
  • A free manual payment method, such as bank transfer

Keeping you connected

While you’re discussing options or applying for help, and while an arrangement is in place, we won’t restrict, suspend or disconnect your service for non-payment, or sell your debt.

If an arrangement isn’t working, we’ll contact you to review it first. We’d only consider credit management action after at least 3 attempts to contact you, on separate business days over no more than 10 days, using at least 2 methods, one of them in writing. Even then, we give you written notice at least 10 business days before any restriction, suspension or disconnection, and disconnection remains our last resort.

Free support services

  • National Debt Helpline: 1800 007 007, ndh.org.au (free financial counselling)
  • Small Business Debt Helpline: 1800 413 828
  • Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman: 1800 062 058, tio.com.au

Reviews and complaints

If you disagree with our decision or how we’ve handled your application, ask us to review it, or make a complaint using our complaints process. A complaint from a customer receiving payment assistance is treated as urgent where the issue makes their situation worse. If you’re still not satisfied, you can contact the TIO.