If you're struggling financially right now, you can get support. Many organisations offer financial assistance and counselling. Plus, all major banks have dedicated teams to support clients facing financial hardship.
Banks – financial hardship teams
| Bank | Phone number | Website |
|---|---|---|
| AMP | 1300 130 191 | Experiencing financial hardship? |
| ANZ | 1800 252 845 | Customer Connect |
| BOQ | 1800 079 866 | Financial hardship assistance |
| BankSA | 1800 679 461 | BankSA Assist |
| Bankwest | 1300 769 173 | Financial hardship |
| Bendigo and Adelaide Bank | 1300 652 146 | Financial difficulty assistance |
| Commonwealth Bank | 1300 720 814 | Emergency assistance |
| HSBC | 1300 555 988 | Financial difficulty |
| IMB | 133 462 | Hardship assistance |
| ING | 1300 349 166 | Financial hardship |
| Macquarie Bank | 1300 363 330 | Financial hardship |
| ME Bank | 1300 500 520 | ME Bank financial hardship |
| NAB | 1800 701 599 | Financial hardship |
| Rabobank | 1800 025 484 | Financial hardship |
| St.George Bank | 1800 629 795 | St.George Assist |
| Suncorp Bank | 1800 225 223 | Suncorp Customer Assist |
| Westpac | 1800 067 497 | Westpac Assist |
Financial assistance services
| Service | Contact | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
Provides emergency relief, counselling and other support services. | ||
Helps residential customers in financial hardship who are struggling to pay electricity/gas bills. | ||
Provides free debt management in Australia through a network of outreach centres in partnership with local churches. | ||
Find your local agency details in the DSS Grants Directory | Provide immediate financial and material support to people in financial crisis. Community agencies deliver emergency relief services and help people address immediate basic needs in times of financial crisis. | |
Provides information about the EAPA scheme and how it works, and a list of providers for more information. | ||
Provides information and advice for customers having difficulty paying electricity bills. | ||
| Financial Counsellors Association of NSW | 1300 914 408 | Peak membership organisation for financial counsellors in NSW. |
Provides financial counselling information, advice and referral services on credit, debt and banking issues to NSW residents. | ||
| Mortgage Hardship Service | 1300 888 529 | Provides written advice about the scheme – short-term help for people experiencing temporary difficulties with their home loan repayments because of an unavoidable change in circumstances. |
Provides no-interest loans to low income earners for household items or services. | ||
Link to Optus's Financial Hardship Assistance & Policy page. | ||
Offers flexible payment terms and options for customers experiencing genuine difficulties. | ||
Helps customers facing financial hardship with their bill. |
Counselling and support services
| Service | Contact | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
My Aged Care | Provides accommodation and care services to over 700,000 older people, people with disability and their carers. | |
Alcoholics Anonymous Australia | Provides support and advice to people affected by alcohol addiction. | |
Beyond Blue | 1300 224 636 | Improves mental health across various stages of life and areas of the community. |
Cancer Council | Provides news, information and support for people living with cancer and their families. | |
Carers NSW | Provides carer information, support and counselling. | |
Creating Links | Provides a range of services for Bankstown LGA residents, including Family Services, Community Services, Children Services, Fostering, Disability Services and Financial Wellbeing Services, NDIS provider. | |
Crohn's and Colitis Australia | Provides support services, funds research and creates public awareness for Australians with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. | |
Domestic Violence Line (Communities & Justice) | Provides support and advice to victims of domestic and family violence, including emotional, psychological, financial, sexual or other types of abuse. | |
Drug Arm Australasia | Offers drug awareness resources and programs. Fact sheets, drug information list, resource lending library and organisation details. | |
Check website for local contact numbers. | Offers a free, voluntary and integrated service to meet the needs of vulnerable children, young people and families by bringing together families, relevant services and community resources in the local area. | |
Family Relationship Advice Line | National telephone service established to help families affected by relationship or separation issues. | |
Fight Dementia | Provide support services to sufferers of dementia, including 24-hour phone support, early intervention programs for people with dementia, education, therapy and carer support groups. | |
Free gambling counselling services for people affected by gambling, family members and friends. | ||
HSRU | Provides direction for service providers and community members to respond to situations of squalor and hoarding. | |
Lifeline | Providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. | |
Meals on Wheels NSW | Provides nutritionally balanced meals and support to frail, aged people, people with disability and their carers. | |
Mensline Australia | Provides national telephone and online support, and information and referral services for men with family and relationship concerns. | |
Muru Mittigar | Provides financial services such as NILS (No Interest Loan Scheme), EAPA (Energy Accounts Payment Assistance) and Financial Counselling. | |
Narcotics Anonymous Australia | Provides support and advice to people affected by narcotic addiction. | |
Parents Beyond Breakup | 1300 853 437 | Provides advice and support for separated mothers and fathers. |
Parentline NSW | 1300 130 052 | Provides free professional help for parents and carers of children 0–18 years in NSW. |
Parkinsons Australia | 1800 644 189 | Provides advice and support for people with Parkinsons and their carers. |
Redkite | 1800 733 548 | Supporting children diagnosed with cancer aged 0–18 and their families. |
Relationships Australia | Provides counselling and mediation services for couples and families. | |
Salvation Army | Provides free nationwide professional telephone and online counselling. | |
Sane Australia | Provides free nationwide professional telephone and online counselling. | |
Service NSW | Access NSW Government rebates and savings. | |
Suicide Call Back Service | Provides free nationwide professional telephone and online counselling for anyone affected by suicide. | |
Telecross | Red Cross can provide you with a daily telephone call to check on your wellbeing through a service known as Telecross. | |
Tenants NSW | Provides advice and support for tenants of private rental housing, social housing tenants, boarders, lodgers and residential park residents. |
Accredited community agencies
If you'd prefer to speak to someone in your local area, there's a range of accredited community agencies you can call to find out about payment assistance options.