Electricity Gas & Water Bills

COVID-19 Changes: The pandemic may mean there are more flexible repayment arrangement available for people in financial difficulty. There are also additional protections to stop disconnection. For more information see COVID-19 changes: utilities, telcos and rates

Steps to get your utility bills under control

01

Work out what you can afford to pay

If you’re struggling to pay back money you owe, the first thing to do is to work out what you can actually afford to pay by doing a simple budget. How to work out what you can afford to pay.

If you can afford to pay something
Start paying the amount you can afford and get in touch with your creditor straight away to put a repayment agreement in place.

If you can’t afford to pay anything
Call us on 1800 007 007 straight away for advice.

02

Contact your service provider

The sooner you contact your provider, the better. They may be able to offer you more affordable options such as:

Making sure you’re on the best plan for your usage
Averaging out your yearly usage into regular payments so seasonal bills don’t hit as hard
Offering an instalment payment plan for outstanding bills
Allowing you to delay a payment
Identifying power-hungry appliances at home so that you can moderate use – sometimes utility companies partner with community agencies that do house calls to help you assess usage
Checking your discounts, concessions and grants eligibility

UTILITY GRANTS AND CONCESSIONS

All state and territory governments in Australia have a range of discounts and sometimes grants. These vary from state to state, but in general they comprise:

percentage discounts on usage costs
subsidised usage for people who use electricity for medical care
heating and cooling schemes
some payments towards part or whole amounts of bills

Ask your utility provider for information about concessions in your state, or refer to your state’s government website:

ACT – Australian Capital Territory – Assistance
NSW – Office of Energy and Climate Change
Northern Territory – NT Concessions Scheme
Queensland – The Department of Energy and Water Supply
South Australia – The Department of Human Services
Tasmania – Department of Health and Human Services
Victoria – The Department of Health and Human Services
Western Australia – ConcessionsWA.

03

Ask to speak with the ‘hardship department’

If you feel the customer service department isn’t helping, or you’re having long-term financial issues, ask to speak with the hardship department.

For people in severe hardship, some utilities have ‘incentive payments’ or ‘payment matching’. This means that for every regular instalment you make towards paying the bill, your provider will also contribute toward your bill
In most cases, if, through no fault of your own, you can’t afford to pay for your usage, the hardship department can keep you connected

BE PREPARED BEFORE YOU GET IN TOUCH

Read about how to negotiate payment terms.

Use this letter or email template to request a hardship variation (Word 29kb).

04

If you can’t agree, dispute it

If you can’t come to an agreement that you think is fair, you have a right to seek ‘external dispute resolution’ if it’s available in your state or territory. This free and independent service gives you an opportunity to explain how you can work with your provider to get back on track with payments. Refer to Dispute Resolution (Step 2).

05

Speak to one of our financial counsellors

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need some help to deal with your financial hardship, you can speak with one of our financial counsellors.

Financial counsellors aren’t judgmental about your circumstances – they’re here to offer you free, confidential and independent advice and assistance.

To speak to a financial counsellor you can:

Call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 – open Weekdays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Use our live chat service by clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner of your screen. Live chat is available 9:00 am to 8.00 pm weekdays. If you send a message outside these hours a financial counsellor will get back to you.
Make an appointment to see a financial counsellor in your local area – Find a local Financial Counsellor.

Our tips

Don’t use your credit card to pay your bills – this will only add to your debt
Don’t be tempted to go to a payday (fast loan) lender. You could end up further in debt and in even more financial difficulty. Instead speak to your creditor to ask for hardship.

What should I do if?

I've got a disconnection notice

In every state/territory in Australia, there are rules about when and how you can be disconnected. Your provider must offer you hardship assistance (on request) and give notice before disconnection.

If you’ve received a disconnection notice:

Contact your utility provider immediately
Tell them you’re in financial hardship
Ask them not to disconnect you
If the energy provider says it will proceed with the disconnection, lodge a complaint with the Energy and Water Ombudsman.

I've already been disconnected

Our first step is to immediately contact the energy provider and request a reconnection.

If they refuse to reconnect you, contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman in your state/territory immediately.

They may:

try to arrange for reconnection
help you negotiate repaying your energy debt
investigate whether the company followed the correct process for disconnection (Victorians may be eligible for compensation payment if the correct process wasn’t followed)

If the Ombudsman isn’t able to help you, call to speak with one of our financial counsellors on 1800 007 007.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

ABOUT DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES

If a door-to-door representative convinced you to sign a contract in your home, you may be able to cancel it.

If a door-to-door representative persuaded you to sign a gas, electricity or water contract in your home, you may be able to cancel the contract:

During the 10-day “cooling off” period that applies for all contracts entered into in a home, or
If you’ve been misled by a high-pressure sales pitch that’s not true or they’ve falsely claimed the service would save you money. Remember to include cancellation fees from your old service provider when assessing a ”discount”.

If the service provider refuses to cancel the service, contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman.

Are you having difficulty paying your electricity, gas or water bills, or worried about being disconnected?

Your utility provider can be very helpful if you get in touch – remember that they’re legally required to assist you. The sooner you get in touch, the sooner you can find a solution.