Budgeting Help
There are many categories of financial assistance available from Services Australia to help with the expenses of daily life for people on low incomes or unable to work in the paid workforce.
- Energy rebates
- Rental assistance
- Family payments
- and more.
Ensure you are receiving all the help you can obtain for your situation.
Plans such as Centrepay can help you budget for your regular expenses by allocating a fixed amount per fortnight from your Centrelink payment to cover many of your bills. When money is tight, try to focus on paying for the essentials, including rent/home loan, gas & electricity, water, food and fuel. If you cannot afford to pay for these basic essential living costs, visit Urgent Financial Assistance for further information.
Budgeting planner tools are also helpful, such as this one - ASIC Moneysmart Budget Planner Tool.
When you can’t afford to pay your debts:
Check out Financial Hardship Assistance. If you would like tailored information about your personal circumstances, a financial counsellor can assist you to understand the options you may have to reduce the financial stress. Some of the areas financial counsellors can assist with include reducing the cost of your debt repayments, a break from repayments (known as a moratorium), or in special circumstances they can seek a waiver of the debt.
If you would like to speak to a financial counsellor, call The National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
Warning about short-term loans:
Tempted to get a Payday loan or short-term loan? These loans are often easy to obtain but very expensive to repay, often leading to bigger and bigger debts. Click here for alternative sources of affordable finance.
Listen to the podcast Why A Payday Loan May Not Be A Good Idea, where Better Place Australia financial counsellor, Christine, unpacks what a payday loan is and the traps to watch out for..
