Immediate help if you’re in financial hardship
What is financial hardship
You may be experiencing financial hardship if you’re having difficulty repaying loans. This can be a very stressful time but there is help available. The best option to manage financial hardship will depend on:
- the amount of debt you have
- who you owe money to
- your personal circumstances.
Get started
If you don’t know where to start, call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 to speak to a financial counsellor. They can help assess your situation, offer advice and refer you to other services that can help. This is a free service, available Monday to Friday 9.30 am to 4.30 pm.
You can also use the web chat service on the National Debt Helpline website on either your mobile or computer device. This service is available Monday to Friday 9 am to 8 pm.
Help in your language
You can call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the National Debt Helpline for you.
Help for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
You can access additional help by calling the Mob Strong Debt Help line on 1800 808 488. This is a free service, available Monday to Friday 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Find out more about Mob Strong on the Financial Rights Legal Centre website.
Get advice
The Moneysmart website has information about who you can talk to for financial advice. These links will take you away from myGov.
Find support and services
There’s support available to help you with money, food, housing, mental health and other essentials.
Helpful information
There’s more information and resources to help you if you’re going through a tough time.