Experiencing hardship?
We understand that sometimes people can experience financial difficulties due to changes in circumstances. This could be due to illness, a relationship breakdown, an emergency event or some other change to your income.
If you are struggling to meet your loan repayments, we are here to help you. Reaching out won’t affect your relationship with us negatively – we’re here to help you find a workable solution, and there’s no cost to ask for support.
What should you do?
If you are having financial difficulties, then you should contact us immediately. You can contact our hardship team by:
- Phone: Call us on 1300 761 711 between 9.00am and 6.00pm Monday – Friday (Sydney/Melbourne time)
- Email: Send an email to accountmanagement@nowfinance.com.au
- Post: Send your concerns via writing to PO Box 33116, Melbourne VIC 30004.
- Online: Click HERE to apply for financial hardship via the Customer Portal. (Note: You need to already be registered as a Customer Portal user but you don’t need a portal account to ask for help).
What information will we need?
We will need some information from you when you talk to us about your financial hardship. This information may include:
- why you are experiencing hardship and documentation evidencing the cause of the hardship (if available);
- details about your current income and financial expenses and your expected future financial situation; and
- what repayments you might be able to afford.
We aim to respond to your request as soon as we can after receiving information we need from you. If you’re not able to provide documentation straight away, let us know – we can still discuss your situation.
How will we help you?
There are a number of ways we can help including setting up a payment plan or altering your loan repayments. This is called a ‘financial hardship arrangement’. Your arrangement may be temporary or permanent, depending on your personal situation and circumstances.
We will talk to you about the financial hardship you are experiencing and work with you to find the best solution.
If you need extra support
We know that financial hardship can be connected to other difficult circumstances and we want to make sure you feel comfortable getting in touch, whatever your situation.
- If you are experiencing family or domestic violence, please let us know if there are any safety considerations we should be aware of, for example, a preferred contact method or time. Our team will treat this information sensitively. You can also contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (available 24/7) for free, confidential support.
- If you are experiencing mental health challenges, our hardship team is here to listen without judgment. If you need additional support, Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) and Lifeline (13 11 14) are available for free, confidential counselling.
- If you need an interpreter, you can contact the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to connect you with NOW Finance.
- If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact us through the National Relay Service at accesshub.gov.au/about-the-nrs or by calling 1800 555 660.
- If someone is assisting you with your finances such as a family member or authorised counsellor, they are welcome to contact us on your behalf, with your authorisation.
External support
If you are having financial difficulties you can also contact a financial counsellor on 1800 007 007 (free call) from anywhere in Australia. This is a free and independent service.
Otherwise, the National Debt Helpline website provides step-by-step guides to help you manage your debt problems. You can also find a lot of helpful financial information at www.moneysmart.gov.au and at https://www.creditsmart.org.au/financial-hardship/variation-financial-hardship-arrangement/.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome
If you’re not happy with how your financial hardship request has been handled, you can ask us to review the decision by contacting our Disputes Team via email on disputeresolution@nowfinance.com.au or by calling 1300 108 794.
If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), a free and independent external dispute resolution service at:
- Website: www.afca.org.au
- Phone: 1800 931 678 (free call)
- Post: GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001