# Where to Find Help When You Can't Pay an Energy Bill

> Behind on a power or gas bill? Ask your retailer for its hardship program and a plan you can keep up, then check the grants and concessions in your state.

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- Author: Marnix
- Published: 2026-11-04



The bill is bigger than you planned for, the due date is close and the money for it isn't there. Maybe shifts dropped off, or a run of hot nights kept the air conditioner going. If a reminder notice has already followed it, the worry only gets louder.

Falling behind on power or gas happens to a lot of people, so there's a well-worn way through it. Almost all of it starts with one phone call.

## Talk to the retailer first

Your retailer is the company whose name is on the bill, the one you pay. Calling early leaves the most options open.

If it's a short gap, such as waiting on your next pay, ask for more time to pay, called a **payment extension**. If it's more than that, ask to join the retailer's **hardship program**. Retailers in NSW, Queensland, SA, the ACT and, for electricity, Tasmania must have a hardship policy approved by the Australian Energy Regulator under national energy rules. The rules differ in Victoria, WA and the NT, and for gas in Tasmania. If the first person you speak to doesn't know about the program, you can ask for the hardship team or a manager.

Under those national rules, a hardship program gives you a payment plan and help beyond it: checking which concessions apply where you live and a referral to free financial counselling. The retailer can't charge late payment fees while you're on the program, and it can't disconnect you as long as you keep to the plan.

## Agree on an amount you can keep paying

A payment plan is worked out with you. The retailer will ask what you can afford each time and how often you'd pay, and it looks at what you owe and how much energy you normally use. That last part matters: the instalment usually covers the power you keep using as well as the debt, so the next bill doesn't land on top of the old one.

Say Nina, who's made up, owes $360 on her electricity, and her power normally costs about $40 a fortnight. After rent and food, she can manage $55 a fortnight.

| Nina's $55 a fortnight (made up) | Amount (AUD) |
| --- | ---: |
| Power she keeps using | $40 |
| Off the $360 she owes | $15 |

At $15 a fortnight, the $360 is cleared in 24 fortnights.

You can offer an amount your actual pay covers, even if it sounds small on the phone. A plan you can't keep can be cancelled. If you've had two plans cancelled in a year, ask the hardship team what support is still available; family violence can change the rules. Our guide to [money left before payday](/blog/money-left-before-payday) walks through finding what each pay can spare.

That number is easier to find with your spending in front of you. Clova, our budgeting app, puts each purchase in a category, so what goes on food and transport is a real figure rather than a guess.

## Ask what your state or territory offers

Governments help in two different ways. A **concession** takes money off your energy bills for as long as you're eligible, usually because you hold a concession card such as a Health Care Card. An **emergency grant** is a one-off payment towards an overdue bill, usually after a crisis like losing work or an unexpected essential cost. It's paid to the retailer, not to you.

| Where | Help to ask about | Kind | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Victoria | [Utility Relief Grant](https://services.dffh.vic.gov.au/utility-relief-grant-scheme) | One-off grant | Up to $650 per utility, or $1,300 with one energy source, every two years |
| NSW | [Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA)](https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/grants-rebates/energy-accounts-payment-assistance) | One-off grant | After a short-term crisis; apply through Service NSW or a provider |
| Queensland | [Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme](https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/home-energy-emergency-assistance-scheme) | One-off grant | Up to $720 once every two years; start with your energy provider |
| WA | [Hardship Utility Grant Scheme](https://www.wa.gov.au/service/community-services/grants-and-subsidies/hardship-utility-grant-scheme) | One-off grant | Up to $640 a year, more in the north; after 90 days on a plan |
| SA | [Energy bill concession](https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/concessions/household-concessions/energy-bill-concessions) | Concession | Up to $291 a year; apply to ConcessionsSA |
| ACT | [Electricity, Gas and Water Rebate](https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/policy-programs/electricity-gas-and-water-rebate) | Concession | Up to $800 a year; ask your energy provider |
| Tasmania | [Annual electricity concession](https://www.sro.tas.gov.au/electricity-concessions/annual-electricity-concession) | Concession | About $1.84 a day off the bill; apply through your retailer |
| NT | [Electricity concession](https://nt.gov.au/community/concessions-and-payments/nt-concession-scheme/concessions/electricity) | Concession | Up to $1,200 a year; for NT Concession Scheme members |

One route each; your retailer can check the rest. Amounts as at November 2026.

Neither kind is automatic. The retailer can usually start the application or tell you where to apply, and some grants ask for documents such as payslips or receipts. A grant can come in under the maximum, and applying isn't the same as being approved, so count it only once it shows on your account.

Asking for a grant can also hold off disconnection. In Victoria, requesting the Utility Relief Grant form puts a hold on disconnection while the application is considered, which takes about four to six weeks. In NSW, a retailer can't disconnect you once it knows you've booked an EAPA assessment, so tell it when you book.

## If the retailer's offer is more than you can pay

Sometimes the first plan offered is too much, or the retailer won't offer one at all. A [free financial counsellor](/blog/free-financial-counselling) on **1800 007 007** can help you work out what's affordable and, if you want, speak to the retailer for you.

If you still can't agree, every state and territory has a free, independent energy ombudsman. You can go to it when you can't agree on what you owe or what you can pay, when the retailer won't give you a plan or its hardship program, or when you've been disconnected and think it was unfair. The Australian Energy Regulator's [complaints page](https://www.aer.gov.au/consumers/have-your-say/make-complaint) links to each one.

When power is one of several bills you're behind on, [asking each provider for hardship help](/blog/financial-hardship-assistance) works in a similar way.

## Keep the plan going

Once the plan is agreed, each instalment is a bill with a date, like rent. Lining those dates up with your paydays means every instalment comes from a pay that has already landed. If one stops being affordable, call the retailer before you miss it and ask to change the plan.

Clova is an Australian budgeting app. Join the waitlist and we’ll be in touch. [Join the waitlist](https://getclova.com/)

When the plan is steady, the bill itself is worth a look, and [saving on electricity as a renter](/blog/save-money-on-electricity) works through the power you use and the plan you pay for it on.

## A note from us

A hardship program is there to be used, and asking for it early is part of looking after your money. When the payment plan ends, a savings goal in Clova can keep that fortnightly amount going towards the next big bill.

## Common questions

### What if I've had a disconnection warning?

A warning is a step before disconnection, so there is still time to call the retailer. Under the national rules in NSW, Queensland, SA, the ACT and, for electricity, Tasmania, a retailer has to send a reminder and a disconnection warning and try to contact you first, and it can't disconnect on certain days, including Friday to Sunday and 20 to 31 December. If you've already been disconnected, ask the retailer about reconnection and a payment plan.

### What if the energy account isn't in my name?

Then the account holder is the one who can agree a plan, and most grants and concessions need the bill in the applicant's own name. In a share house, the person named on the bill makes the call, even if everyone pays a share. If your building bills you for power instead of an energy retailer, called an embedded network, ask that provider what help it offers. Some programs, such as NSW's EAPA, include certain embedded networks.

### Can the bill come straight out of my Centrelink payment?

Yes, through Centrepay, if your retailer accepts it. Centrepay takes regular amounts from your Centrelink payment for the bill and is free to use, which can make instalments easier to keep up. Ask the retailer to set it up.

### Should I switch to a cheaper retailer?

We'd wait until the overdue bill is sorted. A hardship plan or grant application runs through your current retailer, so ask how a switch would affect it first. When you're ready, Energy Made Easy is the government's free comparison site for NSW, Queensland, SA, Tasmania and the ACT.

## Sources

1. [Are you having trouble paying your energy bill? (fact sheet, PDF)](https://www.aer.gov.au/system/files/2025-08/Are%20you%20having%20trouble%20paying%20your%20energy%20bill%20fact%20sheet.pdf) · Australian Energy Regulator
2. [Customer hardship policies](https://www.aer.gov.au/industry/retail/customer-hardship-policies) · Australian Energy Regulator
3. [Make a complaint](https://www.aer.gov.au/consumers/have-your-say/make-complaint) · Australian Energy Regulator
4. [Help paying energy bills](https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/energy-and-environment/energy-bills/financial-assistance) · Government of South Australia
5. [Utility relief grant scheme](https://services.dffh.vic.gov.au/utility-relief-grant-scheme) · Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
6. [Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA)](https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/grants-rebates/energy-accounts-payment-assistance) · NSW Climate and Energy Action
7. [Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme](https://www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions/energy-concessions/home-energy-emergency-assistance-scheme) · Queensland Government
8. [Hardship Utility Grant Scheme](https://www.wa.gov.au/service/community-services/grants-and-subsidies/hardship-utility-grant-scheme) · Government of Western Australia
9. [Energy bill concessions](https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/concessions/household-concessions/energy-bill-concessions) · Government of South Australia
10. [Electricity, Gas and Water Rebate](https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/policy-programs/electricity-gas-and-water-rebate) · ACT Government
11. [Annual electricity concession](https://www.sro.tas.gov.au/electricity-concessions/annual-electricity-concession) · State Revenue Office of Tasmania
12. [Electricity concessions](https://nt.gov.au/community/concessions-and-payments/nt-concession-scheme/concessions/electricity) · Northern Territory Government
13. [Energy Made Easy](https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/) · Australian Energy Regulator

## Related reading

- [How much money do you have left before payday?](https://getclova.com/blog/money-left-before-payday)
- [How to Save Money on Electricity as a Renter](https://getclova.com/blog/save-money-on-electricity)
- [How to budget for monthly bills on fortnightly pay](https://getclova.com/blog/fortnightly-pay-monthly-bills)

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