Financial Hardship Policy

Financial hardship is when you're willing but temporarily unable to meet your payment obligations to us because of illness, unemployment, a change in your circumstances, a natural disaster, family or domestic violence, or another reasonable cause.

This is different from a dispute about a bill or a general unwillingness to pay — if you disagree with a charge, see our Complaints Handling Policy (Section D) instead. You can raise both a hardship request and a billing dispute at the same time if that reflects your situation.

This policy applies to residential customers, small business customers, and not-for-profit organisations who hold an account with Lightning IP. It is made available consistently with the Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024.

This policy, and how to access it, is available free of charge on our website and on request, including in accessible formats and through the National Relay Service or an interpreter service on request.

We proactively monitor accounts for signs that a customer may be experiencing financial hardship — for example, a missed or late payment, a broken payment plan, repeated contact about an inability to pay, or a customer telling us about a change in circumstances (such as job loss, illness, or a declared natural disaster).

Where we identify these signs, we will proactively let you know about this policy and the assistance available, rather than waiting for you to ask. We train our staff to recognise the signs of possible hardship and to respond with empathy and without requiring you to disclose more than is necessary to access support.

You can tell us you're experiencing financial hardship at any time, whether or not you've missed a payment, by calling us, emailing us, using our online account portal, or asking a family member, financial counsellor, or other authorised representative to contact us on your behalf.

We will not require you to provide proof of hardship before discussing options with you, although we may ask reasonable questions to help us recommend the most suitable form of assistance.

When you contact us about financial hardship, we will discuss your circumstances with you and work out which forms of assistance are appropriate, having regard to matters such as the reason for your hardship, whether it's likely to be temporary or ongoing, your capacity to pay, and any amount you already owe us.

We will confirm any arrangement we agree with you in writing, including what you need to do to keep it in place and when it will be reviewed.

Depending on your circumstances, the assistance we may offer includes:

1. a payment plan, letting you pay off an outstanding amount in instalments over an agreed period;
2. an extended payment plan, over a longer period than our standard payment plans where your circumstances warrant it;
3. a temporary deferral of your next bill or bills while your circumstances stabilise;
4. switching you to a lower-cost plan better suited to your current needs and budget, without an early termination charge;
5. waiving or reducing late payment fees, dishonour fees, or other associated fees;
6. waiving or reducing part of an outstanding debt in appropriate circumstances; and
7. temporarily restricting rather than disconnecting your service (for example, to a lower-cost tier or with non-essential features suspended) so you stay connected while things improve.

This list isn't exhaustive — we'll work with you on an option, or combination of options, suited to your situation, and explain clearly what each option means for your bill and your service.

We do not charge you a fee to apply for, or to be assessed for, financial hardship assistance. Any change to your plan or payment arrangement made under this policy will be clearly explained to you, including any effect on your bill, before it takes effect.

Where you're experiencing hardship, we will take reasonable steps to maintain your service — such as offering a payment plan or a lower-cost plan — rather than suspending or disconnecting it. We will not suspend or disconnect your service for non-payment while you are participating in, and meeting the terms of, an approved hardship arrangement under this policy, consistent with the Suspending or restricting your Service clause in our General Terms (Section A).

We will not sell or refer your debt to a third-party debt collector while you are participating in, and meeting the terms of, an active hardship arrangement under this policy.

We will not list a default against your credit file, or escalate debt collection activity, in relation to a debt that is the subject of an active hardship arrangement you are meeting the terms of. If you stop meeting the terms of an arrangement, we will contact you before taking further action, and give you a reasonable opportunity to get back on track or discuss an alternative arrangement.

We will review your hardship arrangement with you periodically, or sooner if you tell us your circumstances have changed. If an arrangement is no longer suitable — for example, because your hardship is ongoing rather than temporary — we will work with you to agree a more suitable option from those set out in this policy.

If you're not satisfied with the assistance offered or how your hardship request has been handled, you can ask for it to be reviewed under our Complaints Handling Policy (Section D). You can also contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) at any time, at tio.com.au or on 1800 062 058, for free and independent dispute resolution.