Getting Financial Help in Australia

Are you unable to pay your bills? Are you dealing with stress and constantly worried about money? It doesn’t have to be that way and taking control of your finances may be easier than you think. Getting professional financial help or assistance in Australia is not only easy, it’s free.
Below is a list of services you can quickly take advantage of to help you get back on track with your personal finances.

Learn how to quickly get out of debt, manage your money better and get ahead.

Get a Professional Financial Counsellor (free)
The Australian government funds, Financial Counselling Australia, a not-for-profit organisation made of professionals that provide free, independent and confidential advice and direction.  A financial counsellor will help you recognize the areas that truly need attention and how to address them. Counsellors will also be able to point in the right direction of grants, benefits and other resource to help you along with financial management.

This financial help can include negotiate on your behalf with creditors, identify government assistance programs you may be eligible for, help with budgeting and reorganize your finances, and refer you to community legal aid if needed.

Essentially counsellors are able to help remove all financial obstacles or issues you may be dealing with and put you on the right path for success.

 
Financial Help With Cash Flow
One area that low income earners often have issues with is monthly cash flow and unexpected expenses. Cash flow can be difficult to deal with but with month in and month out, but can be managed through creative budgeting. Unexpected expenses are more difficult as they need to be dealt with, but there is generally is no money to do so.

In these circumstances, finding financial assistance can be difficult. Below are different sources of financial help which can help.

Advanced Payments – If you are collecting Centrelink benefits, this is a way to access a portion of your future payments to help with current cash flow problems.

StepUp Loans – Loans can be very difficult to qualify for when on a low income. StepUp is a loan that was specifically designed to help low income earners. It is a low interest, no fee loan for amounts up to $3000. These loans are to assist for items such as car or home repairs, furniture, appliances, education, medical expenses and more.

No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) – this no interest loan can be used for the same items as the StepUp but cannot be used for bills, rent, and cash or for holidays. This is a smaller loan amount of $300 to $1200.

Government Programs – there are a couple different programs that can often help in a financial emergency or crisis. The Crisis Payment is a one-off payment that can help many families or individuals in certain crisis situations such as severe financial hardship. Whereas the Emergency Relief is a different government program to help and encourage self-reliance. It’s essentially assistance with medication, food, transport or other important general living costs.

 
Charitable Organisations – you can also reach out to the many non-profits that help with financial issues. This can include churches, community centres, and other private agencies.

Whilst there are numerous organisations that provide financial help, starting with a financial counsellor is highly recommended as they have strong networks and will most likely be able to assist you directly or point you in the right direction.