Hardship request refused after job loss? Prepare your next complaint
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A refusal is not the end of the process. If your lender has rejected a hardship request, ask for its reasons and keep a record of what you requested. If you cannot agree, or the lender does not respond, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) can consider financial-hardship complaints. Complaining is free; it does not guarantee that a repayment proposal will be accepted. [1] [3]
This guide is for organising your next step about an Australian personal loan, credit card or home loan. It is general information, not financial or legal advice. It does not assess your contract, repayment capacity or complaint. Business borrowing, rent, utilities and government-payment disputes have different processes; do not assume the loan process below applies to them.
First: is there an urgent notice?
If you have court papers, an enforcement threat or a notice putting your home or car at risk, seek help immediately rather than waiting to complete this checklist. National Debt Helpline says to get legal advice immediately if court proceedings have commenced. AFCA can consider certain enforcement-related complaints, but a default court judgment introduces additional limits. Do not assume sending an email cancels a deadline or automatically stops every action. [2] [3]
For help with debts, call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007. If you cannot get through, check its website for live chat and local financial-counsellor options. For questions about lodging a complaint, AFCA lists 1800 931 678. These are direct service contacts, not Money Haven referral arrangements.
Work out what happened before writing again
Choose the row that describes the response you actually received
Swipe horizontally to read all columns. Keyboard: focus the table and use arrow keys.
| What happened | What to clarify | What to keep |
|---|---|---|
| The lender said no | Ask for the reasons in writing and whether it considered another arrangement. | The refusal, original request and any alternatives discussed. |
| The lender asked for more information | Ask which documents are missing, why they are needed and how to send them securely. | The request, document list and proof of delivery. |
| No response arrived | Check the request reached the lender and ask for a reference and expected response date. | The original contact date and every follow-up. |
| An arrangement was offered but you cannot afford it | Explain the gap using current income and essential expenses; do not describe an unaffordable offer as workable. | The proposed terms and your current figures. |
The table is an organising aid, not a legal finding. Moneysmart says lenders must consider requests and give reasons for refusing assistance. National Debt Helpline explains that relevant information can include income, expenses and the cause of hardship. An information request is not necessarily a refusal. [1] [2]
Build a small evidence pack, not your whole life story
Use a private folder or paper envelope. The following is our suggested index; your lender or AFCA may request different or additional information.
- A one-page timeline. Record when employment ended, when you first asked for help, what you asked for and the date of each response. Mark a remembered phone conversation as your note, not as an agreed transcript.
- The request and response. Save emails, secure messages, letters, reference numbers and any refusal reasons. Keep copies of attachments actually sent.
- Evidence of the income change. Gather available termination correspondence, final payslips and current income information. Label an undecided Centrelink claim or hoped-for job as unconfirmed, not income already being received.
- A current financial snapshot. List income, major expenses, debts and what you believe you can pay. Keep the payment frequency beside each amount so weekly expenses are not mistaken for monthly ones.
- The question still unresolved. For example: the lender has not explained its refusal; it has not addressed the income change; or the offered payment is more than your current figures allow.
These categories reflect the information described by Moneysmart and National Debt Helpline. AFCA also asks financial-hardship complainants to complete a statement of financial position about their situation and how they plan to repay the debt. Use AFCA's own linked form and instructions, rather than buying a complaint pack. [1] [2] [3]
A short follow-up you can adapt
This is an original example for communicating facts, not a prescribed legal notice. Remove anything that is not true.
Subject: Follow-up about my financial hardship request
I contacted you on [date] about difficulty meeting my repayments after my employment ended. My reference is [reference].
Your response was [brief description, or state that no response has arrived]. The issue I still need addressed is [specific issue].
Please confirm the status of my request, any relevant information still needed and when I can expect a response. If the request has been declined, please provide the reasons and explain your complaint process. Please send your response through [a safe contact method].
Use a contact channel verified on the lender's own website or app. Do not put account statements, identity documents or Centrelink records in public comments, and do not send them to Money Haven. If a document is unavailable, explain that to the lender and ask what it can accept; do not invent an amount or a job-start date to fill a gap.
When to contact AFCA
AFCA's hardship page explicitly covers declined requests, no response, some default notices and certain enforcement issues. You can contact AFCA if you are unhappy with the lender's response or do not hear back. You do not need to buy representation to use the free complaint process. AFCA checks whether it can consider the complaint. [3]
Do not treat a generic internet deadline as applying to every case. National Debt Helpline explains that response timing depends on whether further information is requested. Give AFCA or your counsellor the actual dates and any urgent notices so they can help you understand the next step. [2]
After receiving a complaint, AFCA sends it to the financial firm and encourages a solution. If it remains unresolved, its process can include investigation, a conciliation discussion and a decision. That is a dispute-resolution process, not an automatic debt write-off. [3]
Before agreeing to a new arrangement
- Ask for the payment amounts, dates, duration and review date in writing.
- Ask what happens to interest, fees and any missed payments, and what repayments would be after the arrangement ends.
- Check whether the figures depend on income that has not started.
- If it is not affordable, say so rather than accepting just to finish the conversation.
Moneysmart says only to agree to payments you can afford, and to contact the lender straight away if an arrangement stops being manageable. National Debt Helpline says to contact it immediately if you cannot afford to pay anything. [1] [2]
Your useful next step: locate the request, response and any notice with a deadline, then decide which service to contact. For what a counsellor can help with, see our free financial counselling guide. If organising income and expenses is the missing piece, our budgeting-tool guide starts with a free option; a paid app is not required to complain.