Understand your bills and find concessions and rebates you may be eligible for.
Bills are any expense that you receive as a statement of money owed for goods and services. Bills can be for utilities like electricity and gas, telecommunications like phone and internet, plus health expenses, car repairs, rent, council rates, and more.
If you’re feeling bill pressure or you’re not quite sure about tackling a problem to do with a bill, take a look at our resources for choosing plans, finding discounts and concessions, and accessing support services. Remember, you are entitled to fair treatment.
What is a bill?
When you pay for goods and services, you enter into a contract with someone to supply you with their product or services in return for your money.
Bills are the main way providers communicate the status of the sale. How much you owe, when to pay, and the ways you can pay are typically listed somewhere on a bill.
Financial risks
One of the main financial risks of not being able to pay your bills is that you risk going into debt.
When bills stack up, even the best budgeters can have trouble from time to time. This is often due to circumstances outside of people’s control rather than their own actions.
For example:
- the bills that come at unexpected times due to factors like illness and car damage
- or even predictable bills that pile up quickly when the cost of living is high.
Before you sign up
You can sign up with most providers over the phone, online, or in person. Your provider must provide you with written confirmation of the price, terms and conditions of the plan and any other relevant information.
Fine print and change of mind
Make sure you understand and agree with the terms of the plan before you sign up. After purchasing the plan, you should have a specified period within which you can change your mind.
Utilities providers (electricity, gas, water)
There are many retailers in the energy market from which to choose a home energy plan. These plans can seem complex and confusing, and it can be a challenge to find affordable options in a highly-priced market.
Where to find a provider
Most state and territory governments run price comparison websites:
Energy Made Easy covers New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory
The Western Australian and Northern Territory governments
What to compare with providers
| Discount criteria | Large discount offers often require payment on the bill due date, so a discount plan may not be right for you if there’s a chance you might not be able to meet the requirements. | ||
| Flexibility | Fixed-term contracts usually offer the best deals, but you might prefer to have greater flexibility to change plans when you want, especially if you find a better plan elsewhere. | ||
| Deals | Shop around from time to time, as you might discover there is a better deal than your current plan. | ||
| Loyalty | If you want to change plans to something cheaper, contact your current retailer and see if they can offer you a better deal before making the final switch. | ||
| Whole package | Remember to consider the other features in the plan as well as the cost, as you might be looking for flexible billing arrangements or different terms of use as well as just the lowest-priced plan on the market. | ||
Victorian visitors, don’t miss these Energy Info Hub tips for reducing energy bills.
Phone and internet providers
There is a range of factors to keep in mind when looking for a plan or switching to a new provider for your mobile, landline or internet.
| Know your need | You want a plan that gets you what you need without paying for unnecessary extras. Think about how you use your plan each month, like how much data or how many calls need. | ||
| Contract | Check the contract period, and if you are signing up for a lock-in contract | ||
| Network coverage | Some providers might be eager to sell you their plan but might not be able to deliver near you, especially if you live in a remote or regional area. | ||
| Deals | Shop around from time to time, as you might discover there is a better deal than your current plan. | ||
Where to find information
Choosing a mobile phone plan – tips from Moneysmart
Prepaid plan and post-paid plans – CHOICE outlines the pros and cons
Services Australia quarterly payment – help with costs for some payment recipients
Understanding your bill
Bills can be confusing even for the most informed person.
There has been regulation by governments to simplify and standardise some of the information you’re given on energy and gas bills, and retailers are required to let you know if you could be paying less on an alternate plan.
However, phone and internet bills don’t have the same government requirements.
Providers typically have a website page on how to understand bills.
Concessions and rebates on your bills
Even with the best-priced plan, it might still be difficult to afford to pay your bills. All state and territory governments in Australia have a range of concessions, rebates and subsidies for people who are having difficulty paying bills. For example, Victoria’s Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS).
| Australian Capital Territory | Cost of living assistance |
| New South Wales | |
| Northern Territory | Concessions scheme |
| Queensland | Energy concessions |
| South Australia | Energy bill concessions |
| Tasmania | Electricity concessions |
| Victoria | ConcessiConcessions and benefits ons |
| Western Australia | Household Bills and Appliances |
If you receive income support payments through Centrelink, you might be eligible for the Telephone Allowance or Energy Supplement payments.
More concessions
You can find more utility voucher schemes in your state or territory at Moneysmart.
If you have a Healthcare Card or other concession you might want to check with your provider if they offer a concession rate on any of their plans for eligible customers.
Paying through Centrepay
If you receive income support, you can use Centrepay to directly pay bills from your income support payment. This service is entirely voluntary. You choose which payments the deduction comes from, how much you want to pay, and to whom you want to pay.
Who can help you with bills?
If you’re having trouble paying bills the first thing to remember is that by law, you have a right to fair treatment.
Contrary to popular belief, electricity, gas, and water companies cannot simply cut off your supply if you are experiencing financial hardship. This is because governments have deemed their services to be essential. You do need to be in touch with their financial hardship teams, however.
Phone and internet companies, unfortunately, don’t have the same requirements, even though their services can be just as important. In all cases though, there are steps you can take to negotiate your payment and help you can turn to if things become overwhelming.
Your provider
Utilities and telecommunications providers usually run ‘hardship’ departments that are staffed by people whose job it is to help their customers through times when they’re having difficulty paying bills.
Good to know
The law requires providers to give fair treatment to customers, whatever their circumstances. Even if payment comes late, providers would rather they are paid for their product and retain you as a customer than cut you off or chase you for a debt.
What you can do
There are options available to you that could help you reduce, postpone, or spread out bill payments. You can ask your provider for help with:
- payment extensions
- payment plans
- payment matching
- concession information
- financial counselling service referrals.
What about council rates?
If you pay council rates and are in financial hardship, local councils can choose to defer or waive all or part of unpaid rates. Most local councils have a policy in this regard, which you should be able to find on their website.
Where to find information
Telling your providers – general support on getting started with your providers
Template letters – pre-written letters from the Consumer Action Law Centre
Negotiating payment terms – pointers from the National Debt Helpline
When contacting providers, it’s wise to keep a record of when you called, who you spoke with, and what you discussed.
Cancelling a direct debit
You should contact your bank if you want to cancel a direct debit and can’t do so through the business. If you believe there has been an unauthorised transaction, be sure to act quickly.
Pre-form letters to use:
Instruct your bank to cancel a direct debit authority
Instruct a business to cancel their direct debit authority
Contacting the ombudsman
If you feel you haven’t been treated fairly, and a complaint hasn’t led to a satisfactory outcome, you can contact the ombudsman in your state or territory.
Ombudsmen are independent agencies that help to resolve disputes between people and companies or government agencies. It’s a free and independent service, and while the process can be lengthy, your complaint, once submitted, will be resolved.
Who should you contact?
There are many ombudsmen organisations for various industries and government sectors, both at the federal and state or territory level.
| Service | Who can help | ||
| Energy and water | Australian Capital Territory – ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal New South Wales – Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW Northern Territory – Northern Territory Consumer Affairs Queensland – Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland South Australia – ewoSA Tasmania – Energy Ombudsman Tasmania Victoria – Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria Western Australia – Energy and Water Ombudsman WA | ||
| Phone and internet | The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman | ||
| Financial services | There is some crossover between the organisations: Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – Financial services and products including banking products, investing, superannuation and insurance Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) handles complaints about financial firms; such as banks, superannuation companies and investment firms. There is overlap with ASIC. | ||
| More | The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman oversees other ombudsman schemes and handles complaints about the following: Private health insurance Overseas students VET student loans Postal industry Defence Force Immigration Law enforcement Australian Capital Territory Ombudsman | ||
This information was last updated on 5 June 2023.
The links and resources in this article have been compiled and reviewed by the Brotherhood of St. Laurence. We aren’t responsible for what you’ll find at the links, though we do hope you find the information useful. See our disclaimer if you’d like to know more.
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