Financial Hardship

We understand that life doesn’t always go to plan and sometimes you may experience financial difficulties caused by unemployment, injury, illness, a natural disaster, or other unexpected impacts on your income and expenses.

We are here to support you during these tough times.

Financial Hardship

We are here to support you during these tough times.

What is Financial Hardship?

Financial Hardship can occur when your circumstances unexpectedly change, making it difficult for you to continue making your repayments. Examples of these changes include things like unemployment or reduction in income, a medical condition, natural disaster, family separation or violence. We are here to support you during these times.

What type of assistance is available?

We recognise that each person and situation is unique. The type of assistance that we provide will therefore depend upon your individual circumstances.

Some of the types of assistance we may be able to provide you through our Financial Hardship program include:

reducing or deferring payments for a period of time
reducing your interest rate
restructuring your debt
waiving certain fees

We will contact you with available solutions for your individual situation within 21 days of receiving your application for Financial Hardship.

How to access Financial Hardship assistance

If your financial circumstances have changed and you are unable to pay your account(s), you can request assistance by completing our online Hardship Application Form..

If you are unable to access the form online , you can download the Hardship Application Form and complete it offline, then upload the form here, or mail it to us via the below to apply:

For Credit Cards, Ready Credit and Personal Loans email us or send to PO Box 3453, Sydney, NSW, 2000.

What you need to complete the online Hardship Application Form:

Ensure you have access to the mobile number you registered with us. A code will be sent to authenticate your identity before you can proceed with the application.
Please have information about your income, expenses and assets on hand. It's best if you can complete this application form in one sitting, as you are unable to save your details and return later to complete it.

Once you have submitted your Hardship Application Form, one of our representatives will contact you to discuss your situation and the solutions that may be available to assist you.

Important Information

If you hold a NAB branded product and require financial hardship assistance on that product, please contact NAB Customer Care on 1800 701 599 (8:00am-8:00pm Monday-Friday and 9:00am-1:00pm Saturday AEST).
If you hold a credit card or personal loan which was formerly issued by Citigroup Pty Ltd (and which is now issued by NAB) which is branded Citi, Card Services, Coles Financials Services, Suncorp Clear Options, Qantas Money, Kogan Money, Virgin Money, Bank of Queensland or; Spot. Buy Now Pay Later issued by Diners Club Pty Ltd (now part of NAB), this hardship application will also be applied to any or all of those accounts as well. If you do not require hardship assistance on all of your accounts, please do not submit an online form and contact our hardship team on 1800 722 879.
If you have been paying for insurance on your Credit Card, Ready Credit or Personal Loan account(s) you may be eligible to make a claim with the insurer. Your account statement will indicate the name of the insurer you need to contact. An insurance policy wouldn't preclude you from applying for financial hardship assistance if you still require it. Insurance information can be accessed at https://www1.citibank.com.au/insurance.
Your Card / Account may be suspended from the time we receive your application for hardship assistance, and if approved, during the entire period you are on financial hardship. Ability to transact post your Financial Hardship assistance will be based on your Card or Account status.

How long will Citi take to make a decision about my Financial Hardship application?
We will respond to your application within 21 days of receiving it, either with the solution(s) available to you, or to request additional information if it is required.
What type of assistance is available?
We recognise that each person and situation is unique. The type of assistance that we provide will therefore depend upon your individual circumstances. We will contact you with the available solutions within 21 days of receiving your application.
How long is the assistance period?
We recognise that each person and situation is unique. The length of your assistance period will therefore depend upon your individual circumstances. We will work with you to find a tailored solution that may be short, medium or long-term, depending on your circumstances.
Do I need to provide supporting documents when I submit my Financial Hardship application?
We will contact you if we require any supporting documents which may assist us with reviewing your request for financial assistance.
Can someone else request assistance on my behalf?
Yes, provided we have your permission, a third party is able to request assistance on your behalf using this Appointment of Authorised Person Form.
My circumstances have changed since making a financial assistance request. What should I do?
After submitting your application, if your circumstances change, please inform us at your earliest convenience by contacting:

For Credit Cards, Ready Credit and Personal Loans: Email: dms.au@citi.com Or call: 1800 722 879
What does Citi consider when making a decision on an application for Financial Hardship assistance?
We provide assistance to our customers on a case-by-case basis. When we are deciding how to help you, we will take into account the information available to us, including all of the information you give to us regarding your financial situation.
Will you inform me about the outcome of my application?
Yes, you will be notified in writing of the outcome of your application. If you are enrolled into e-advice, you will receive the notification via email; otherwise we will send it to you via post.
What if I am not happy with the outcome of the assessment?
If you’re not satisfied with the outcome of the assessment, you can refer your complaint to our Customer Relations Unit:

    Email: aust.customeradvocacyunit@citi.com

    Call: 1300 308 935 or +61 2 8225 0615 if outside Australia

    Mail: Citi Customer Relations Unit, GPO Box 204, Sydney NSW 2001

For further information, please visit our complaints process webpage.
What will happen to my existing insurance on my Citi products?
If you have been, or are still, paying for insurance on your Credit Card, Ready Credit or Personal Loan account(s) you may be eligible to make a claim with the insurer. Your account statement will indicate the name of the insurer you need to contact. An insurance policy wouldn't preclude you from applying for Financial Hardship assistance if you still require it.
Whilst I receive financial assistance, how will my repayment history be reported to the credit bureaus?
In July 2022, amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 introduce Financial Hardship Information (FHI) as a new category of information, which will be displayed on consumer credit reports alongside Repayment History Information (RHI). The Financial Hardship Information will indicate if you have entered into a temporary or permanent hardship arrangement.

Financial Hardship Information (FHI) includes:

The type of financial hardship arrangement you have entered into which will depend on whether the changes to the terms of your loan or obligations are permanent or temporary.

- Variation Financial Hardship Arrangement (V) – indicates that a permanent variation to the terms of the consumer credit contract have been made and will be reported once in the month that the contractual variation took effect. Once the FHI has been reported with a Variation (V), the future RHI will be updated to indicate if the new monthly repayments are being paid on time or not.

- Temporary relief or deferral Financial Hardship Arrangement (A) - providing temporary relief from or deferral of the individual’s obligations in relation to consumer credit, reported each month that the arrangement is in place. During the period that any temporary relief or deferral Financial Hardship Arrangement is in place, the RHI will be concurrently reported to indicate whether you are meeting the obligations of your temporary financial hardship arrangement where payments were agreed to be made.

This information will be stored on your credit file for 1 year. Only your financial hardship information from licensed credit providers who hold an Australian Credit Licence can be recorded. Telecommunication and utility companies are not licensed credit providers, so your financial hardship information will not include these providers and they will not be able to see financial hardship information details either.

These changes will also allow licensed credit providers to access and use this comprehensive information in order to make more informed lending decisions. However, this information cannot be used by licensed credit providers to calculate your credit score.

To read more about Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR), Repayment History Information (RHI) and Financial Hardship Information (FHI) visit https://www.citibank.com.au/usecreditwisely.htm
What if I have a joint account and I am experiencing Financial Hardship?
If you have a joint account with someone and you are experiencing financial hardship, we can provide assistance. If you prefer not to involve the joint account holder in this process, please inform us of your situation and we can discuss your options.
Can I seek an extension on my existing hardship program?
At any point in time, if you require further assistance, you can contact us.

For Credit Cards, Ready Credit and Personal Loans: Email: dms.au@citi.com Or call: 1800 722 879
I need accessibility support
The National Relay Service (NRS) is a government initiative that allows people who may have hearing and/or speech impairments to make and receive phone calls.

For customers who may have difficulty speaking English - contact us on 13 24 84 and we can arrange for an interpreter to help you (subject to availability).

Please visit our Contact Us page for accessibility support contact details.

National Debt Helpline

Lifeline

R U OK?

1800RESPECT

Cancer Council

Further information

If, at any stage, you feel we have not been able to assist you or we have not provided you with assistance that will help your current situation, please feel free to email us with any further information that we can take into consideration:

For Credit Cards, Ready Credit and Personal Loans: dms.au@citi.com

Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Relations Unit on aust.customeradvocacyunit@citi.com or 1300 308 935. Our complaints process can be found here.

Financial Hardship

Financial Hardship

What is Financial Hardship?

What type of assistance is available?

Easy English Hardship information

How to access Financial Hardship assistance

Important Information when applying for Financial Hardship Assistance

Support services

National Debt Helpline

Lifeline

R U OK?

1800RESPECT

Cancer Council

Further information