If paying is causing you difficulty, let us know and we will work through it with you.
This document sets out our commitments to you. We review it regularly and update it when our practices or obligations change.
MHIA recognises that some of our customers will experience financial hardship that affects their ability to pay premiums or claim excesses. This policy describes the support we can offer and how you can ask for help.
This policy applies to all our individual customers, including policyholders, applicants for cover, and third-party claimants where relevant. It is consistent with Part 10 of the General Insurance Code of Practice.
We monitor hardship requests, complaints, customer feedback and support outcomes so we can improve our services and identify emerging customer needs.
Financial hardship is when a person is unable to meet a financial obligation — such as a premium instalment or a claim excess — because of their circumstances. It can be short-term or long-term.
Important: You do not need to use the words "financial hardship" to be treated under this policy. If paying is causing you difficulty, that is enough — let us know and we will work through it with you.
You can apply for hardship assistance — or someone can apply on your behalf with your permission — through any of these channels:
Applying is free. You do not need to provide documents before we start to help. We may ask for further information later to confirm what support we can offer on a sustained basis.
Anything you tell us about your circumstances will be handled sensitively, confidentially and in accordance with our privacy obligations. We will only ask for information that is reasonably necessary to assess your request.
A support person, family member, financial counsellor, community worker or other authorised representative can contact us on your behalf with your consent.
We will assess your request and tell you our decision within 21 calendar days of receiving enough information to do so. If we need more information, we will ask within 21 days and confirm a new timeframe at that point.
If your situation is urgent — for example, a claim is pending and you cannot afford the excess, family violence is involved, or your housing is at immediate risk — we will respond within two business days.
Depending on your circumstances and the cover in force, we can offer one or more of the measures below. The list is not exhaustive — we will work with you to find an arrangement that fits.
We will not always be able to offer hardship assistance. Where we cannot, we will tell you in writing, explain why, and let you know about your right to complain. We will also point you to the independent services below.
Financial hardship often arrives alongside other difficulties — health issues, language barriers, family violence, or recent bereavement. Where this is the case, our Vulnerability and Family Violence Policy also applies, and we will engage both policies together.
Where family violence is involved we will:
You can get free, independent and confidential advice from any of the following services. Talking to them will not affect your relationship with MHIA.
If you are not satisfied with our hardship decision, or with how we have handled your request, you can make a complaint at any time. We will acknowledge it promptly and respond within 30 calendar days. Our complaints process explains the steps in full.
If we cannot resolve your complaint, or you remain unsatisfied, you can contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). AFCA is free, independent, and its decisions are binding on us.
We will treat every customer in financial difficulty with respect, discretion and flexibility. We will move quickly, ask only for what we need, and look for a workable outcome. Where we cannot help, we will say so clearly and point you to the support that is available.