BOQ is here to support you during difficult times, because we know life doesn’t always go to plan. If you are concerned about your financial position and feel that you are or will be unable to meet your financial obligations, we may be able to assist you.

Get in touch with our Customer Assistance Team as soon as you can on 1800 079 866 between 8:30 am – 5:00 pm AEST, Monday to Friday.

Common causes of financial difficulty

Common causes of financial difficulty may include but are not limited to the following:

  • Changes to employment
  • Reduction in income
  • Injury, illness or the loss of a loved one
  • Relationship breakdown or family violence
  • Natural disaster or drought

 

How we can help you

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Depending on your situation, we have a range of options to help you. We may:

  • change your loan repayments for a short period to interest only
  • postpone your loan repayments for a short period
  • extend the term of your loan to reduce your monthly repayment amount
  • incorporate any overdue amounts into your loan, then recalculate your repayments to the end of the loan term. 

When you contact us, our Customer Assistance team will work with you to find out what options may suit your situation. In circumstances where the recovery of your financial position is unlikely, we will continue to work with you to explore other options, which may include giving you time to sell your property or referring you to seek advice from a financial counsellor.

 

Try our free budget planner

Our free budget planner can help you to create a realistic monthly budget to assist you manage your money. Just enter your income and expenses to get a clearer picture of your financial position.  

 

What external support is available? 

Every state and territory in Australia has free and confidential counselling services where you can get advice. Just go to:

 

How to apply for financial assistance

Personal Lending Customers

Prepare your application

Get the following information ready:

  • details about all your accounts, loans, credit cards and other liabilities
  • details about your income,  expenses and assets
  • details about any loan or income protection insurance policies
  • consider the reason you need financial assistance and for how long.

How to submit your application

We'll contact you

Our Customer Assistance Team will review your application and contact you to discuss your options, or to ask you for more information.

We may also ask you to provide supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate or employment separation certificate).

We'll provide an outcome

If we do not require further information from you, we will respond to your application within 21 days.

If we ask you for more information during this time; we might take a further 21 days after receiving the information to make a decision.

If you don’t provide us with the requested information, we’ll make our assessment based on the information we have within 28 days of the date we asked for the information.

Additional things to consider

If you're deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment 

You can reach us through the National Relay Service. For more information go to Accessibility.

If English isn't your first language speak to our interpreter services

If you’d rather speak to us in another language we can arrange an interpreter to help you when you call us or visit a branch. The interpreter services are available free of charge. 

Asking someone to represent you

If you want someone to apply for you, you’ll need to give them a written authorisation form to complete so they can prove to us that they’re acting for you. In some cases we may still need to contact you directly.

If you want to appoint an authorised representative, complete the Authorised Representative Authority Form – For Collections and Financial Difficulty and return it to us.

Business Customers

Prepare your application

Get the following information ready:

  • details about all your accounts, loans, credit cards and other liabilities
  • details about your income, expenses and assets
  • details about any tax liabilities, if any
  • details about any loan or income protection insurance policies
  • consider the reason you need financial assistance and for how long.

How to submit your application

We'll contact you

Our Customer Assistance Team will review your application and contact you to discuss your options, or to ask you for more information.

We may also ask you to provide supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate or employment separation certificate).

We'll provide an outcome

If we do not require further information from you, we will respond to your application within 30 days.

If we ask you for more information during this time, it might take us longer to make a decision.

If you don’t provide us with the requested information, we'll make our assessment based on the information available to us.

Additional things to consider

If you're deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment 

You can reach us through the National Relay Service. For more information go to Accessibility.

If English isn't your first language speak to our interpreter services

If you’d rather speak to us in another language we can arrange an interpreter to help you when you call us or visit a branch. The interpreter services are available free of charge. 

Asking someone to represent you

If you want someone to apply for you, you’ll need to give them a written authorisation form to complete so they can prove to us that they’re acting for you. In some cases we may still need to contact you directly.

If you want to appoint an authorised representative, complete the Authorised Representative Authority Form – For Collections and Financial Difficulty and return it to us.

Credit Card Customers

If your financial circumstances have changed and you are unable to pay your Credit Card account(s), you can request assistance by completing an Online Application Form. Please ensure you have access to the mobile number you have registered on your credit card account. A code will be sent to authenticate your identity before you can proceed with the application.

Please also have information about your income, expenses and assets on hand before you commence the application. Once you start filling in your details, you will need to complete the application as you will be unable to save and return to the form at a later stage.

If you are unable to access the Online Application Form, you can apply by downloading a copy of the PDF Application Form and  emailing or posting it to us at dms.au@citi.com or PO BOX 3453, Sydney, NSW 2000. Alternatively you can contact us on 1800 261 300 Monday to Friday from 9am to 9pm AEST, excluding public holidays.

If you have a BOQ Specialist Credit Card, click here to access the financial difficulty assistance that may be available to you.

 

Important Information before you apply for Financial Hardship Assistance

  • Citigroup Pty Limited is the credit provider and issuer of BOQ Credit Cards. If you hold other Citigroup Credit Cards, Ready Credit, Personal Loan product(s) including partner products your request for financial hardship assistance will be applied on all your accounts. 
  • Once we have received your completed application form, one of our representatives will contact you to discuss your situation and solutions that may be available to assist you. 
  • You are not required to provide supporting documents at the time you submit your application. We will inform you if we require supporting documents.
  •  If you have been or are still paying for insurance on your Credit Card account(s) or Personal Loan product(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. 
  • From the time we receive your request that you require financial hardship assistance and during the process including the time you are on an approved program, your repayment history will be reported as 'blank' to the credit bureaus. This is standard practice when reporting for customers experiencing financial hardship.
  • 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Call us

Call the Customer Assistance Team on 1800 079 866 between 8:30 am - 5:00 pm AEST, Monday to Friday

Submit an application online

    

Submit application here

Application Form

Download the application form from the "How to apply for financial assistance" section and email or post: Customer Assistance Team, GPO Box 898, Brisbane QLD 4000