Updated date: 1 March 2026
We’re here to help
At Fig Energy, we understand that life can throw up unexpected challenges that make it hard to pay your bills. Whether it’s illness, job loss, family violence, a bereavement, or any other difficulty, we want to work with you so you can keep the energy connected and get back on track.
This page summarises our Hardship Policy. Depending on the state you live in, a different version of the policy applies — please read the one that covers you.
Applies to residential customers in Victoria
This is Fig Energy’s Hardship Policy for residential customers in Victoria who are anticipating or experiencing payment difficulties. It explains the minimum standards of assistance you are entitled to, and how we will work with you so that disconnection is only ever a last resort.
This policy applies to residential customers — that is, customers who purchase energy principally for personal, household or domestic use.
The Victorian Energy Retail Code of Practice, which sets out retailers’ obligations and minimum customer entitlements, takes precedence over this policy in all circumstances. We have systems in place to meet our obligations under:
Our objective is to provide flexible, practical assistance that makes it easier for you to pay for your ongoing energy use and repay any arrears, so that disconnection for non-payment is only ever a last resort.
Customers receiving assistance from us can expect to:
We will treat you with respect and empathy and take into account your individual circumstances. We will not require evidence of your circumstances unless we have a firm basis to do so.
If you are having trouble paying a bill, or think you may have trouble paying future bills, please don’t hesitate to contact us by using the details in Section 15.
The earlier you get in touch, the more we can do to help.
If your first language is not English, we can arrange a free interpreter through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, you can contact us through the National Relay Service at www.accesshub.gov.au/nrs or call 133 677.
You can ask a representative — such as a financial counsellor, family member, or community worker — to contact us on your behalf. We need your permission to talk to your representative, which you can provide by phone or in writing.
We aim to identify customers who may be experiencing payment difficulties as early as possible. We will offer our assistance if:
We will consider your individual circumstances when providing assistance, including (but not limited to):
We will take information you give us at face value and will not require evidence unless we have a firm basis to do so.
If you are not yet in arrears of $55 or more (including GST), you are entitled to Standard Assistance. This is designed to help you avoid falling behind on your bills.
Equal payments — You can make equal payments at a regular interval we agree on (for example, $50 per fortnight).
Payment intervals — You can choose a payment interval (weekly, fortnightly or monthly) that is shorter than your usual billing cycle.
Extension of pay-by date — You can extend the pay-by date of one bill by 14 days, once in any 12-month period.
Payment in advance — You can make regular or ad hoc payments towards your account in advance.
Contact us before the pay-by date on your bill. We will work with you to set up an arrangement that suits your circumstances.
If you miss a payment and your arrears reach $55 or more, we will contact you within 21 business days of the pay-by date to offer you Tailored Assistance.
If you are in arrears of $55 or more (including GST), you are entitled to Tailored Assistance. This provides flexible and practical help to pay for ongoing energy use, repay arrears, and lower your energy costs.
Class A Tailored Assistance — For customers who can pay the full cost of their ongoing energy use. Includes:
Class B Tailored Assistance — For customers who cannot pay the full cost of their ongoing energy use. In addition to everything in Class A, you are entitled to:
We will use our best endeavours to contact you within 21 business days of a missed pay-by date (where you are in arrears of $55 or more) to offer Tailored Assistance. We will contact you using your preferred contact method where known.
You will have at least 6 business days to consider the information we provide about Tailored Assistance before needing to respond.
When deciding whether to extend the initial 6-month arrears-on-hold period, we will consider:
Under clause 129 of the Energy Retail Code of Practice, we will accept a payment proposal from you that:
We may also accept proposals that involve different amounts at different intervals, longer repayment periods, or separate payments for arrears and ongoing use, depending on your circumstances.
When we accept a payment arrangement, we will give you a written schedule showing:
For payment arrangements longer than 12 months, we will review your reasonable forecast usage at least once every 12 months to make sure your payments are still on track.
If you miss a scheduled payment, we will contact you in a timely way to discuss a revised arrangement. We will allow flexibility for occasional underpayments or late payments. We will not suspend assistance for occasional missed payments.
Based on your energy use, payment history, and circumstances, we will identify the energy offer and tariff most likely to minimise your ongoing energy costs. We will consider tariff design, discounts, fixed benefit periods, and supply charges. If a better offer is available, we will offer to switch you at no cost.
For customers receiving Class B Tailored Assistance, we may offer one or more of the following:
We will provide comparative information (for example, kWh used this billing period vs. previous periods) so you can assess how your efforts to reduce costs are tracking.
We will not promote reductions in energy use to a level that may put your health and wellbeing, or that of anyone in your household, at risk.
We will help you access concessions and grants you are eligible for, including:
We will retrospectively apply missed concessions wherever possible within Department of Families, Fairness and Housing guidelines.
We can refer you to non-government support, including:
You can choose whether to accept a referral — we will not make referrals a condition of receiving our assistance.
You have the right to:
We ask that you:
We may suspend assistance if you consistently and consecutively:
Before suspending assistance, we will contact you and explain what action you need to take. If we suspend assistance, we will notify you in writing and explain your remaining entitlements.
Disconnection for non-payment is always a measure of last resort. We will not disconnect you while you are actively engaging with us under this policy.
We will only consider disconnection after:
We will not offer a supply capacity control product to a residential customer for any credit management purpose.
While you are receiving assistance under this policy:
We will not sell or assign your debt within 10 business days after any disconnection for non-payment.
We will handle your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy. Sensitive information (such as health information or information about family violence) will be handled with extra care.
If you are unsatisfied with any part of the service we have provided, please use the details in Section 15 to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV):
We will review this policy periodically to ensure it remains appropriate and effective. If the policy changes, we will notify customers currently receiving assistance.
We will promote this policy through:
Staff who deal with customers experiencing payment difficulty receive regular training to identify and support customers fairly and appropriately.
Applies to residential customers in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania or the ACT
This is Fig Energy’s Hardship Policy. It explains how we identify and assist residential customers who are experiencing financial hardship and finding it hard to pay their energy bills.
We understand that difficulties in other areas of life can affect your ability to pay. This policy sets out what we will do to help you manage your energy bills and minimise any risk to the ongoing supply of energy to your home.
This policy applies to all residential customers of Fig Energy in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania or the ACT who are experiencing payment difficulties due to financial hardship.
You might experience hardship because of factors like:
The National Energy Retail Law and the National Energy Retail Rules set out retailers’ obligations and minimum customer entitlements, and take precedence over this policy in all circumstances. We have systems in place to meet our obligations under:
This policy explains:
When you are experiencing payment difficulty due to hardship, we will:
Energy is an essential service, and disconnection is always a last resort.
The sooner you contact us, the more we can do to help. If you are having trouble paying a bill, or think you may have trouble, please don’t hesitate to contact us by using the details in Section 16.
Our hardship team is specially trained to help customers experiencing payment difficulty.
You can ask a representative to contact us on your behalf. This might be:
We need your permission to talk to your representative. You can provide this permission by phone, email or in writing.
We can communicate with customers who have diverse communication needs, including (but not limited to):
If you need an interpreter, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450 and ask them to call us. This is a free service.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, you can contact us through the National Relay Service:
Please let us know how we can make it easier for you to communicate with us. This may include using your preferred contact method or providing information in accessible formats.
You may have trouble paying your bills for many different reasons. Please contact us so we can discuss your individual situation.
When you contact us about hardship assistance, our trained staff will:
We will assess your application within 10 business days of receiving it and let you know the outcome.
If we decide that our hardship program is not the right fit for you, we will tell you why and let you know about other options that may be available.
We offer a range of ways to pay, including:
When we set up a payment plan, we will consider:
We have adopted the AER’s Sustainable Payment Plans Framework as good practice for assessing capacity to pay.
Your plan will include payments to cover both what you owe (arrears) and an amount towards your ongoing energy use.
Once we agree to a payment plan, we will send you information including:
If you miss a payment, we will contact you using your preferred contact method to check whether you need help or any adjustments to your plan. We will review your plan to make sure it still suits your circumstances.
If you have had two payment plans cancelled in the past 12 months because you did not keep to the plan, we are not required to offer you another plan and your energy supply may be disconnected. Before this happens, we will contact you to discuss your situation.
Depending on your circumstances and this policy, we may be able to waive some debt, fees or charges you owe.
There are government concession and rebate programs in each state that can help you pay your bills. If you tell us, or we become aware, that you are eligible for a concession or grant that you are not receiving, we will help you apply where possible.
More info: www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes
More info: www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/concessions
More info: www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/concessions
More info: www.concessions.tas.gov.au
More info: www.communityservices.act.gov.au/concessions
Free, independent and confidential financial counselling is available through the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 or at www.ndh.org.au.
When you join our hardship program, we will review your current energy plan. If there is a better plan available based on your usage pattern, we will:
We will only discuss plans that we can offer.
When looking at the best plan for you, we consider:
We can help you reduce your energy use and costs through:
In certain circumstances, we may offer:
We will not suggest energy reductions that could put your health or wellbeing, or that of anyone in your household, at risk.
While you are in our hardship program, you have the right to:
We ask you to:
You can end your assistance arrangement at any time by telling us:
We will then discuss any changes to your account.
We may end your assistance if you:
Before removing you from the program, we will contact you to discuss missed payments and give you an opportunity to set up a revised arrangement.
Disconnection for non-payment is always a last resort. While you are meeting your obligations under this policy, we will not disconnect you.
Before we consider disconnecting you, we will:
If someone at your premises relies on life support equipment, you must tell us so we can register the premises. We will not disconnect a registered life support premises.
We handle your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy. Sensitive information (such as health information or information about family violence) will be handled with extra care.
If you are unsatisfied with our service, please use the details in Section 16 to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to resolve it as soon as possible.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman in your state:
Ombudsman services are free, independent and confidential.
We will review this policy periodically to make sure it remains appropriate and effective. If this policy changes and you are currently in our hardship program, we will notify you promptly.
We promote this policy through:
Staff who deal with customers experiencing hardship receive regular training to identify and support customers fairly, consistently and compassionately.
We welcome your feedback on this policy. Please contact us by using the details in Section 16.
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