ANZ Financial Hardship: How to Apply for Home Loan Help (2026)

Jump to: ANZ hardship at a glance · What it costs · How to apply · What they can offer · What’s different about ANZ · How long it takes · Your credit report · If they say no · Banks compared · FAQs

Part of our Mortgage Stress Report, which tracks where households are falling behind on their home loans, suburb by suburb.

To apply for ANZ financial hardship on a home loan, fill in ANZ’s online hardship application (about 20 to 30 minutes) or call its Financial Wellbeing Assist Team on 1800 351 548, 9am to 7pm on weekdays. You don’t need any documents to start.

ANZ is clearer than most banks about what it offers. Below is each option, what it costs in dollars, and what to do if you’re knocked back.

ANZ hardship at a glance

What you need	Detail
How to apply	Online (ANZ says it takes 20 to 30 minutes) or by phone. A financial counsellor or a family member can apply for you.
Phone	1800 351 548 (Financial Wellbeing Assist Team)
Hours	9am to 7pm Monday to Friday (AEST). No Saturday hours
Documents to start	Nothing to start. ANZ says it helps to have payslips, recent bills and bank statements ready, and it may later ask for a medical certificate or proof of employment.
Reply time	ANZ says its first assessment takes about 5 to 10 days and that arrangements must be finalised within 21 days of you telling it you’re in hardship.
Official page	anz.com.au, financial hardship

Source: anz.com.au, financial hardship (page updated 25 August 2026).

What each option costs in dollars

Every hardship option changes the loan, and most of them cost you more in the end. We ran a typical loan through the four most common types of help.

Option	Repayment during help	Repayment after help	Extra interest over the loan
No change	$3,939	$3,939	Nil
3-month pause (interest added to the loan)	$0	$4,018	About $11,400
3 months at half repayments	$1,970	$3,979	About $5,700
6 months interest-only	$3,100	$3,973	About $4,900
Term extended from 25 to 30 years	$3,675	$3,675	About $141,000

OurTop10 calculation, 27 September 2026. Assumes a $600,000 principal and interest loan with 25 years left at 6.20%, a rate held for the life of the loan, and the missed interest added to the balance. Your bank’s figures will differ.

Two things stand out. A short pause costs less than people fear, about $11,400 spread over 25 years. A term extension is the reverse: it’s the gentlest on the monthly budget and by far the dearest overall. If you take one, plan to make extra repayments once things settle, and use our loan repayment calculator to see what that does.

How to apply for ANZ financial hardship

An application goes faster if you have the numbers in front of you before you start.

1. Write down what changed and when: job loss, reduced hours, illness, separation, a new baby.
2. Work out what you can afford to pay each month right now. A real number beats “as little as possible”.
3. Say how long you expect the problem to last, even roughly.
4. Apply online or ring 1800 351 548. Keep the reference number.
5. Answer any follow-up questions quickly. The 21-day clock restarts when the bank asks for more information.
6. Read the offer letter before you accept it, especially what your repayment will be when the help ends.

What ANZ can offer

These are the home loan options ANZ lists on its hardship page, in its own terms:

• Payment relief: a full or partial pause on repayments
• Interest-only conversion for a period
• Delayed payments: you catch up the missed amount over a set period after the help ends
• Loan contract variation: a permanent change, such as a longer term or adding missed payments to the loan

Which one you get depends on whether the problem is short-term or permanent. A bank will usually offer a pause or reduced repayments for a short hit, and a lasting change, such as a longer term, when the income isn’t coming back.

What’s different about ANZ

ANZ spells out the difference between help that ends and help that sticks. Payment relief, interest-only and delayed payments are all temporary. A loan contract variation rewrites the loan for good. If the thing that went wrong isn’t going to fix itself, such as a permanent pay cut, ask about the variation from the start.

Watch the “delayed payments” option. You skip now and catch up later, on top of your normal repayment. That works for a known gap, like parental leave with a return date. It’s a trap if the income isn’t coming back.

ANZ gives a timeframe: about 5 to 10 days for a first assessment. Note the day you applied. If day 21 passes without a written answer, that is a breach of the credit law, not just slow service.

How long ANZ has to answer

ANZ says its first assessment takes about 5 to 10 days and that arrangements must be finalised within 21 days of you telling it you’re in hardship. Under the National Credit Code, once you give a lender a hardship notice it must tell you in writing within 21 days whether it agrees. If it needs more information it has to ask within those 21 days, then decide within 21 days of getting it.

Put the request in writing or keep the reference number from the call, and note the date. That date starts the clock.

What it does to your credit report

ANZ says a hardship notice sits on your credit report for 12 months, and missed payments aren’t recorded as long as you stick to the arrangement. Since 1 July 2022, lenders report hardship arrangements as financial hardship information. It is not a default, the reason isn’t recorded, and credit reporting bodies can’t use it to calculate your score. Another lender will still see it for that year, so it can make a refinance harder while it’s there.

If ANZ says no

1. Ask ANZ for the reason in writing. It has to give you one.
2. Lodge a complaint with ANZ’s internal complaints team and ask them to review it.
3. If that doesn’t fix it, complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) on 1800 931 678 or at afca.org.au. It’s free, and while AFCA is looking at a hardship complaint the lender generally can’t take legal action to repossess.
4. Talk to a free financial counsellor through the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 or ndh.org.au. They can also deal with the bank for you.

How the big banks compare

Hardship help looks similar across the big banks. The phone hours and reply times don’t.

Bank	Hardship phone	Hours	Stated reply time
CommBank	13 30 95 for short-term help	8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm Saturday	Not published (21-day legal limit)
ANZ	1800 351 548	9am to 7pm Monday to Friday	5 to 10 days (first assessment)
NAB	1300 661 114 for short-term help	8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm Saturday	Not published (21-day legal limit)
Westpac	1800 067 497	8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 6pm Saturday	Within a week
St.George	1800 629 795	8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 6pm Saturday	Within a week

Sources: each bank’s own hardship page, checked 27 September 2026. Where a bank gives two numbers, the short-term line is shown.

What to do next

If the problem is short, apply to ANZ now, before a payment is missed. If it looks permanent, it’s worth a second opinion on whether the loan itself should change: a different structure, or a lender that suits your new income once any hardship listing has cleared. Our ranked lists of the best mortgage brokers in Sydney, best mortgage brokers in Melbourne and Brisbane are a place to start, and the loan repayment calculator will show what a longer term or a lower rate does to your repayment.

FAQs

Does ANZ hardship go on my credit report?

Yes, a hardship notice appears for 12 months. ANZ says missed payments won’t be recorded if you keep to the arrangement, and the reason for the hardship isn’t shown.

How long does ANZ take to approve hardship?

ANZ says about 5 to 10 days for a first assessment, and the arrangement must be finalised within 21 days of you telling it you’re in hardship.

Can someone else apply to ANZ for me?

Yes. ANZ lets a financial counsellor or a family member apply on your behalf. The National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) can put you in touch with a free counsellor.

Can ANZ add missed payments to my loan?

Yes. That falls under what ANZ calls a loan contract variation, a permanent change to the loan. It raises your balance and usually your repayments.

This page is general information, not financial or credit advice. It doesn’t take your circumstances into account. If you’re struggling, the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) is free and confidential.

Sources

1. ANZ, financial hardship: anz.com.au, financial hardship (page updated 25 August 2026)
2. National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009, Schedule 1 (National Credit Code), section 72: legislation.gov.au
3. ASIC, dealing with consumers and credit (hardship notice timeframes): asic.gov.au
4. Moneysmart, problems paying your mortgage: moneysmart.gov.au
5. OAIC, what is financial hardship information: oaic.gov.au
6. Australian Banking Association, Banking Code of Practice: ausbanking.org.au
7. National Debt Helpline: ndh.org.au; AFCA: afca.org.au
8. OurTop10, Mortgage Stress Report, June quarter 2026 (Digital Finance Analytics survey data): ourtop10.com.au/reports/mortgage-stress-q2-2026