St.George Financial Hardship: How to Apply for Home Loan Help (2026)

Jump to: St.George hardship at a glance · What it costs · How to apply · What they can offer · What’s different about St.George · 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 St.George financial hardship on a home loan, log in to St.George Internet Banking and start the financial assistance request (about 15 minutes), or call the Assist Team on 1800 629 795. St.George says it aims to reply within a week.

Here’s what it can offer, what it costs you, and what to do if you’re turned down.

St.George hardship at a glance

What you need	Detail
How to apply	Online through St.George Internet Banking (St.George says it can take as little as 15 minutes), or by phone. A financial counsellor can apply for you.
Phone	1800 629 795 (Assist Team), +61 2 9155 5721 from overseas
Hours	8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 6pm Saturday (Sydney time)
Documents to start	Your income and expenses, your debts with St.George and with other lenders, your assets, and the details of any co-borrower on a joint loan.
Reply time	St.George says it aims to get back to you within a week.
Official page	stgeorge.com.au, applying for financial hardship support

Source: stgeorge.com.au, applying for financial hardship support (page updated 2 September 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 St.George 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 629 795. 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 St.George can offer

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

• Flexible payment arrangements
• Short-term deferrals of repayments
• Reduced repayments for a period
• Extending the loan term

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 St.George

St.George is part of the Westpac Group, so its hardship options, document list and one-week reply target mirror Westpac’s. What differs is the door you knock on: St.George has its own Assist Team on 1800 629 795, and its online form sits inside St.George Internet Banking rather than on a public page.

Because the form is behind your login, you can’t start it for someone else without their banking details. If a family member needs help, get them to ring, or ask a financial counsellor to apply for them. St.George accepts that.

St.George asks about joint borrowers. After a separation, that is often where applications stall.

How long St.George has to answer

St.George says it aims to get back to you within a week. The legal limit is 21 days. 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

St.George says hardship won’t affect your credit score as long as you keep up the revised repayments. The arrangement is noted on your credit report for 12 months after it ends. 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 St.George says no

1. Ask St.George for the reason in writing. It has to give you one.
2. Lodge a complaint with St.George’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 St.George 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

What is the St.George hardship phone number?

1800 629 795 for the Assist Team, or +61 2 9155 5721 from overseas. Hours are 8:30am to 8pm weekdays and 9:30am to 6pm Saturday, Sydney time.

Can I apply for St.George hardship online?

Yes, through St.George Internet Banking. St.George says the application can take as little as 15 minutes.

Is St.George hardship the same as Westpac’s?

The options and process match, because St.George is part of the Westpac Group. The phone team and online form are separate.

Will it hurt my credit score?

St.George says not, if you keep to the revised repayments. The arrangement is noted on your credit report for 12 months after it ends.

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. St.George, financial hardship: stgeorge.com.au, applying for financial hardship support (page updated 2 September 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