Reviewed by Megan Birot, Content Editor, OurTop10 · 27 September 2026
What changed: first published. Every phone number, opening hour and option on this page was checked on Westpac’s own website on 27 September 2026.
Key points
- Westpac Assist is on 1800 067 497 and has the longest Saturday hours of the big four: 9:30am to 6pm.
- Westpac aims to reply within a week, three times faster than the 21-day legal limit.
- It asks about your debts with other lenders and your assets, not just your Westpac accounts.
- Extending a $600,000 loan at 6.20% from 25 to 30 years cuts the repayment by about $265 a month but adds roughly $141,000 in interest.
Jump to: Westpac hardship at a glance · What it costs · How to apply · What they can offer · What’s different about Westpac · 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 Westpac financial hardship on a home loan, complete Westpac’s online hardship application or call Westpac Assist on 1800 067 497 (8:30am to 8pm weekdays, 9:30am to 6pm Saturday). Westpac says it aims to reply within a week.
Below is what Westpac can offer, what it will ask you for, and what each option really costs.
You are far from alone. Mortgage stress has risen sharply this year. These are the latest numbers from our own research.
421,700
households in mortgage stress across the 80 postcodes we track
+14%
more stressed households than last quarter
+18%
more than a year ago
68 of 80
postcodes got worse this quarter
Source: OurTop10 Mortgage Stress Report, June quarter 2026, using Digital Finance Analytics survey data. Melbourne (94,461) and Sydney (90,156) have the most stressed households; Perth is rising fastest (+25.1%).
Westpac hardship at a glance
| What you need | Detail |
|---|---|
| How to apply | Online through Westpac’s hardship application, or by phone. A financial counsellor can apply for you. |
| Phone | 1800 067 497 (Westpac Assist), +61 2 9155 5725 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 Westpac and with other lenders, your assets, and the financial details of any joint borrower. |
| Reply time | Westpac says it aims to get back to you within a week. |
| Official page | westpac.com.au, applying for financial hardship support |
Source: westpac.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 Westpac financial hardship
An application goes faster if you have the numbers in front of you before you start.
- Write down what changed and when: job loss, reduced hours, illness, separation, a new baby.
- Work out what you can afford to pay each month right now. A real number beats “as little as possible”.
- Say how long you expect the problem to last, even roughly.
- Apply online or ring 1800 067 497. Keep the reference number.
- Answer any follow-up questions quickly. The 21-day clock restarts when the bank asks for more information.
- Read the offer letter before you accept it, especially what your repayment will be when the help ends.
What Westpac can offer
These are the home loan options Westpac 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 Westpac
Westpac asks for more than most. Expect questions about every debt you have, including credit cards and car loans with other lenders, plus your assets. Have the list ready before you start. An application that leaves out the Afterpay balance or the car loan tends to come back with questions and loses you days.
If the loan is joint, Westpac wants the other borrower’s finances too. That is simple in a working relationship and hard after a separation. Tell Westpac early if you can’t get the other person to engage.
Its Saturday hours run to 6pm, the longest of the big four. Useful if you can’t ring from work.
Westpac asks about your debts everywhere, not just with them. Be completely straight about the credit cards and the car loan. An arrangement built on half the picture falls over in month two.
Kylie Soltani, Co-Director, Soren Financial
How long Westpac has to answer
Westpac 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
Westpac says an arrangement won’t impact your credit score if you meet the revised repayments. It shows on your credit report for 12 months after the arrangement 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 Westpac says no
- Ask Westpac for the reason in writing. It has to give you one.
- Lodge a complaint with Westpac’s internal complaints team and ask them to review it.
- 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.
- 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 Westpac 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
How do I contact Westpac hardship?
Call Westpac Assist on 1800 067 497, 8:30am to 8pm weekdays and 9:30am to 6pm Saturday, or apply online. From overseas, call +61 2 9155 5725.
How long does Westpac take to respond?
Westpac says it aims to get back to you within a week. By law it must answer in writing within 21 days.
Will Westpac hardship affect my credit score?
Westpac says not, as long as you meet the revised repayments. The arrangement shows on your credit report for 12 months after it ends.
Does Westpac need my partner’s details?
If the loan is joint, yes. Westpac asks for the financial information of the other borrower as well.
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
- Westpac, financial hardship: westpac.com.au, applying for financial hardship support (page updated 2 September 2026)
- National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009, Schedule 1 (National Credit Code), section 72: legislation.gov.au
- ASIC, dealing with consumers and credit (hardship notice timeframes): asic.gov.au
- Moneysmart, problems paying your mortgage: moneysmart.gov.au
- OAIC, what is financial hardship information: oaic.gov.au
- Australian Banking Association, Banking Code of Practice: ausbanking.org.au
- National Debt Helpline: ndh.org.au; AFCA: afca.org.au
- OurTop10, Mortgage Stress Report, June quarter 2026 (Digital Finance Analytics survey data): ourtop10.com.au/reports/mortgage-stress-q2-2026
Megan Birot
Content Editor, OurTop10
Megan Birot is OurTop10’s Content Editor. She holds a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (FNS40821) and a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management (FNS50322), and checks every guide on the site against current lender policy before it goes live. She also writes the media releases for the OurTop10 Reports.