Help paying your electricity and gas bill during financial hardship
Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) helps you pay your household electricity or natural gas bills if you are having difficulty paying your bills because of a short-term financial hardship, crisis or emergency such as:
- loss of income
- unexpected medical costs
- natural disaster (bushfire, drought or flood)
- disconnection from your energy supplier.
Contact your energy provider as soon as you think you might have trouble paying an energy bill to keep your electricity and natural gas connected. All energy providers in NSW have programs to help customers facing financial hardship, like payment extensions or payment plans.
If you can't work it out with your energy provider, make an appointment for an EAPA assessment and let your energy provider know.
By law, your energy provider is not allowed to disconnect you if they know you have an appointment booked for an EAPA assessment.
Eligibility
To be eligible for EAPA you must:
- live in NSW
- have an electricity or natural gas account for your home in NSW
- be the account holder (the account and bill must be in your name)
- not have paid your most recent bill and the account is still open
- be experiencing a short-term financial hardship, crisis or emergency and unable to pay your most recent energy bill.
Some households in embedded networks (on-supply), such as apartment buildings, residential parks and retirement villages, are eligible for EAPA.
Embedded network providers are required to opt-in to deliver EAPA to their customers. The below embedded network providers are currently approved to deliver EAPA:
- Arc Energy Group
- Energy Locals/Energy Locals Urban
- Origin Energy (including most of their WINConnect sites).
If you receive your bill from one of the energy providers above, you can apply for EAPA. If you are assessed as eligible, your energy provider will apply EAPA directly to your energy account.
You are not eligible for EAPA if:
- you live in an embedded network with an energy provider not listed above (use the Savings Finder to find other savings you could be eligible for)
- you receive your gas supply through liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottles (you may be eligible for the Gas Rebate instead)
- the bill you need help for:
- has already been paid in full, or less than $50 is owing on the bill
- is for a business account or non-residential account
- is for a previous home or a different energy retailer to the one you are with now
- is from an energy retailer that is not registered for EAPA
- is for gas hot water with usage measured in litres (L) - check your gas bill to see how your usage is measured
- is for an unmetered gas service
- you are not the account holder or you do not have authority to act on someone else's behalf.
How to apply
You can apply online at Service NSW or in person or over the phone with an approved non-government EAPA provider.
Apply online
You can apply online on the Service NSW website.
After you receive a confirmation email, let your energy provider know. Your provider is not allowed to disconnect you if they know you have an appointment booked for an EAPA assessment.
Apply in person or over the phone
You can apply in person or over the phone to be assessed by an approved non-government EAPA provider.
Contacting a non-government EAPA provider may be more suitable if you:
- prefer an in-person assessment (offered by some providers)
- do not have an email address
- need other support, such as no-interest loans, financial counselling, and clothing or food assistance.
After you have booked an assessment, let your energy provider know. By law, your provider is not allowed to disconnect you if they know you have an appointment booked for an EAPA assessment.
Find an EAPA provider
Find your closest provider on the map or download the list of EAPA providers (PDF, 333KB).
Become an EAPA provider
If your organisation would like to become an EAPA provider, please complete the form below.