Payment Assistance

Standard assistance available

We can set you up with the following assistance for all residential customers and business customers who are experiencing financial stress attributable to the coronavirus pandemic to help you avoid getting into arrears:

• you are entitled to pay equal amounts over a specified period and at different intervals
• we can extend the pay-by-date of a bill by an agreed period at least once in a 12 month period
• you may pay for energy use in advance.

Please call us on 03 9102 8400 to set up any of these options.

Tailored assistance available

If your account gets into arrears, you are entitled to minimum standards of flexible and practical assistance to make it easier to pay for ongoing energy use, repay arrears and lower your energy costs. These entitlements are described below, and in detail in our Bill Assist Policy.

Assistance measures may include:

• a payment plan with weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments based on what you can afford, where your arrears are paid off over a period of up to 2 years;
• advice about payment options that would enable you to repay your arrears over not more than 2 years, including via Centrepay. Go to  humanservices.gov.au/centrepay for more information and to set up your Centrepay Deductions;
• advice about the likely cost of your future energy use, and how to reduce this cost;
• practical assistance to help you reduce your energy costs, including the tariff that is most likely to minimise your energy costs, based on what we know about your usage and payment history;
• honouring pay-on-time discounts where you are late in paying

If you cannot pay the full cost of your ongoing energy use, contact us on 03 9102 8400 to talk to our Bill Assist Team about the following additional support measures:

• • practical assistance to help you reduce your energy costs including, but not limited to:
    • practical assistance to help you reduce your use of energy, based on your pattern of energy use and on the circumstances of where you live and the ability to take action in reducing your energy usage;
    • information about how you’re going at reducing your energy costs, given at sufficient intervals for you to be able to adequately assess your progress.

• • an initial period of six months where repayment of your arrears is put on hold, and you pay less than the full cost of your ongoing energy use while working to lower that cost. In these circumstances, we will add any amount unpaid for energy use to your arrears.

  Other assistance – Government and Non-Government

  If you are eligible, you may be able to access Victorian Government energy concessions or grants. If you tell us to, Sumo can put in an application for you for the Utility Relief Grant scheme, administered by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, or assist you to do so. Visit here for more information. We can also help you to set up Centrepay to make regular Deductions from your Centrelink payments. Centrepay is a voluntary and easy payment option available to Centrelink customers. Go to humanservices.gov.au/centrepay for more information and to set up your Centrepay Deductions.

  For free, independent and confidential financial assistance, we may refer you to a financial counsellor, alternatively please contact the National Debt Helpline at www.ndh.org.au or on 1800 007 007.

  Reducing your Energy costs

  Please see our Energy Saving Tips for ways to reduce your energy costs in all parts of your home.