When the unexpected happens and you have difficulty managing your Latitude repayments, our Hardship Care team is here to help you get back on track.
What is financial hardship?
Financial hardship is when you want to make your repayments on a Latitude credit card, personal loan, or car loan, but can’t.
Financial hardship can be caused by many unexpected factors, and some of these may include:
- Injury or illness
- Unemployment or a reduction in income
- Relationship breakdown
- Mental health issues
- Family or domestic violence
- Financial abuse
- Problems with gambling
How can we help?
Experiencing hardship can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. But even when things aren’t going according to plan, it’s still important to have a plan to get back on track.
Our dedicated and friendly Hardship Care specialists are here to try and provide you with options that may help your situation, while always making sure we keep our commitment to being a responsible lender.
Paying your account on time is important, but we understand that sometimes this isn’t possible. If you’re struggling to make your payments, we encourage you to speak with us as soon as you can as paying late may impact your ability to obtain future credit.
Our Hardship Care arrangements are designed to offer short or long-term solutions depending on your circumstances. Some examples of how we may be able to help are:
- Short-term arrangements (from 3 – 12 months) that are manageable for your circumstances.
- Long-term permanent arrangements (12+ months) where we may vary the length of your loan contract or reduce your current interest rate.
- Payment holidays for an agreed term.
For more information refer to: What happens to my account if I am approved for Hardship Care?
How can you apply for Hardship Care?
For the quickest experience, we recommend completing our online Hardship Care application. We’re also available over the phone. If you’d prefer to speak to one of our Hardship Care Specialists, give us a call on 1800 220 718.
Once we’ve received your application, we'll let you know if we need more information. Otherwise, we’ll get back to you within 21 calendar days with an outcome.
For more information refer to: Applying for Hardship Care with Latitude
Some useful information.
We want you to know that you’re not alone when going through financial hardship. We’re here to help and these are a few other resources you can turn to for support and guidance.
Free and independent advice.
If you’re worried about your finances, consider getting in touch with the National Debt Helpline. They’re a not-for-profit service offering online and over-the-phone support to help with managing money and/or debt, or they can put you in touch with a local Financial Counsellor in your state or territory for face-to-face help. Visit their website or call 1800 007 007.
Budget Planner.
You’ll find a handy Budget Planner here to help you work out where you’re spending so you can budget more effectively.
Find more support.
- If you’re finding it difficult handling other everyday expenses the following information may help you:
- Utilities: contact your energy, gas, water, or telco provider if you need assistance with your bills. You may also be entitled to concessional rates.
- Money Smart: for tips and tools on managing all things money, visit the Money Smart
- National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC): NACLC is an independent not-for-profit community organization that provides legal and related services to the public, focusing on the disadvantaged and people with special needs. The site is a centralised site where state-based community legal centres can be found according to your needs and locality.
- If you need mental health support, we encourage you to talk to any of the below organisations:
- If you’re needing support getting back to work or looking for work, the below organisations may be able to assist you:
- Centrelink
- Job Active
- People with Disability: Job Access
- Job Outlook
- My Future
- Australian Apprenticeships
- If you’ve lost your job, or believe you’ve been treated unfairly/owed entitlements, speak with the Fair Work Ombudsman.
- If you’re experiencing violence or abuse, you can safely contact any of the below to discuss your options in a confidential manner:
- If you’re experiencing problems with gambling, Gambling Help Online may be able to help you.
Want to know more? Click here to view our other articles about Hardship Care.