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Payment Assistance Policy

The IT Dept Pty Ltd · ABN 12 665 405 505 · v1.0 · 10 June 2026

If you are having trouble paying for your service — for any reason, whether short-term or ongoing — help is available, and staying connected is the priority. Financial pressure can happen to anyone: job loss, illness, family circumstances, natural disasters, a reduction in income, or anything else. You do not need to be behind on a bill to ask for assistance, and asking will never be held against you. This policy is made under the Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024.

How to ask for assistance

Contact me — Nick — directly: nick@theitdept.au, or 0448 379 418 (call, SMS, or WhatsApp). Say that you are having difficulty paying, or simply that you want to talk about payment options. You can also have a financial counsellor or authorised representative contact me on your behalf. There are no forms to fill in to start the conversation, no assessment fee, and the discussion is confidential.

What I can offer

The options available include, and can be combined and tailored to your circumstances:

• 1. More time to pay — extending the due date of a bill, with no late fees (there are no late fees here anyway).
• 2. A tailored payment plan — spreading an amount owing over instalments matched to what you can actually afford.
• 3. Temporarily moving to a cheaper plan — for example, dropping to a lower-cost nbn tier for some months, with a free move back when you're ready.
• 4. Pausing the service — placing a service on hold without charge for an agreed period, without losing your IP addresses or your place here.
• 5. Waiving or discounting charges — including waiving part or all of a debt in cases of genuine hardship.
• 6. Deferring or removing optional charges — pausing add-ons (such as a routed /29) and applying any credits available before anything else.

Whatever we agree will be confirmed to you in writing, including what it is, how long it lasts, and what happens at the end. If your circumstances change during an arrangement, tell me and it will be adjusted.

What you can expect

• You will be treated with respect, and your information handled confidentially per the Privacy Policy.
• Assistance options will be discussed with you promptly — normally within 2 working days of you getting in touch.
• While you have an active payment assistance arrangement, or are engaging with me about one, your service will not be disconnected, no credit management action will be taken, and no debt will ever be sold.
• If, in rare cases, evidence of hardship is genuinely needed for a long-term arrangement, only the minimum necessary will be requested, you'll have a reasonable time to provide it, and assistance can start in the meantime.

Other support

Free, independent financial counselling is available from the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 or at ndh.org.au. MoneySmart (moneysmart.gov.au) has free resources on managing bills and debt. If you are experiencing domestic or family violence, see the Domestic and Family Violence Statement on this site — affected customers receive priority assistance.