How we can help with financial difficulties
If you are experiencing financial stress or difficulties, there are a number of ways we may be able to help.
Hardship assistance eligibility
If your situation means you are currently not able, or will soon be unable to meet your financial commitments, you may be eligible for our financial hardship assistance.
Other ways ANZ can help
If you don’t meet the financial hardship criteria, but you want to manage your money better, one or more of the options on this page could be right for you.
Restructuring your loan
A loan restructure is when changes are made to your loan repayments – for example, you can reduce your regular payments by:
- increasing your loan term
- changing your payments to interest only for a short time.
Restructuring your loan may change how much you need to pay us over the term of the loan, and you might be charged a fee. We will work with you to help you understand the best option for you.
To restructure repayments on a home loan, call us on 0800 269 4663.
To restructure repayments on a personal loan, call us on 0800 837 123.
Consolidating your debts
Consolidating (combining) your ANZ debts, like loans or credit card debts, into one personal loan can simplify your finances and it might save you money in interest payments.
If your loan is in arrears (payments have been missed), whether we can consolidate it or not depends on your specific circumstances. If your ANZ loan is in arrears, call us on 0800 731 200 to discuss your situation.
Make an insurance claim
If you’re in financial difficulty due to an accident or serious illness, you may have insurance you can claim on. For example, you may have taken out life or income insurance when getting a home loan.
If you have life or income insurance through ANZ with our trusted insurance partner Chubb Life, you might be able to make a claim with them.
If you have an insurance policy with another provider, contact them to find out how to claim.
KiwiSaver
Savings suspension
You can apply to Inland Revenue to take a break from making contributions:
- if 12 months or more have passed since your first KiwiSaver contribution was paid, or
- any time after your first contribution if you are in, or are likely to be in, financial hardship.
A savings suspension can be for between three months and 12 months, unless Inland Revenue agrees to a longer period. You can take an unlimited number of saving suspensions, but this will affect how quickly the savings in your KiwiSaver account grow.
Early withdrawal
You can apply for a KiwiSaver early withdrawal if you’re suffering significant financial hardship – for example if you’re unable to meet essential living and/or medical costs.
Resources and tools
We’ve put together a list of self-help resources and tools that can help you better understand and manage your financial position.
Financial wellbeing
Financial wellbeing means managing your spending, saving and any debts so you can enjoy life today and live well in the future.
Check out our articles, guides and tools – from starting with microsavings to planning your spend with our budget calculator.