Essential household contents grant

The Essential Household Contents Grant (EHCG) helps people who are uninsured, or unable to claim insurance, and who meet an income test, by providing a contribution towards repairing or replacing essential household contents that have been damaged or lost in a disaster.

On this page

• What the EHCG is
• Who can apply
• How to apply
• How it's paid
• More information

What the EHCG is

Uninsured, low income earners may receive up to $1,765 for single adults and up to $5,300 for couples or families to help with repairing or replacing essential household contents, such as beds, linen and whitegoods, that have been damaged or lost in a disaster.

Who can apply

You can be a tenant or an owner-occupier in the home that was affected.  People who aren’t Australian citizens can also apply for this grant.

You must meet all these requirements:

• your principal place of residence (home) is in an eligible area for a disaster event
• you were living in your principal place of residence (which includes a caravan or boat) when the disaster happened.
• your essential household items were lost or damaged as a result of the disaster.
• you own the essential household items which you are claiming for.
• you do not hold an insurance policy that covers you for expenses or losses sustained during the disaster
• if you hold an insurance policy:
  • you do not have coverage for a particular event (e.g. storm/flood) and/or
  • you have evidence that the insurance claim has been declined
• you qualify under the income test outlined below.

Income test (how much you earn)

Your gross (before tax) weekly income must be less than or equal to:

• individual: $1,133 ($58,905 per year)
• couple: $1,566 ($81,441 per year)
• sole parent, one child: $1,567 ($81,498 per year)
• couple, one child: $1,942 ($100,982 per year).

For each additional child, add $376 per week. For each dependent adult, add $433 per week.

The income test is applied to all adults over the age of 18 on the application.

Adult dependents over the age of 18 are encouraged to submit their own application.

How to apply

You can apply for this grant:

• online through the Community Recovery Portal
• over the phone by calling the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349
• by visiting a Community Recovery Hub or Support Services location.

What you need to apply

You need to have:

• date, details and photos* of the damage
• either:
  • evidence from your insurance company confirming you do not have coverage for the particular event (e.g. storm/flood) or
  • evidence that your insurance claim was declined
• evidence that you meet the income test (e.g. payslips, Centrelink benefit statement or Australian Taxation Office notice of assessment).

*If you have damaged household items that need to be thrown away as they are affected by mould from the disaster and pose a health risk, please take photos before you dispose of the items. Photos may be used as supporting evidence to substantiate your loss.

To complete your application, you will also need to provide evidence of your identity and place of residence. This can be:

• Driver licence or other photo identification
• Medicare card showing members of your family that you are applying for.

If you don’t have this information, you will need to provide other evidence that shows your name, date of birth and address.

For help with your application, call the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349 or visit a Community Recovery Hub or Support Services location.

How to replace lost or destroyed documents.

Finalising your application

When your application is complete, a member of the Community Recovery team will be in contact if further documents are required.

How it’s paid

If approved, this grant is paid by:

• Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to the bank account listed in your application.

More information

• Utilities
• Returning to affected buildings
• Emergency accommodation
• Help with renting
• The mortgage relief loan
• Find support to help manage stress after a disaster