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Apply for a Hardship Certificate

Under the Resilient Retrofit and Home Raising programs, you will need to co-contribute on a dollar-for-dollar basis for works above the threshold amounts ($50,000 for Resilient Retrofit and $150,000 for Home Raising).

In cases of genuine financial hardship, you can apply to have your co-contribution waived.

Note: As co-contribution is not available under the expanded Home Raising program – including demolition, rebuild or relocate – you can’t apply for a Hardship Certificate for these works.

How to apply for a Hardship Certificate

  1. Check your eligibility for a Hardship Certificate.
  2. Submit your application for funding under the Resilient Homes Fund through the QRIDA portal. You must lodge your funding application before you can submit your Hardship Certificate request.
  3. Provide evidence of each registered homeowner’s eligibility.
  4. Download and complete the Hardship Certificate application form (PDF, 328.3 KB)
  5. Email your completed form and supporting evidence to RHF-HardshipRequests@epw.qld.gov.au.

We will contact you if we need more information to assess your application. You should receive an outcome of your application within 10 business days of submitting all required documentation.

If you need help applying for a Hardship Certificate:

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a Hardship Certificate, all homeowners (as listed on the property title) must show evidence of meeting one of these criteria:

  • You are in a low-income bracket. *
  • You have a financial hardship agreement in place with your lender.
  • You are receiving or have one of these:
    • Age pension
    • Carer Payment
    • Disability Support Pension
    • Job Seeker Payment
    • Youth Allowance
    • Parenting Payment Single.
  • You have other extenuating circumstances.

* ‘Low income’ is based on the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS). It is assessed on the total income of all registered homeowners when lodging their RHF funding application.

Evidence of dependents

To assess your application against the Household income limit you will be required to provide proof of official dependents and proof of ages, for example,  birth certificates, concession card, Centrelink Income statement listing dependents.

Household income limits

These are the income limits for registered homeowners between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025.

Household type Gross income limit
1 adult (no children) $61,322
2 adults (no children) $84,782
3 adults (no children) $108,242
4 adults (no children) $131,702
Sole parent with 1 child $84,841
Sole parent with 2 children $105,184
Sole parent with 3 children $125,527
Couple with 1 child $105,125
Couple with 2 children $125,468
Couple with 3 children $145,811

To calculate eligibility for other household types, use these limits:

  • First adult: $61,322
  • First adult (if sole parent): $64,498
  • Each additional adult: $23,460
  • Each child: $20,343

Definitions

  • Gross yearly income: the amount of money you receive before tax.
  • Children: a person under 18 years old and financially dependent on you. If they are under 18 years old but financially independent, they are considered an adult.

Extenuating circumstance

To be eligible under the extenuating circumstance criteria, you must be able to show that your circumstance:

  • is outside of your control
  • can reasonably be considered to have been unforeseen
  • directly and significantly impacts your ability to co-contribute to the costs of completing your resilience works.

Examples include:

  • serious illness or injury (impacting the ability to meet the co-contribution payments)
  • loss of employment (due to factors outside of your control)
  • significant personal/family circumstances (e.g. Domestic Violence and Victims of crime.)
  • bereavement, divorce or separation.

Note: Regular financial commitments are not considered an extenuating or unforeseen circumstance. Please provide independent evidence of your extenuating circumstance with your application. To discuss your situation and the necessary criteria or evidence, (07) 3007 4485 and select option 2 or email RHF-HardshipRequests@epw.qld.gov.au to request a callback.

Supporting evidence

You must submit supporting documents for all registered homeowners from this list.

Important: Homeowners must remove their tax file number (TFN) from all documents.

Criteria Evidence required

Household low income

Evidence of dependents will be required

    Low income:

  • Evidence of dependents
  • 4 consecutive weeks of pay slips prior to the date of the Hardship Certificate request OR
  • Notice of Assessment issued within six months of lodging a hardship application (please redact your Tax File Number)

    • Self-employed:

  • Evidence of dependents
  • Business activity statement (last quarter)
  • Profit and loss statement (last 12 months)
  • Australian Tax Office - Notice of Assessment issued within six months of the hardship application for business and personal income (please redact Tax File Number)
  • Australian Business Number (ABN)

    • Nil income:

  • Evidence of dependents
  • Notice of Assessment issued within six months of the hardship application (redact Tax File Number) or
  • 12 months of bank statements for all bank accounts in the applicant's name (including joint bank accounts)

Financial hardship agreement in place with lender

  • Copy of a current ongoing or fixed term financial hardship agreement for the eligible home under the Resilient Homes Fund

Centrelink payments, pensions or allowances:

  • Age Pension
  • Carer Payment
  • Disability Support Pension
  • Job Seeker payment
  • Youth Allowance
  • Parenting payment single
  • Recent Centrelink Income statement; or
  • Current Pensioner Concession Card (please provide a picture of the front and back)

You can download your Centrelink Income Statement from your MyGov account or by visiting the Services Australia.

Extenuating circumstance

Please provide evidence to demonstrate how your situation qualifies as 'extenuating circumstances' and how it affects your ability to contribute to the costs of completing your resilience works.

Below are some examples that may be considered extenuating circumstances and the documents that may be required. The Resilient Homes Fund assessment team may require additional documentation on a case-by-case basis including clear evidence demonstrating your financial responsibility, including paying the mortgage, rates, and repairs for the property

    Mandatory evidence requirements:

  • Evidence of income for all homeowners - as detailed in the Household low-income criteria above
  • Evidence of dependents
  • Copies of receipts for extraordinary expenses incurred within the last 12 months

    • Note: Regular financial commitments are not considered an extenuating or unforeseen circumstance

    Medical: A serious illness or injury

  • Documentation from a medical practitioner detailing the illness or injury
  • Evidence of how the illness or injury impacts your ability to meet the co-contribution payments

    • Loss of employment:

  • Termination letter from an employer
  • Employment Separation Certificate

    • Domestic Violence and Victims of crime:

  • Copy of legal court orders
  • Letters from DV support services or legal representative

    • Bereavement, Divorce or Separation:

  • Official certificate issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
  • Legal documents detailing the transfer of property
  • Property title

Other Extenuating Circumstances:

If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances and how the criteria or evidence requirements apply to your unique situation, please call (07) 3007 4485 and select option 2 or email RHF-HardshipRequests@epw.qld.gov.au to request a callback.

If you require support services, our regional community brochures provide information and contact details for key community services available in your area.

Last updated:
24 June 2024
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