Energy Accounts Payment Assistance

If you're having difficulty paying your household energy bill because of a short-term financial crisis or emergency, such as unexpected medical bills, or reduced income due to COVID-19, you could be eligible for Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) assistance.

EAPA assistance is provided by the NSW government and the assistance is sent electronically to your energy retailer and used to credit your home electricity or gas account. EAPA assistance can't be used to put your energy account into credit.

Applying for EAPA assistance involves an eligibility assessment, the amount of EAPA assistance is subject to limits and is based on your assessment.

Please enquire at the Freedom Centre regarding an appointment to undertake an EAPA assessment.

You must:

• have an electricity or natural gas account for a NSW residential supply address, which is your primary place of residence  
• be the electricity or natural gas account holder (your account and bill must be in your name)
• be experiencing a short-term financial crisis or emergency that has impacted your ability to pay your current residential energy bill (in full or in part) due to financial hardship.

You're not eligible if you:

• use liquid petroleum gas (LPG) bottles for your gas supply; however, you may be eligible for gas rebates (not available at the Freedom Centre)
• are residing in embedded networks (e.g. some strata plans, retirement villages and residential parks)
• have already paid your energy bill. You can apply for EAPA assistance if you're still experiencing a short-term financial crisis or emergency when you receive your next energy bill.