Payment Assistance Policy

The IT Dept Pty Ltd, trading as Underlay Networks. ABN 12 665 405 505

Summary and how to apply

If you cannot pay what you owe for your telecommunications service, or expect difficulty paying, contact us. Financial hardship can arise from illness, unemployment, reduced income, a disaster, family circumstances, domestic or family violence, or other reasonable circumstances. Eligible customers have a right to apply for short-term or long-term assistance. Applying, assessment and assistance are free. Our priority is to keep you connected.

Apply by calling 02 4398 7080, 9am to 5pm Sydney time, Monday to Friday excluding NSW public holidays, or email hello@underlay.au at any time. Say you need help paying; no special form is required. You may also write to Payment Assistance, Underlay Networks, The IT Dept Pty Ltd, 40 Woolana Ave, Budgewoi NSW 2262. Tell us the account, a safe way to contact you and what you can manage. An authorised representative or financial counsellor can help you apply.

Options include extra time to pay, an affordable instalment plan, a bill discount, a credit, partial or full debt waiver, spend controls, and moving to a suitable lower-cost service where available. We work with you to choose an option appropriate to your circumstances, service and capacity to pay. Short-term help covers up to 3 billing cycles; longer-term help is also available. We do not require evidence for short-term assistance or from a victim-survivor of domestic or family violence.

You can ask us to review a decision or make a complaint. The TIO, 1800 062 058, can assess eligibility for free independent dispute resolution. Complaining does not stop you agreeing to assistance. For independent financial counselling, contact the National Debt Helpline, 1800 007 007, or the Small Business Debt Helpline, 1800 413 828.

Who can receive assistance

This policy covers customers entitled to financial-hardship protection under the Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024, including eligible businesses and not-for-profit organisations buying for their own use. For a business buying for its own use, the standard generally covers an annual spend with us of no more than $40,000 at entry to the contract where there was no genuine and reasonable opportunity to negotiate its terms. Not-for-profit organisations buying for their own use are also covered. Being a business does not automatically exclude you. We assess the applicable customer definition, your difficulty paying and whether appropriate assistance can help you meet your obligations. If you do not fall within the statutory definition, contact us anyway to discuss a workable commercial arrangement.

You do not have to be overdue before asking for help. We also contact customers where account circumstances indicate possible financial hardship and discuss assistance before considering collection action.

Assessment and information

We discuss your circumstances, likely duration of difficulty, service needs and capacity to pay. We tell you what information is needed and the estimated assessment time. We complete an assessment as soon as practicable, within 5 business days of receiving a complete application, and tell you the result within 2 business days after assessment. If we find you ineligible, we tell you immediately and explain the reason and review options.

For longer-term assistance, we request evidence only where strictly necessary and permitted by the standard: the amount to be repaid exceeds $1,000, you have been a customer for less than 2 months, or there is a reasonable concern about possible fraud. This may include an outline of income, essential expenses or documents relevant to the difficulty you describe. We explain why it is needed, how authorised personnel can sight it, and retain assessment evidence only for the time required to assess the application. Do not send bank passwords, complete identity documents or unrelated sensitive records. Missing requested information may affect assessment; we help you find a practical way to provide what is necessary. Evidence is not required for short-term assistance or for victim-survivors of domestic or family violence.

Information can be provided by email, post or an accessible alternative agreed with you. If you need language or accessibility assistance, tell us. The National Relay Service can connect you to 02 4398 7080. For safe communication, see Customer Safety. We protect assistance information under our Privacy Policy and applicable record-keeping rules.

Available options

We tailor one or more options to your situation:

Postpone, extend or defer a bill's due date.
Agree an instalment plan based on what you can afford.
Discount a bill charge.
Apply an account credit.
Waive part or all of a debt where appropriate.
Agree spend controls to prevent additional unaffordable charges while preserving supported emergency access.
Move to a suitable lower-cost option where available, after explaining its effect on your service.

Not every option suits every service. We consider what keeps essential connectivity working and explain any trade-off before you agree. We do not require you to pay a fee to access or administer an arrangement.

Agreement and review

An arrangement starts when you agree. Within 2 business days we send written details of the assistance, duration, payment obligations, review rights and the limited circumstances in which credit action may occur. Tell us within 14 days if your situation changes. We review an arrangement within 5 business days of being told of a change. If you miss an agreed payment, we contact you and offer a review before considering further action.

Keeping you connected

Suspension or disconnection for debt is a last resort. While you discuss options, have an application under assessment or comply with an assistance arrangement, we do not take credit-management action or sell the protected debt. We also do not sell the debt during a review of the arrangement.

Where the law permits credit action after an arrangement has not been met, we first review it, discuss payment options and consider the impact on you. We give at least 10 business days' written notice of proposed action, explaining its reason, timing, charges, service effects and contact and external-help options. Applicable customer-safety protections may prohibit that action. An outstanding debt does not remove supported emergency-calling protections.

Review and complaints

Ask through the same contact channels for a review of an assessment, arrangement or decision. Our Complaints Policy explains deadlines and internal escalation. A complaint from a customer who has applied for or has an arrangement is urgent where the issue could worsen their financial position. The TIO can explain whether it can assist if you remain dissatisfied. You can continue arranging assistance while a complaint is considered.

Independent help

National Debt Helpline: 1800 007 007, for free, confidential financial counselling.

Small Business Debt Helpline: 1800 413 828, for free, independent help with small-business financial difficulty.

You do not have to engage a financial counsellor to apply to Underlay.

Last updated 1 October 2026 · Version 2026-10-01.1