Receiving unexpected bills

Coping with the unexpected 

You’ll usually have a good idea what your regular expenses are each month: like your mortgage or rent, food, petrol and bills such as electricity and gas. But it's harder to predict when you’ll receive an unexpected bill (that’s why they call them unexpected) and that can be financially stressful. Some common scenarios can be:

• You're in a car accident and you need to cover out-of-pocket expenses.
• You or someone in your family falls ill, and you might receive a bill for a medical expense that’s not covered by Medicare or by your private health insurance.
• You need to repair or replace a major household appliance, which can be costly either way.
• Someone you love passes away and you need to travel unexpectedly. 

Why are unexpected bills painful?  

If you receive an unexpected bill and you don’t have the money to pay for it, it might be tempting to look to a quick payment solution. The downside to these ‘quick-fix solutions’ is that they could potentially lead to more money problems later on. For example, you may use a short-term option such as a credit card or personal loan. The downside to these is that they can take longer to repay and often have high interest rates - so you end up paying more than the original amount. This adds stress on top of stress. 

The good news is you can prepare for some of these situations before they happen. Although it sounds simple, creating budgets and a savings plan can help you prepare for bigger bills which you can anticipate. Also, ensuring you have adequate insurance will help protect yourself and your loved ones from the unexpected. You can hold many different types of insurance through your super. Use our insurance calculator to work out how much cover you might need and what it covers.

How super can help

If you're unable to work due to injury, illness or death, it may be possible that you or your dependants could be covered by insurance held through your super. This may mean that you or your dependants can still pay regular bills even if you're unable to work.

In addition, in times of severe financial difficulty, you may be eligible for early access to some of your super either through financial hardship or compassionate grounds.

Consider these next steps:

• Check your Death, Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) and Income Protection insurance cover 

• If you don't hold any of these insurances, decide if you should take out this type of insurance cover 

• Apply to access some of your super early due to financial hardship or under compassionate grounds.