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Hardship Hub
What Hardship Hub is
Hardship Hub is a web service that coordinates Temporary Hardship Plans for Australian residents experiencing genuine financial hardship with unsecured consumer debts. A plan combines eligible debts into one monthly payment distributed to creditors and runs for three months. The proposed payment is based on the Household Expenditure Measure and the applicant’s financial information; creditors can take up to 21 days to respond. Applications do not involve a credit check or obtain a credit file or score. Financial counsellors can refer clients, lodge applications on their behalf, follow creditor response windows, and view outcomes and refusals. The service excludes ATO debts, court-ordered debts and fines, child support, HECS/HELP loans, and secured debts such as mortgages or car finance. Listed fees are $49, paid once for an application, paid when the plan is built, and $2.20 a month per payment sent to a creditor. The transaction fee is deducted from the consolidated payment and does not apply to skipped months or removed creditors. The site says the service is not yet open to consumers pending licence finalisation.
Who it suits
Hardship Hub is described for Australian residents facing genuine financial hardship with unsecured consumer debts. Financial counsellors can use its referral and case-tracking workflow.
What it does well
- No credit check or credit file obtained
- Three-month plans combine eligible unsecured debts
- Counsellors can track responses and outcomes
- Skipped months incur no transaction fee
What to know first
- Not yet open to consumers
- Excludes several debt types, including secured debts
- Application fee is $49, paid once
- Transaction fee is $2.20 a month per payment sent
Limits
A Temporary Hardship Plan runs for three months. The service excludes ATO debts, court-ordered debts or fines, child support, HECS/HELP loans, and secured debts; a 2.20 USD fee applies for each payment sent to a creditor.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | Per payment sent to a creditor; deducted from the consolidated payment · Only charged when a payment is sent; skipped months and removed creditors incur no fee | $2.20 a month |
| Application fee | One-off, paid when the plan is built · Covers financial assessment, plan preparation, and first creditor proposals | $49, paid once |
As hardshiphub.com.au lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Hardship Hub website
- Apply as an Australian resident with eligible unsecured debts
- Provide your financial information for payment assessment
- Pay the 49.00 USD one-off application fee when the plan is built
- Wait for creditors to respond within their response period
Verdict
Hardship Hub coordinates short-term payment proposals and gives counsellors tools to follow creditor responses. It is not yet open to consumers, and its debt exclusions and listed fees matter before considering it.
Questions
Is Hardship Hub free?
No. It has a 49.00 USD one-off application fee and a 2.20 USD fee per payment sent to a creditor.
Who can use it?
It is described for Australian residents experiencing genuine financial hardship with unsecured consumer debts.
Does applying affect my credit file?
The application does not involve a credit check or obtain a credit file or score.
How long does a plan last?
Each Temporary Hardship Plan runs for three months.
Can counsellors submit applications?
Yes. Financial counsellors can refer clients, lodge applications for them, track response windows, and see outcomes and refusals.
Is the service open to consumers?
The website says it is not yet open to consumers pending licence finalisation.
Facts from Hardship Hub's own pages
- Affordability
- The proposed payment is sized using the Household Expenditure Measure and the applicant’s financial information. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Complaints support
- The company says it acknowledges complaints within one business day and responds in writing within 30 days. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Counsellor workflow
- Financial counsellors can refer clients or lodge on their behalf, track creditor response windows, and see outcomes and refusals. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Credit checks
- The application does not involve a credit check or obtain a credit file or score. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Creditor response period
- Creditors have up to 21 days to respond to proposals. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Debts not covered
- The service excludes ATO debts, court-ordered debts or fines, child support, HECS/HELP loans, and secured debts such as mortgages or car finance. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Eligible users
- The service is described for Australian residents experiencing genuine financial hardship with unsecured consumer debts. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Launch status
- The site says the service is not yet open to consumers pending licence finalisation. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Payment integrations
- The privacy policy names Stripe for application-fee processing and Zai for direct-debit collection and creditor distribution. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Plan duration
- A Temporary Hardship Plan runs for three months. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Privacy compliance
- Hardship Hub says it is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- The privacy policy says data is encrypted in transit using TLS and at rest using AES-256, with Australian-hosted primary data storage. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Hardship Hub coordinates Temporary Hardship Plans that bundle unsecured debts into one monthly payment distributed to creditors. · hardshiphub.com.au, 4 Oct 2026
Where Hardship Hub stands on Freedom251
- Debt Management Software#22 of 23