Farm Household Allowance

What we do

Rural Financial Counselling Services are:

Free, independent and confidential
Staffed by qualified and experienced Rural Financial Counsellors (RFCs) who understand farming and business – our RFCs are required to have a Diploma of Financial Counselling as minimum qualification, and have years of experience in assisting farming businesses
For primary producers of livestock, milk, honey, fruit, crops, wool, meat, vegetables, eggs, fish, plants, trees and logs
For small businesses who mainly support primary production such as: fencing, shearing sheep, controlling weeds or agricultural pests, managing stock, planting crops etc.
Able to assist farm or small agribusinesses experiencing or at risk of financial hardship
Able to come to your place of business or you can come and see us.

Assistance when

Rural Financial Counselling Services can assist businesses affected by:

Drought/water issues
Low commodity prices
Natural disasters
Structural adjustment
Industry downturns
Low equity/tight cash flow
Difficulties with lenders or access to finance
Unpaid creditors/debtors
Market disruptions
Changes in personal circumstances
Farm accidents or illness
Share farming/succession agreements/ contracts.

How can we help you

Rural Financial Counselling Services can help you:

Understand your financial position and the viability of your enterprise
Identify options to improve your financial position
Develop a plan to implement your chosen options, and implement that plan
Provide information, referrals, and support to access, government or industry grants and programs
Assist you to deal (whether through meetings or otherwise) with lending institutions in relation to:
- Applications and contracts with those institutions; and
- Processes relating to farm debt mediation
Assist you to identify the need for advice from professional service providers, and provide support with preparation for meetings with professional service providers.

News

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North East Regional Soil Health Conference - 14 May 2021 at Beechworth is for ALL land managers, agriculture industry groups and soil health service providers in North East Victoria.
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The team at the Young Farmer Business Network have put together a series of sessions designed to build skills in financial planning and business resilience for your farm business.
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Details: Published: 20 July 2016; Last Updated: 31 July 2018

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The Farm Household Allowance, (FHA), provides help for eligible farmers and their families experiencing financial hardship.

Eligibility basics are that you must be a farmer who contributes a significant part of your labour and capital to the farm enterprise, or be the partner of a farmer who does meet an income and assets test, and comply with mutual obligation requirement.

What is the Farm Household Allowance?

The Farm Household Allowance provides eligible farmers and their partners who are experiencing financial hardship with assistance and support to improve their long-term financial situation.

The allowance is paid fortnightly at a rate equivalent to Newstart Allowance (or Youth Allowance for those under 22 years). A Health Care Card will be provided to recipients. Support is also provided through a dedicated case manager to help recipients assess their situation and develop a plan for the future.

Eligible farmers and their partners are able to access up to four years of payment. This is designed to give farm families time to get back on their feet and the opportunity to take steps to improve their circumstances.

Who will qualify for the Farm Household Allowance?

To qualify, among other things a farmer must:

be aged 16 years or older
have a right or interest in the land used for the purpose of a farm enterprise
use the land wholly or mainly for the purpose of the farm enterprise
use the land for the purposes of the farm enterprise and that land is in Australia
have a farm enterprise with a ‘significant commercial purpose or character’
contribute significant labour and capital to the farm enterprise
be an Australian resident and be in Australia
be willing to enter into a financial improvement agreement
satisfy an income test and an assets test
must have a cumulative period of Farm Household Allowance that is 4 years or less (if the farmer has been entitled to FHA in the past).

There are separate criteria for partners of farmers (if they do not qualify as a farmer in their own right). These criteria do not include the same labour test, but are otherwise similar. The Farm Household Allowance guidelines provides more information on these eligibility criteria.

For further information please visit https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/farm-household-allowance or contact us on 1300 834 775