Own your home but struggling with bills? The government may be able to help.

What the Home Equity Access Scheme is

The Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) is run by Services Australia. It lets older Australians borrow from the government against Australian real estate they own, usually their home.

• Voluntary. You choose whether to apply, how much to take, and when to stop.
• A loan, not a grant. It’s non-taxable and paid fortnightly, as a lump-sum advance, or both.
• You keep your home. The government registers a charge (a legal note) on the title as security.
• Repaid later. Repay part or all of it any time with no early repayment penalty; otherwise it’s repaid when the property is sold or from your estate.
• A safety net. The no negative equity guarantee means you or your estate won’t repay more than the property is worth (less other mortgages), if you keep to the loan terms.

Eligibility self-check

You need to tick every box. Tick them on screen or on a printout.

• You, or your partner, are Age Pension age (67) or older on the day you claim. (If you’re younger, your partner must be Age Pension age and you must be eligible for Carer Payment or Disability Support Pension.)
• You get, or would qualify for, a qualifying pension such as the Age Pension. A $0 rate because of your income or assets is fine.
• You or your partner own real estate in Australia, with your name on the title, that can be used as security. Your home, an investment property, vacant land or commercial property can qualify. Most retirement village units don’t.
• Nobody who owns the property is bankrupt or under a personal insolvency agreement.
• The property has building insurance of at least 90% of the value of the buildings.
• If you have a partner, they agree to you applying (they sign the application or complete a task in their own Centrelink online account).

A self-check isn’t a decision. Services Australia assesses your claim. Source: Who can get it.

How much, and choosing your amount

Your pension plus the HEAS loan can be up to 150% of the maximum pension rate. Maximum loan payments, using rates from 20 September 2026:

Choosing the right amount for you

• Start from your bills, not the maximum. Add up the shortfall: say power, rates and insurance come to $650 a month more than you can cover. That’s about $300 a fortnight.
• Fortnightly or lump sum. You can ask for up to 2 lump-sum advances in any 26 fortnights, up to $16,090.10 single or $24,258.00 couple combined. An advance reduces your fortnightly payments for the next 26 fortnights. Unspent advance money can affect your pension (deemed straight away, and counted as an asset after 90 days if your home secures the loan).
• Protect some equity. You can set a nominated amount of the property’s value to keep out of the loan, for example for aged care or your family, and a maximum loan amount so payments stop at a limit you choose.
• There’s a ceiling. Payments stop when the loan reaches a maximum set by your age and the property’s value (for example, about $219,200 for a single 67-year-old with an $800,000 home, recalculated each year).
• You can adjust later. Increase, reduce, pause or restart whenever your needs change (see changing and stopping).

Try different amounts in the HEAS calculator

What it costs, honestly

The interest rate is 3.95% a year (at 27 October 2026), set by the government. Interest compounds every fortnight on the whole balance until the loan is repaid, including after you stop taking payments. The longer the loan runs, the faster it grows, and it reduces what’s left for you or your family when the home is sold.

Illustration only: 3.95% a year compounding fortnightly, no repayments, no rate change. Excludes legal and registration costs, which you pay or can add to the loan. More examples, including a $2 million home over 30 years, are in our HEAS calculator.

Documents checklist

The online claim lists exactly what it needs in its task list, but having these ready first avoids delays:

• myGov account linked to Centrelink (and proof of identity for you and your partner, if Services Australia asks)
• Bank account details for the payments, and your tax file number (if Services Australia doesn’t already have them)
• A recent title search for each property you offer as security
• The latest council rates notice for each property
• Your building insurance policy or certificate of currency (cover of at least 90% of the buildings’ value)
• Any mortgage: loan agreement, contract and most recent statement
• A signed authority to inspect the property for valuation (part of the application)
• If a company or trust owns the property: the constitution or trust deed, plus declarations
• If someone other than your partner co-owns the property: their declaration
• If someone applies for you: power of attorney papers or the form authorising them to act for you

Source: Supporting documents for the Home Equity Access Scheme.

Step-by-step: apply through Centrelink and myGov

1. Step 1 Check you’re eligible

   Tick through the eligibility self-check above. Services Australia’s HEAS eligibility calculator gives another quick check. If you’re not yet getting the Age Pension but would qualify, Services Australia may ask you to claim it as well.

2. Step 2 Decide how much you need

   Work out what would actually ease the pressure: a regular fortnightly top-up, a lump sum for a big bill, or both. See choosing your amount below and model it in our HEAS calculator. Taking less than the maximum keeps more equity in your home.

3. Step 3 Think it through and talk to your family

   Services Australia suggests you consider your current and future finances, the effect of compound interest and how the loan will be repaid, and that you get independent legal or financial advice. Its Financial Information Service (132 300, say “Financial Information Service”) can explain the scheme but doesn’t give personal advice.

4. Step 4 Set up myGov and your Centrelink online account

   Applying online needs a myGov account linked to Centrelink. If you already get the Age Pension you probably have this. You and your partner may need to prove your identity before you can submit. A nominee with legal authority over your property and finances can apply for you.

5. Step 5 Gather your documents

   Use the documents checklist above. Having everything ready before you start is the single best way to avoid delays.

6. Step 6 Make your claim online

   1. Sign in to myGov and open Centrelink.
   2. Select Make a claim or view claim status, then Make a claim.
   3. Under Older Australians, select Get started.
   4. Select Apply for a loan under the Home Equity Access Scheme and follow the prompts.
   5. Complete the required task list (it shows which documents to upload), then submit.

   You’ll choose your fortnightly amount, and can set a maximum loan amount or a nominated amount of equity to protect.

7. Step 7 Or use the paper form

   If you can’t apply online, download and complete the right form, sign it, and lodge it with your documents online, at a service centre or by post (the address is on the form):

   • SA496 Home Equity Access Scheme single application, if you’re single
   • SA310 Home Equity Access Scheme partnered application, if you have a partner (both of you sign)

   Can’t download a form? Call the Older Australians line on 132 300 or visit a service centre. Veterans apply through DVA.

8. Step 8 Track your claim and respond quickly

   Your receipt shows a claim ID, the date Services Australia estimates it will finish, and a link to track progress in myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app. If they ask for more information, reply within 14 days.

After you apply: what happens and when

• Receipt. Straight away you get a claim ID, an estimated completion date and a tracking link (myGov or Express Plus Centrelink).
• Requests for information. If Services Australia needs more, it puts your claim on hold and asks; reply within 14 days or the claim may be rejected.
• Valuation. Each property you offer is valued at no cost to you, and a valuer may inspect it. If you disagree, ask Services Australia to check it.
• Charge on your title. The loan is secured by a charge registered on the title (a caveat in most states; a notice of charge in Queensland). You pay the registration costs, upfront or added to the loan.
• Decision. You’ll get a letter (in your myGov inbox, or by post) with the outcome and your payments. If you think it’s wrong, you can ask for a review.
• How long? Services Australia doesn’t publish a set processing time. Claims involve a valuation and information from others, so they can take a while. A complete claim is the quickest claim.

Changing, stopping and repaying

Change or stop your payments

In your Centrelink online account select Home Equity Access Scheme (or use the Express Plus Centrelink app) to: change the fortnightly amount, stop or restart payments, ask for an advance, change your maximum loan or nominated amount, start settling the loan, and print an itemised statement. Without online access, use the SA497 Home Equity Access Scheme variation form (your partner signs too, even without their own loan) or call 132 300.

Repay

• Repay part or all any time, with no early repayment penalty: BPAY, Post Billpay or card through myGov, or a bank cheque or money order.
• If you sell, repay at settlement or transfer the loan to your new home. Give at least 14 days’ notice so Services Australia can give a payout figure and remove the charge. Settlement legal costs are yours.
• After a death, repayment is generally sought from the estate after 14 weeks, or may be deferred for a surviving partner of Age Pension age living in the home (interest keeps accruing).

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying before your documents are ready. Missing title, rates or insurance papers is the most common cause of delay.
• Letting insurance lapse or drop. Cover must stay at 90% or more of the buildings’ value. If your policy renews or changes while the claim is being assessed, send the new details.
• Missing a 14-day deadline. Not replying to a request can get the claim rejected; not reporting a change can lead to overpayments or stopped payments.
• Taking the maximum by default. Borrow what you need; you can increase it later.
• Leaving a lump sum in the bank. Unspent advance money is deemed and, after 90 days, counted as an asset, which can reduce your pension. Update Centrelink as you spend it.
• Forgetting interest keeps running. Stopping payments doesn’t stop interest on the balance.
• Changing your mortgage without telling Services Australia. Increasing a mortgage or using the property to guarantee a loan without telling them can mean the no negative equity guarantee doesn’t apply.
• Not talking to family. The loan comes out of your home’s value later. A conversation now avoids surprises.