Can't pay your Queensland electricity bill: the hardship rules changing from 2027

A reminder notice, then a disconnection warning, and a bill you cannot cover: it is one of the worse pieces of mail to get. The rules covering what a retailer has to do about it changed this month, and they are about to change again. Here is what the Australian Energy Market Commission actually decided on 10 September 2026, what is still only proposed, and what you can ask your retailer for right now, before either date arrives.

What changed on 10 September 2026

The commission made a final decision on a rule change called streamlining payment difficulty protections. It tidies four separate requests from the Australian Energy Regulator into one set of obligations that apply to every electricity and gas retailer under the National Energy Retail Rules, which covers South East Queensland. The rule is made. It commences on 30 March 2027, so retailers have time to change their systems and staff training before it binds them.

What a retailer will have to do before it disconnects you

• Contact you through at least two different channels before disconnecting for non payment, unless you have already acknowledged the first attempt.
• Apply the same minimum disconnection amount to everyone in arrears, not only to a customer who had already agreed to a repayment plan. Below that floor, a retailer cannot disconnect at all.
• Give you the same assistance whether you asked for help yourself or the retailer noticed you were struggling and flagged it. The two paths currently lead to different treatment, and the final determination removes that gap.
• Put payment difficulty help, a summary of its hardship policy and the concessions you might be owed on both its website and on the reminder and disconnection warning notices it sends you.

The second change, still being decided

A related rule change, strengthening standards for payment difficulty assistance, is a step further and not yet settled. The draft determination was published the same day as the first rule was finalised. It would stop a retailer demanding documentary proof of hardship, such as a payslip or a medical letter, before it gives you basic assistance, and it would require a payment plan to be based on what you tell the retailer you can actually pay, then reviewed if your circumstances change. Submissions on the draft close on 22 October 2026 and a final decision is expected on 3 December 2026, so the detail could still move before then.

Can you actually be disconnected for not paying

Eventually, yes, if a bill genuinely goes unpaid and you never engage with the retailer. But the rules exist precisely to slow that down: a retailer already has to run a hardship policy, and the changes above tighten how it has to use it. If a notice arrives and you are not sure whether the retailer followed its own process, or the National Energy Retail Rules, that is exactly what the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland checks, at no cost to you.

What to do if you are behind right now

1. Ring the retailer and ask specifically for its hardship team, not the general line. Say you are having trouble paying, before the account falls further behind.
2. Ask for a payment plan sized to what you can afford each fortnight, not the number the retailer suggests first.
3. Check the Queensland Electricity Rebate is actually being applied if you hold an eligible card. A missed rebate on top of arrears makes the gap wider than it needs to be.
4. Work through the usual reasons a bill runs high before assuming nothing can be done: why is my electricity bill so high goes through them in order.
5. If the retailer will not engage or you think it is not following the rules, contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland.

None of this depends on the March 2027 rule. A hardship policy, a payment plan and the ombudsman are all available today, and asking early keeps more options open than waiting for a disconnection warning to arrive.