Once the notice of decision has been made, you will receive a copy of the notice.
The notice will set out which payments can be paid now, and which payments will be paid in the future when you provide the FAS with a receipt or invoice. The notice will also show if an instalment plan has been agreed on for some payments.
All Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) payments are made via electronic funds transfer directly into a bank account.
Receipts and invoices (and other supporting material) must be submitted within 10 years of the assistance decision.
Paying you
We’ll transfer the agreed payment to your bank account.
If you have paid for a service, you will need to provide us with the receipt or another form of proof that you have paid.
You can upload your proof into the FAS portal.
If you need to update your bank details, visit the ‘My profile’ page in the FAS portal.
Paying your service provider
If you want us to pay your service provider directly, you must provide us with an invoice. The invoice must be Australian Tax Office compliant and include the service provider’s bank account details.
All documents should be uploaded into the FAS online portal.
People with a legal disability and victims under 18 years
If you have a legal disability or are under 18 years of age, we might decide to transfer your money to Funds in Court. This means that the Senior Master of the Supreme Court holds your money and supports you to make decisions about how to spend it.
See our legal guidelines for more information on payments to Funds in Court.
Another nominated person
You can nominate another person, such as a legal guardian or carer, to receive payment on your behalf.
If you are under administration or guardianship orders, payment is usually made to the bank account administrator or guardian.
The FAS will advise the nominated person and confirm the bank details to make payment. The funds will be paid by the FAS to the confirmed bank account via electronic funds transfer.
Repayments
Very rarely, we may need you to pay us back. This could be because:
- we paid you interim assistance but refused your application for assistance
- you have already received payment from another scheme, and we pay you for the same type of assistance
- you are awarded a reduced payment as part of a variation or internal review, and we need you to repay the difference between the original amount paid and the new amount.
If this happens, we will write to you. We will let you know that we think we need you to pay us back. We’ll also ask you if you have any further information, or evidence about what has happened.
We’ll then consider the information you provide and decide whether repayment is needed.
If it is needed, we will let you know:
- the amount to be repaid
- why a repayment is required
- when the payment is due
- how the payment can be made.
A victim can apply for an internal review of a decision to require repayment.
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