Essential household items

Allowable costs for Temporary Additional Support must be:

• ongoing and regular expenses, calculated on a weekly basis and
• essential to meet the family's daily living needs and
• not easily avoided or reduced when the expense was incurred

An essential household item that is considered an allowable cost is a:

• bed (including mattress) or mattress
• dining suite
• combined fridge/freezer, or a fridge and freezer or a fridge or a freezer
• lounge suite
• portable heater
• stove
• television
• vehicle repayment
• washing machine

You can only include payments for the essential household items that are listed as allowable costs. Most of the items listed as essential household items have limits on the weekly amounts and the number of items that can be included for Temporary Additional Support.

Temporary Additional Support can be paid where the essential item was purchased before the client became a beneficiary.

Note this includes clients who at the time of their application for Temporary Additional Support, are or have been a beneficiary at some point since purchasing the essential item.

If an essential item was purchased while the client was a beneficiary Temporary Additional Support can only be paid if:

• the cost is essential to meet the family's daily living needs
• the cost could not be easily avoided or reduced when the expense was incurred (for example there were no other options available at the time of purchase)

Generally, you can include the costs for essential household items in the assessment of Temporary Additional Support if the client purchased the item using a consumer credit contract or any other agreed period payment. In some circumstances a client may include the costs for essential household items in the assessment of Temporary Additional Support if the client purchased the item using a revolving credit payment.

For more information see:

• Essential household items list
• Types of health and disability costs
• Hire or rental essential household items

Generally, you can include the costs for essential household items in the assessment of Temporary Additional Support if the client purchased the item using a consumer credit contract or any other agreed period payment.

In some circumstances a client may include the costs for essential household items in the assessment of Temporary Additional Support if the client purchased the item using a revolving credit payment.

For more information see:

• Consumer credit contract
• Agreed period payment
• Revolving credit payment

If the consumer credit contract (hire purchase) has a provision to defer repayment when earnings are reduced because of a health condition or accident, this option should be considered.

Advice should also be given to the client to explore the possibility of deferring or re-negotiating the terms of repayment to eliminate or reduce the need for Temporary Additional Support. You should consider including the consumer credit contract cost and give the client time to explore their options prior to their next review.

If the client or any family members have allowable essential household items for Temporary Additional Support, you will need to manually add them into the STAWA screen.

For more information see

• Allowable costs