No Interest Loan Scheme (NILs)

No Interest. No Charges. No hidden fees. EVER. Only pay back what you borrow, nothing more.

As a Client Support Provider (CSP), MultiLink’s No Interest Loans Scheme (NILs) program supports individuals and their families to make an application with accessible and affordable credit to purchase the essential goods and services to support them by preparing all their documents and completing the application online via myNILSapp. The loan application is then submitted to another NILs organisation who is the Loan Provider (LP) who will assess and approve/decline the application.

The maximum value you can apply for through NILs is $2000 (there is no minimum borrowing amount). For certain loan purposes including bond and rent in advance, rental arrears (application by exception), rates or in circumstances where you have been impacted by a natural disaster, you may be eligible to apply for up to $3000.

NILs is not a cash loan, loans are paid directly to the supplier and cannot be used to repay debt (s) or for ongoing living expenses like food, utilities or petrol.

When you contact us, you may be asked to share some personal information about you, your income and expenses. This information will assist us to understand your circumstances as we know every person and household is different and it is important that we understand the information as it applies to you.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a NILs loan you must meet these key criteria:

  • Be aged 17 or over
  • Be applying for an eligible loan purpose
  • Be within the Low-Income threshold –
    Health Care/Pension Concession Card
    OR
    single (earning less than gross $70,000 p.a., net $57,000 p.a.)
    OR
    couple/those with dependents (earning less than gross $100,000 p.a., net $75,000 p.a.)
    OR
    clients who have experience DFV (within the last 10 years)
  • Show you can afford to repay the loan
  • Residency Status – People who are non-permanent residents (Temporary Protection Visa or Bridging Visa) of Australia are also eligible to apply for NILs (if they also meet the above criteria)
  • Time at current address – Ideally, a NILs applicant should have lived at their address for at least 3 months (to allow them to provide realistic expenses such as utilities) however this requirement can be waived under exceptional circumstances (e.g. transitioning out of homelessness or incarceration, people experiencing family violence)

Loan Term & Repayments

NILs can be repaid via your Centrelink payment directly through Centrepay or via direct credit through your bank account with a repayment period up to 24 months.

The following scale can be used as a guide for determining loan repayment rates but are a guide only, your repayment will depend on the exact loan amount you are borrowing.

** Information current as of 1 July 2024 **

Documents Needed

When you apply for NILs, you must be able to provide 100 points of ID and some additional supporting documentation including:

  • Proof of Identity (Driver’s Licence/Proof of Age Card, Medicare, Centrelink Concession Card)
  • Proof of Address & Housing Cost (Rental Agreement OR Mortgage Statement OR Rental Ledger. If you are not on the lease, please discuss options with your NILs worker)
  • Proof of Income (Centrelink Income Statement & Deduction Statement OR Detailed Income & Asset Statement OR Payslips from work (3 most recent) OR recent ATO Assessment Notice if you are self-employed)
  • Proof of Expenses – as applicable to you (Bank Statement for the most recent 3 months (must be provided) and no older than 14 days, rental ledger or mortgage statement, electricity bill, water bill, internet, water, mobile phone and statements for any other loans)
  • Quote (A quote or tax invoice for the goods or services you would like paid through NILs – this can be on a letterhead with the ABN if it is from a store, a car registration renewal notice etc.) If you are applying for a loan pre approval, you do not need to provide a quote/invoice at the time of application.

Contact our No Interest Loans Scheme team on (07) 3808 4463 or through nils@multilink.org.au to find out more about the program, your eligibility and to start a No Interest Loan application.