Financial administration services

Welcome to the Queensland Public Trustee, a part of the Queensland Government that helps people who need support managing their money.

In this video, we'll explain what happens when a tribunal appoints Queensland Public Trustee as your financial administrator.

A tribunal may appoint us to help manage your money if you no longer can, because of a disability, illness or injury.

Some people need a lot of help, others only a little.

It may be for a short time, or a longer time.

The support we give depends on your needs.

Our role is to make sure:

• you get the income you're entitled to
• your bills are paid
• your assets are safe and secure, and you have a budget that matches your lifestyle
• so you have money available when you need it.

We charge fees for our services.

We will explain these fees when we meet for the first time and may assist with some of the costs if you need help affording our services.

The first step is to meet with you, to get to know you and your needs.

You can bring a support person with you to this meeting.

We will talk about your goals and ways we can help you manage your money.

We look at your income and make sure you get the money you're entitled to.

If people owe you money, it's our role to ask them to pay you back.

Next, we look at your expenses.

This includes bills you need to pay, such as phone and electricity, and everyday costs, like food and transport.

If you owe any money, we help you work out a repayment plan.

We then make a budget that shows all your income and expenses so you know how much money you have left.

And if you'd like to save for something, we can include that in your budget.

Our role is to work in your interests, so that the money you have supports your needs.

We review your budget with you each year or when things in your life change, to make sure it continues to meet your needs.

You will receive regular statements that show your income and how your money was used.

Once you have a budget, we look after your money by paying your bills and giving you money for everyday expenses.

We will always involve you in decisions about your money, and everything stays in your name.

However, there are some things we can't do at the Queensland Public Trustee.

We cannot give you money you don't have.

We can only help manage the money you do have.

We can't make lifestyle decisions for you, such as where you are going to live, but we can help you know whether you can afford it or not.

We also can't decide to stop being your financial administrator.

This needs to be decided by the tribunal who appointed us to help you in the first place.

If you would like to ask the tribunal to review their decision, we can support you with information about steps you can take.

Our team is here to help.

If you have questions about your money or want to raise concerns, you can contact us on 1300 687 778.