If a family member can't manage their own financial affairs, it can be very difficult for another person to informally manage their affairs for them.
Most large organisations have strong policies about privacy and will only talk to the actual account holder.
This might be, for example, to make enquiries about a telephone bill, request information from the local council, move money between bank accounts or get information from Centrelink.
What you can do
- Many couples operate in such a way that one of them tends to manage the finances and often the accounts are in that person’s name only. This can make it very difficult for the other person if the account holder can no longer manage that role. One way to reduce such problems is to have accounts in joint names if both parties are in agreement.
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It may also be helpful to organise formally for your partner (or another appropriate person) to be able to make enquiries on your behalf from banks and organisations such as Centrelink.