From the Rates Office

15 October 2020

Rates Rebate

Residential ratepayers on low incomes may be eligible for a rates rebate of up to $655 for the current rating year. You can apply for a rebate for the current rating year only.

What is a rates rebate?

A rates rebate is a partial refund against your rates for people who pay rates to the council.

You must be:

the person who pays the rates on the property that’s your home
living in your home
listed as the ratepayer in the council’s Rating Information Database (RID). This database has all the information about rates and ratepayers for every property in your council’s area.

You can’t apply if:

your property is mainly used for commercial activities, for example farming or business
your property is a rental property or holiday home.

See here for more information and how to apply.

Making payments

You can set up a direct debit to make your rates payments directly from your bank account. Council can offer a payment plan by weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or annual direct debits. Payments by this method allows us to deduct the exact amount required on your preferred payment cycle to ensure rates paid in full by 30 June.

If you are having difficulty paying your rates and have rates arrears, we may be able to enter into a payment arrangement with you. Please contact the rates officer for all payment arrangements. If your request for a payment arrangement is successful and the payments do not default, you will avoid incurring future penalties and may be eligible for a remission of some penalties recently incurred.

Multiple properties

If you own more than one property, please make a separate payment for each property using the individual valuation number shown on your rates invoice. This will ensure payments are allocated correctly and avoid penalties for non-payment of rates.

Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash