Rates FAQs

FAQS
Who decides what we get charged for rates?

The rates adopted by Council in accordance with increases approved by the Independent Pricing & Regulatory Tribunal are applied to the land value determined by the NSW Valuer General. 

The NSW Valuer General revalues properties every three years, with the last valuation completed in 2020. Only a small number of properties may have been revalued due to rezoning of the land for 2021/22 rates levied.

Each year rates are calculated for the coming financial year and are placed on public exhibition for 28 days prior to being adopted by Council (April/May each year).  Community consultation is also undertaken during this process.

Further details on how rates are calculated can be found here.

Why have my rates gone up so much?

Rates increase each financial year by the amount determined by IPART as the increase in rates for all Councils across NSW. This is known as the ‘rate peg’. 

The rate peg for 2022/23 is 0.7%.

This year there are small increases to the domestic waste management charge, some of the other garbage services and Hunter Local Land Services.

If you have received a sizeable increase of your rates notice, it may be due to rezoning of the land or a new or additional garbage service. 

What if I can't pay my rates on time?

Council has a range of policies in place to assist ratepayers experiencing genuine financial hardship.  Further details are available here or phone 02 4934 9700 to discuss payment options with an officer in our Rates Department.

Am I getting a pension rebate? How do I apply?

A pensioner rebate of $250 per annum is available for eligible ratepayers. 

This will show separately on your rates notice.

If you are not sure if you've received the pension rebate, please email [email protected].

To be eligible for the rebate you will need to be a:

  • Holder of a Pensioner Concession Card.
  • Holder of a gold card embossed with TPI (totally permanently incapacitated).
  • Holder of a gold card embossed with EDA (extreme disablement adjustment).
  • War widow or widower or wholly dependent partner to the Pension Concession Card.

To apply for the rebate, you will need to complete and submit the pensioner concession rebate form. We recommend that you download this checklist to ensure that you provide the required information when submitting your form.

When are my rates notices issued?

Annual rates notices are issued in July each year and are payable in four instalments, due by 31 August, 30 November, 28 February and 31 May each financial year.  A rate instalment notice is issued 30 days before each instalment is due.

Why is my first instalment higher than my last three instalments?

There are different levies and charges that make up your rates notice, including your waste management charge, as well as a contribution to stormwater management and Hunter Local Land Services.

These different items are divided over four instalments, with the first instalment including the roundings from the remaining instalments. The first instalment also includes any amount you have outstanding from last financial year.

I recently made a payment off my rates and it is not displayed on my new annual rates notices?

If you have made a payment after the 'deduct payments made since' date outlined on your notice, then it would not show up on this notice. 

The deduct payment date on the 2021/2022 annual notice was 28 July 2021.

What is Hunter Local Land Services (HLLS) and why do we pay for it?

HLLS Hunter Catchment Contributions are derived from a levy on all rateable land valued in excess of $300 within the Hunter catchment.

These contributions are invested in projects in the Hunter catchment and cannot be spent outside the Hunter catchment. They provide a coordinated approach to the extensive problems of natural resource conservation in the Hunter Valley catchment and to undertake flood mitigation work. The levy enables Hunter Local Land Services to meet its legislative obligations under the Water Management Act 2000, as well as meeting resource condition and management targets in the Hunter LLS Local Strategic Plan.

The contributions are now collected via local government authorities within the Hunter who collect catchment contributions on behalf of HLLS. This is why you will see a “Catchment Levy” (or similar) line item on your council rates notice.

What is the waste charge and why do we pay for it?

This charge is applied to all property once the waste service becomes available e.g. domestic waste/red bin. This is an automatic fee applied whether used or not by the owner of each property. 

What is Stormwater Management Service charge and why do we pay for it?

Urbanisation has significantly increased the volume of pollutant load in stormwater, flowing into urban waterways. These flows lead to waterway pollution as well as flooding in some areas. To help Council manage these stormwater issues, the Local Government Act 1993 was amended in 2005 to allow the levying of an annual stormwater management service charge.

The purpose of the charge is to help Council fund new or additional stormwater management activities across the Local Government Area, it is not property specific. These activities may include stormwater pollution prevention, flood mitigation, rainwater and stormwater harvesting, community education programs and stormwater drainage systems operations and maintenance.   

Further details of the programmed expenditure of the funds may be obtained from Council’s Management Plan.

How can I pay my rates?

You can pay your rates in a variety of ways:

  • Direct debit
  • BPAY
  • Via our website using Visa or Mastercard
  • At Australia Post
  • Cheque via mail

Further details can be found here or on the back of your rates notice.

How can I change my postal address?

You can change your address here.

I have been financially affected by COVID-19, do I still have to pay my rates?

All property owners within the local government area are required to pay their current quarterly rates.

However, Council has hardship provisions in place for property owners experiencing hardship due to COVID-19 including interest free payment plans and deferral of rate instalments.

For more information on Council's COVID-19 hardship provisions see here.

Can I receive my rates notices via email?

Yes, to change your delivery preference to email, click here.