Up to $300 credit for households
If you have an active electricity account, you will receive up to $300 credit on your electricity bill over the 2024—25 financial year (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025).
Up to $325 credit for eligible small businesses
If you have a small business, you may be eligible to receive up to $325 off your small business electricity bill over the 2024—25 financial year. To be eligible you will need to:
- have an active electricity account
- not operate from a residential address with a residential electricity tariff, and
- meet the definition of a ‘small business’ in the state or territory that your business operates in. This will be based on your business’s annual energy usage.
This may include small businesses located in an embedded network such as a shopping centre, but will depend on your state or territory.
Energy bill relief starts July 2024
Energy bill relief will be applied to electricity bills from July 2024. The timing of the first credit may vary, depending on where you live and your billing cycle. It may take some time after the census date for the credit to be applied on your electricity bill. If you receive your bill for the first quarter and it doesn't have a credit on it, you should receive your first quarter credit along with the next quarter's credit automatically on your next bill.
Most households will have bill relief applied as four $75 credits. If you live in Western Australia, your household will receive two credits of $150 applied to your bills in July and December 2024.
Most eligible small businesses will have bill relief applied as four credits of $81.25. If you live in Western Australia, your eligible small business will receive two credits of $162.50 in July and December 2024, and in Victoria, your eligible small business will receive one credit of $325.
Energy bill credit
In most cases, your electricity bill credit will be automatically applied to your household or small business electricity bill by your electricity retailer. Once your credit has been applied by your retailer, you will see it as a line item on your electricity bill.
Embedded networks
If you live in an apartment block, caravan park, or retirement village, you may be in an embedded network.
A small business located in a shopping centre may be in an embedded network.
Embedded networks are private electricity networks. This means that customers may not have a direct relationship with an energy retailer but may pay their energy bill to the embedded network operator. The embedded network operator may be your strata or landlord in a caravan park, apartment building or retirement home or village.
If you are an embedded network customer, you or your network operator may need to apply for energy bill relief. In some states/territories embedded network customers will apply for a one-off payment instead of bill credits. For more information visit your state or territory government energy website.
Credits for households and small businesses with solar panels and batteries
If your house or small business is powered by solar panels or batteries and you have a positive account balance, you will still receive a credit on your account.
Moving house or changing retailer
If you have an active electricity account on the census date listed for your state/territory, you can expect to have a credit applied on your electricity bill for that corresponding period. A ‘census date’ is used to identify if a household or small business is eligible to receive a credit for the corresponding billing period.
For example, if a household or small business changes electricity retailer after the first quarterly credit, they will receive the remaining three quarterly credits on subsequent bills under their next electricity retailer.
Census dates for states and territories except Western Australia:
- Census date 1: 31 July 2024 (1 July 2024 for Queensland, 19 August 2024 for Victoria)
- Census date 2: 1 October 2024
- Census date 3: 1 January 2025 (13 January 2025 for Victoria)
- Census date 4: 1 April 2025
Census dates for Western Australia:
- Census date 1: 17 June 2024
- Census date 2: 18 November 2024
For example, for residents in New South Wales:
- If you have an active account on 31 July 2024, you will receive a credit for quarter 1: July to September 2024.
- If you have an active account on 1 October 2024, you will receive a credit for quarter 2: October to December 2024.
- If you have an active account on 1 January 2025, you will receive a credit for quarter 3: January to March 2025.
- If you have an active account on 1 April 2025, you will receive a credit for quarter 4: April to June 2025.
Merryn lives in a house
Merryn lives in a house in New South Wales with her family and is the electricity account holder. Merryn will receive a $300 credit to her electricity account. As Merryn lives in New South Wales the $300 will be applied as four $75 credits. The credit is automatically applied.
Andrew lives in an apartment, as an embedded network customer
Andrew lives in an apartment in the Northern Territory and the electricity is supplied to the owner of the apartment building. The owner of the apartment building buys electricity from an energy provider and then ‘on sells’ the electricity to the apartments. Andrew will need to apply by following the Northen Territory process for embedded network customers to receive the $300 credit. Andrew will receive the credit as a one-off payment.
