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Government assistance
If you’re having difficulty paying your energy bills, you may be able to get government assistance if you’re eligible. We can also organise payments via Centrelink.
The Federal Government has announced it will provide an electricity bill rebate to all Australian households and eligible small businesses.
For QLD the eligibility date for the first instalment is 1 July 2024. For ACT, NSW, SA and VIC the eligibility date for the first instalment is 31 July 2024.
Who gets the rebate?
All Australian households will receive a $300 rebate, paid in quarterly instalments.
Eligible small businesses will receive a $325 rebate, paid in quarterly instalments.
Residential customers
If you’re a residential customer, you don’t need to do anything to receive the rebate.
The rebate will be automatically applied to your electricity bills in quarterly instalments. For QLD households the first instalment will be applied by 8 July 2024. For ACT, NSW, SA and VIC households, the first instalment will be applied by 19 August 2024.
Small business customers
If you’re a small business customer whose annual electricity consumption is under or meets the threshold below, you don’t need to do anything to receive the rebate.
Small businesses whose annual electricity consumption is above the threshold will not be eligible for bill relief. The threshold is set by your state or territory government.
| State | Annual electricity consumption threshold |
|---|---|
| NSW | 100 MWh |
| VIC | 40 MWh |
| QLD | 100 MWh |
| SA | 160 MWh |
| ACT | 100 MWh |
For eligible small businesses, the rebate will be automatically applied to electricity bills in quarterly instalments. For QLD businesses the first instalment will be applied by 8 July 2024. For ACT, NSW, SA and VIC businesses, the first instalment will be applied by 19 August 2024.
Queensland customers
Residential and small business customers in Queensland are eligible for this rebate and the Queensland Cost of Living Rebate or Small Business Rebate.
On 9 December 2022, National Cabinet agreed to introduce the National Energy Bill Relief scheme, to help soften the impact of rising energy prices through temporary and targeted energy bill relief. This means electricity bills of eligible customers will be credited with a payment on their electricity bill.
If you’re an existing residential concession card holder in ACT, NSW, SA or VIC, a residential customer in QLD or a small business that meets the eligibility criteria defined by each state government, you won’t need to do anything. You’ll see the payment on your bills issued by August 2023.
Concession or QLD residential customers
| State | Total Amount | Energy bill relief payment will be applied | Rebates will be applied by |
|---|---|---|---|
| QLD – households already receiving the QLD Electricity Rebate | $700 | quarterly in the 2023-24 financial year | 4 August 2023 |
| QLD –households NOT receiving the QLD Electricity Rebate (non-concession) | $550 | quarterly in the 2023-24 financial year | 6 August 2023 |
| NSW | $500 | quarterly in the 2023-24 financial year | 4 August 2023 |
| SA | $500 | quarterly in the 2023-24 financial year | 21 August 2023 |
| VIC | $250 | quarterly in the 2023-24 financial year | 21 August 2023 |
| ACT | $175 | quarterly in the 2023-24 financial year | 21 August 2023 |
Small business customers
| State | Total Amount | Energy bill relief payment will be applied | Rebates will be applied by |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW, QLD & SA | $650 | quarterly in the 2023-24 financial year | 24 August 2023 |
| VIC | $325 | one-off payment | 24 August 2023 |
| ACT | $325 | one-off payment | 24 August 2023 |
For further information please refer to Energy Bill Relief Fund page and for Victorian customers, find out more about getting help with paying your energy bills.
To be eligible you must be either:
- VIC, NSW, ACT & SA - a concession card holder who meets the eligibility criteria defined by the government
- QLD - concession card holder and non-concessions customers
- Must be the account holder or named on the household electricity bill to be eligible
For further information please refer to Energy Bill Relief Fund page and for Victorian customers, find out more about getting help with paying your energy bills.
|
State |
Total Amount |
Energy bill relief payment will be applied |
| QLD – households already receiving the QLD Electricity Rebate | $700 | 4 August 2023 |
| QLD –households NOT receiving the QLD Electricity Rebate (non-concession) | $550 | 6 August 2023 |
|
NSW |
$500 |
4 August 2023 |
| SA | $500 | 21 August 2023 |
|
VIC |
$250 |
21 August 2023 |
|
ACT |
$175 |
21 August 2023 |
Important note: The total amounts will be split and paid in future instalments as specified by each state government where applicable.
For ACT customers: Between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, your electricity prices will include a rebate as a result of the ACT Government’s Large-scale Feed-in Tariff scheme. The rebate received will depend on consumption, but a typical residential customer* will receive a rebate of around $152 (GST inclusive) in 2023-24. The rebate is already included in your electricity prices, and you do not need to apply for it separately.
The ACT’s electricity distributor, Evoenergy, is required by ACT legislation to pass on the costs of meeting its obligations under the Large-Scale Feed-in Tariff scheme to retailers each year.
*6,100 kWh annual consumption.
For further information please refer to Energy Bill Relief Fund page and for Victorian customers, find out more about getting help with paying your energy bills.
If you already get an existing electricity bill concession scheme in your state or territory, you don’t need to do anything. You will start getting the energy bill relief payments on your electricity accounts sometime after 1 July 2023.
The Energy Bill Relief payment is only applied to the electricity account of your primary residence – which is the main home that you live in.
Each household can only receive one Energy Bill Relief payment, even if there is more than one eligible person living there.
The payment is only applied to the electricity account for the concession card holder’s primary residence – which is the main home that they live in.
We’re still waiting on information from each state government on when payments will start. We’ll update this information once we know more.
If you live in NSW, QLD, SA or the ACT, this payment will be split in quarterly instalments during the 2023-24 financial year.
If you live in VIC, you’ll receive the bill relief payment as two instalments during the 2023-24 financial year.
There’ll be a bill message on the front of your bill letting you know that the rebate has been applied. You will find the payment added to the ‘Adjustments, other fees and charges’ section of the bill.
As long as you have an active and eligible concession card with us linked to the new property, you’ll receive the remaining payments at your next property.
If you think you’re eligible for this payment, contact us on 133 466 to apply.
To be eligible, your business must be on a separately metered business tariff with your electricity retailer, and your business’ annual electricity consumption must be less than the threshold for your state or territory. The energy consumption threshold is:
- 40MWh in VIC
- 100MWh in the ACT, NSW and QLD
- 160MWh in SA
For further information please refer to Energy Bill Relief Fund page and for Victorian customers, find out more about getting help with paying your energy bills.
More information about Energy Bill Relief payments.
|
State |
Total Amount |
Rebates will be applied by |
|
NSW, QLD & SA |
$650 |
24 August 2023 |
|
VIC |
$325 |
24 August 2023 |
|
ACT |
$325 |
24 August 2023 |
Important note: The total amounts will be split and paid in future instalments as specified by each state government where applicable.
For ACT customers: Between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, your electricity prices will include a rebate as a result of the ACT Government’s Large-scale Feed-in Tariff scheme. A business customer consuming 25,000 kWh per year can expect a rebate of around $624 (GST inclusive) in 2023–24. On average, customers will receive a rebate of 2.50 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in their electricity prices (GST inclusive). The rebate is already included in your electricity prices, and you do not need to apply for it separately.
The ACT’s electricity distributor, Evoenergy, is required by ACT legislation to pass on the costs of meeting its obligations under the Large-Scale Feed-in Tariff scheme to retailers each year.
For further information please refer to Energy Bill Relief Fund page and for Victorian customers, find out more about getting help with paying your energy bills.
If you meet the criteria set by your state or territory government, you don’t need to do anything. You will start getting the energy bill relief payments on your electricity accounts sometime after 1 July 2023.
If you live in NSW, QLD and SA, this payment will be split in quarterly instalments during the 2023-24 financial year.
If you live in VIC and ACT you’ll receive the bill relief payment as one instalment during the 2023-24 financial year.
We’re still waiting on information from each state government on when payments will start. We’ll update this information once we know more.
Centrelink
If you receive Centrelink payments, we can arrange for regular amounts to be transferred from your payments to pay your EnergyAustralia bill.
Visit Centrelink to find out more or call us on 133 466 and we’ll do the legwork for you.
General state government support
You could be eligible for state government assistance to help pay your utility bills. Visit the Government’s MoneySmart website for info in your state.
South Australian customers can apply for assistance from the Emergency Electricity Payment Scheme (EEPS). To apply, you’ll need to visit a financial counsellor who’ll assess your situation.
For information on this scheme, call the Department of Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI)’s concession hotline on 1800 307 758 or visit the South Australian Government website.
New South Wales customers can apply for Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA). Visit the Department of Industry Resources & Energy
On 5 July 2023, the NSW Government announced they will increase the EAPA payment limits up to $500 for the 2023-2024 financial year.
View information about the EAPA scheme in other languages below:
View additional information on the EAPA Scheme in Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese.
Queensland customers can apply for assistance from the Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme (HEEAS). Visit the Queensland Government website.
QLD Government Cost of Living Rebate
The QLD government has delivered further electricity bill support for the 2023–24 Budget for households and small businesses.
- $700 Cost of Living Rebate on electricity bills for vulnerable households, in addition to the existing $372 under the QLD Electricity Rebate Scheme. This will bring the rebate total rebates for this group to $1,072.
- $550 Cost of Living Rebate on electricity bills to all other QLD households.
- $650 rebate on electricity bills for around 205,000 eligible small businesses.
On-supply arrangements
Households who pay their landlord, property manager, caravan park owner or body corporate in an on-supply arrangement are also eligible for the rebate.
These customers will have the rebate credited to their bills by their on-supplier or utility billing company. On-suppliers are required to lodge a claim (using form 531) with EnergyAustralia through your normal contact at EnergyAustralia.
Victorian customers can apply for assistance from the Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS) if they are unable to pay their energy bills due to a short-term financial crisis or emergency. Find out more here.
$250 Power Saving Bonus
Last year, approximately 20 per cent of Victorian households requested financial assistance with their energy bills due to the impacts of COVID-19.
To help Victorians doing it tough, the Victorian Government is offering a one-off $250 Power Saving Bonus payment to help with their energy bills.
Eligible customers must have a Victorian residential electricity account.
How can a customer apply for the bonus?
- Customers can apply for the bonus through the Victorian Energy Compare website www.compare.energy.vic.gov.au or by calling 1800 000 832.
- The bonus will be available for 12 months and provide immediate financial relief to more than 900,000 Victorian households.
- The $250 bonus will be transferred electronically into the bank account of the recipient or provided via cheque on request, and processing will take approximately two to three weeks from application.
- DVA Pensioner Concession Card holders can complete a manual application by emailing info.vec@delwp.vic.gov.au or can apply online from 1 March.
- Customers cannot apply for the bonus through EnergyAustralia.
Find out more about getting help with paying your energy bills.