Eligible households in the ACT can get help with their energy bills from 1 July 2023 through the Energy Bill Relief Fund. The ACT Government is administering the bill relief.
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How much you can get
Eligible households in the ACT can get $175 in bill relief.
Your bills will also be lower due to the ACT’s large-scale feed-in tariff scheme, which is expected to lower the average household bill by $152 per year.
Who can get it
To get the bill relief in the ACT you must have an eligible concession.
Please note:You must be the electricity account holder for your principal place of residence to receive the bill relief. If you are eligible and are not named on the bill for your household but you pay for electricity, contact your electricity provider to add your name to the account.
Your household can only receive one bill relief credit in the 2023–24 financial year, even if more than one eligible person lives in the household.
Eligible concession cards and payments for existing rebates in ACT
If you have one of these concession cards or payments you may be eligible for the existing ACT Utilities Concession Scheme. If you were eligible for the ACT Utilities Concession Scheme on 1 July 2023, you will also get the bill relief payment automatically from 1 July 2023.
- ACT Services Access Card
- Low Income Health Care Card
- Health Care Card
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)Gold Cards marked with:
- ‘Prisoner of War’, ‘War Widow’, ‘War Widower Pension’ or ‘Totally and Permanently Incapacitated’ (TPI).
To find out more about the ACT Utilities Concession Scheme go to the ACT Government website.
Services Australia concession cards and payments eligible for energy bill relief
You may be eligible for energy bill relief if you held or received one of these concession cards or payments on 1 July 2023.
- Carer Allowance
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
- Family Tax Benefit A and/or B
You should be contacted directly by Services Australia in September 2023 to tell you what you need to do. If you held or received one of these concession cards or payments as at 1 July 2023 and have not heard from Services Australia by 30 September, please contact Services Australia.
DVA cards eligible for energy bill relief
You may be eligible for energy bill relief in 2023-24 if you held or received one of these concession cards on 1 July 2023.
- All other DVA Gold Cards
- DVA Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
If you held or received one of these concession cards or payments on 1 July 2023 you will need to contact your energy provider. They will seek your consent to check your eligibility and ask for your UIN or Veteran File Number.
How to get it
In most cases your electricity provider will automatically apply the bill relief to your electricity account to reduce the amount you owe on your next bill. How and when this happens depends on your situation.
If you already get help from the ACT Government
If you already got the ACT Utilities Concession as at 1 July 2023 you don’t need to do anything. You will start getting the bill relief from 1 July 2023.
If you are eligible for help from the ACT Government but do not currently get it
If you think you are eligible for the ACT Utilities Concession but aren’t getting it, contact your electricity retailer to apply. You will then also get the new bill relief from 1 July 2023.
To find out more about how to apply go to theACT Government website.
If you or receive have an eligible card or get a payment from Services Australia
If you aren’t already eligible for the ACT Utilities Concession, but you held or received one of the concession cards or payments listed above from Services Australia you should be contacted directly by Services Australia in September 2023 to tell you what you need to do. If you have not heard from Services Australia by 30 September, please contact Services Australia.
If you have an eligible card from DVA
If you aren’t already eligible for the ACT Utilities Concession, but you have one of the eligible DVA cards you will need to contact your energy provider. They will seek your consent to check your eligibility and ask for your UIN or Veteran File Number.
If you live in an embedded network
If you live in an embedded network and your household is eligible for the bill relief, you will not automatically receive bill relief but will be able to access a direct payment through your territory government.
Typically, you live in an embedded network if you get your electricity from your strata or landlord in a caravan park, apartment building or retirement home or village.
If you live in a household that receives energy bills, but you don’t have a direct relationship with the retailer (e.g. you are a tenant or subletter in a sharehouse) you don’t necessarily live in an embedded network.
To find out more about how to apply go to theACT Government website.
When you will get it
If you are eligible for the bill relief and your application has been approved, you will receive a one-off payment of $175 from September 2023. Applications for the bill relief will close on 30 September 2024.
Contact
Administered by: ACT Revenue Office
Website:Energy Bill Relief Fund - ACT Government
Email:concessions@act.gov.au
Phone: (02) 6207 0028
