Commonwealth Government Rebate

2025-26 Commonwealth Government Rebate

The Commonwealth Government has announced all households will receive a $150 electricity rebate, which will be automatically applied in two $75 quarterly instalments from 1 July 2025. We’ll update this page once we have more information.

Eligible seniors, pensioners and concession card holders will receive the above payment plus the existing $372.20 Queensland Electricity Rebate that’s applied throughout the year.

Learn more about the Commonwealth Government Rebate.

Got a small business? Learn about small business rebates.

What do I need to do?

Absolutely nothing! We want to assure you that there's no need to pick up the phone to receive the Commonwealth Government Rebate, as it will be automatically applied to all eligible accounts.

2024-25 Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate & Commonwealth Government Rebate

The following government rebates were automatically applied to all Queensland household electricity accounts in 2024-25:

  • Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate 2024-25 – $1,000 lump sum credited to electricity bills from July 2024
  • Commonwealth Government Rebate 2024-25 – $300 rebate paid in $75 quarterly instalments from July 2024, October 2024, January 2025 and April 2025.

Frequently asked questions

The below FAQs are about the 2024-25 Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate and Commonwealth Government Rebate.

We’ll update this page once we have more information about the 2025-26 Commonwealth Government Rebate.

About the Cost of Living Rebate

WHEN WILL THE REBATES BE PAID? DO I NEED TO APPLY?

The Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate was applied as a single lump sum credit from July 2024 and would have appeared as a separate credit on your electricity bill issued after this date.

The Commonwealth Government Rebate was split into $75 instalments and automatically applied over the course of 2024-25 on a quarterly basis. Quarterly instalment dates – from July 2024, October 2024, January 2025 & April 2025.

HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN THE REBATES HAVE BEEN CREDITED TO MY BILL?

The Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate will appear on the “New Credits” section of your bill with the wording “Queensland Govt Cost of Living Rebate”.

The Commonwealth Government Rebate will appear on the “New Credits” section of your bill with the wording “Australian Govt Energy Price Relief Plan Rebate”.

NOTE: You may see the credits before your bill is issued if logging into My Account. Please ensure you pay the total amount on your current bill.

WILL THE REBATES AFFECT MY OTHER CONCESSIONS?

No. The rebates were provided to all eligible Queensland households, and do not affect customers’ eligibility for any other Queensland Government concession or rebates, such as the Queensland Government’s Electricity Rebate.

I GET BILLED MONTHLY. WILL THE REBATES STILL BE APPLIED ON A QUARTERLY BASIS?

Yes. If you receive your bills monthly, the Cost of Living Rebate was still applied on a quarterly basis of $75.

Quarterly instalment dates – from July 2024, October 2024, January 2025 & April 2025.

I HAVE A PAYMENT EXTENSION. DOES THIS AFFECT MY PAYMENTS?

The rebates do not impact payment arrangements already in place. Please continue to make payments to your account as per your agreed payment schedule.

I HAVE A SMOOTHPAY. DOES THIS AFFECT MY PAYMENTS?

The rebates do not impact SmoothPay arrangements already in place. Please continue to make payments to your account as per your agreed payment schedule.

I HAVE AN OVERDUE ACCOUNT ON MY RECENT ELECTRICITY BILL, AM I STILL ELIGIBLE?

Yes. All eligible households will automatically be provided with the rebates, regardless of the account balance.

WILL THE REBATES AFFECT MY SOLAR FEED-IN TARIFF?

No. You’ll receive the rebates in addition to any solar feed-in tariff you may receive.

WILL I STILL RECEIVE THE REBATES IF MY ACCOUNT IS IN CREDIT?

Yes. The rebates were applied for customers who may be in credit. Any remaining rebate credits are to be carried over to future bills.

CAN I HAVE THE REBATES PAID TO MY BANK ACCOUNT DIRECTLY, RATHER THAN MY ELECTRICITY BILL?

No. The rebates are intended to assist households with electricity costs and therefore can only be applied on household electricity bills.

CAN I HAVE THE COST OF LIVING REBATE REFUNDED TO ME?

If you’re in credit the rebates are to be carried over to future bills.

You can obtain a refund of the rebate if:

  • You are finalising your account, will no longer hold any active account with Ergon Energy Retail and your account is in credit
  • You have solar and are regularly in credit. In this case you are eligible for a full refund, inclusive of the Cost of Living rebate. This is included as part of your annual solar refund.
  • You have an active Direct Debit that results in your bills being regularly in credit.

WHAT IF I CLOSE MY ACCOUNT AFTER THE REBATES HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO THE BILL? WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM IN CREDIT ON MY FINAL BILL?

You can receive a refund if you no longer hold any active account with Ergon Energy Retail and your account is in credit.

IS THE REBATE INCLUSIVE OF GST?

No. The rebate credits are not taxable or relevant for GST purposes.

Eligibility

WILL ALL HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVE THE REBATES?

  • The Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate and Commonwealth Government Rebate were provided to active residential electricity accounts who receive a stand-alone bill for their electricity use
  • Households who are billed by an on-supplier of electricity such as their landlord, property manager, caravan park owner or body corporate in an on-supply arrangement also received the rebates. On-suppliers or utility billing providers of these customers credited the rebate to eligible customer bills.

WHAT IS AN ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLD?

All Queensland customers classified as “residential” under the National Energy Retail Law and who have an active electricity account with an energy retailer or embedded network electricity supplier were eligible. Customers with active electricity accounts on 1 July 2024 received the $1,000 lump sum Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate, and active electricity accounts on the relevant instalment dates received the Commonwealth Rebate.

AM I ELIGIBLE FOR THE REBATES IF I RECEIVE MY ELECTRICITY BILL FROM A BODY CORPORATE OR A SITE MANAGER?

Not all households have an account with an electricity retailer. In some situations, a landlord, property manager, park owner or body corporate buys electricity in bulk and on-sells this to residents based on their metered consumption.  This is known as an on-supply (exempt seller) arrangement. 
On-supply customers were eligible to receive both rebates. Arrangements are in place such that residential complex owners or managers received a credit on their electricity bill for the number of households they manage, and passed the rebate onto eligible households as part of their next bill. 
The rebates were paid as a lump sum credits ($1000 and $300) to households who were eligible for the rebate on 1 July 2024. If you didn't receive this assistance by 31 December 2024, please contact your embedded network operator. 
Refer to the embedded network owners FAQ for further information.

WILL I RECEIVE THE REBATES IF I AM IN AN EMBEDDED NETWORK AND OPEN A NEW ACCOUNT AFTER 1 JULY 2024?

No. Residents in an embedded network needed an active electricity account on 1 July 2024 to be eligible for the rebates.

WILL I RECEIVE THE REBATES IF I AM USING A CARD OPERATED ELECTRICITY METER IN A REMOTE COMMUNITY?

Yes. The Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate was automatically credited to customers’ orange linked power cards as a lump sum payment. Customers should check with the store where they recharge their power cards.  This rebate has been available since July 2024.

The Commonwealth Rebate was applied in quarterly instalments of $75 on customer’s orange linked power cards. Quarterly instalment dates – July 2024, October 2024, January 2025 & April 2025.

MY ELECTRICITY IS INCLUDED IN MY RENT AND I DON’T RECEIVE A SEPARATE ELECTRICITY BILL – WILL I RECEIVE THE REBATES?

No. Customers had to receive a stand-alone bill for their electricity supply/consumption and have an active account to receive the rebates.

Embedded network owners

WHAT ACTION DO OPERATORS OR OWNERS OF EMBEDDED ELECTRICITY NETWORKS NEED TO TAKE?

The Queensland Government asked all embedded network owners to notify their electricity retailer as early as possible after 1 July 2024 of the number of eligible residents they had in their embedded network on 1 July 2024, using the relevant form to ensure their embedded network customers are provided with the Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate and Commonwealth Government Rebate in a timely manner.

The Queensland Government Cost of Living Rebate and Commonwealth Government Rebate will be applied as a one-off lump sum credits of $1,000 and $300 by the embedded network operator on the customer's electricity bill. To be eligible, a residential customer must have an active account with their embedded network operator on 1 July 2024.

Embedded network operators will need to submit the relevant forms to their retailer notifying them of the number of eligible households they had in their embedded network on 1 July 2024. Form 538 for the Commonwealth rebate, and Form 541 for the Queensland Government rebate are available to download from the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety website.

If you’re one of our embedded network customers, you’ll need to:

Once the forms are completed and returned, we’ll provide a bulk credit to you (i.e. $1,000 x number of eligible residents & $300 x number of eligible residents). You must then provide the relevant rebates to residents on their next bill.  Failure to pass on the rebates to residents is a breach of condition 12 of your retail exemption conditions with the Australian Energy Regulator.

Each rebate should appear as a separate line item:

  • The Queensland Cost of Living Rebate should appear as a separate line item credit of $1000 with the following wording: “Queensland Govt Cost of Living Rebate”, or similar.
  • The Commonwealth Rebate should appear as a separate line item credit of $300 with the following wording: “Australian Govt Energy Price Relief Plan Rebate”, or similar.

We understand that some exempt sellers engage a third-party meter reading and billing service. In this case you may wish to contact your third-party provider for assistance.

If a correction is required after the lodgement of claims by the embedded network operator, this can be completed at a later date. In this situation, embedded network operators are to notify their retailer and submit a reconciliation claim using the same forms with only the reconciliation numbers (i.e. the number of residents for which a claim was originally made, and the updated number of occupants). A statement should be included on the form clearly stating if the claim is for additional rebates, or for the return of excess rebates.