Rates & fees
Rates are the main way residents fund the council. Each year an independent regulator (IPART) sets a 'rate peg' — the maximum percentage the council can lift its total rates income. Here's the current figure, how it compares across NSW, and the things that actually change your bill.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Rate peg
- The cap on how much a council's TOTAL rates income can rise this year.
- Core peg
- The rate peg before the population top-up — the part driven by rising costs.
- Population factor
- An extra slice of the rate peg for fast-growing councils.
- Special Rate Variation (SRV)
- Permission for a council to raise rates by more than the peg.
- Land valuation
- Your land's value, set by the state, used to split the rates bill between properties.
- Pensioner rebate
- A discount on rates for eligible pensioners.
- Domestic waste charge
- A separate annual fee for your bins — NOT part of the rate peg.
- IPART
- Sets the rate peg and reviews council pricing.
- 4.1%Set by IPART; AlburyCity adopted a 4.1% increase in ordinary rate revenue for 2025–26 in line with the peg. It caps the council's total rates income, not your individual bill.
- 3.6%IPART's rate peg for Albury for 2026–27 — down from 4.1% the year before (the third successive annual reduction, per The Border Mail).
- Possible Special Rate Variation (from 2027–28)
- Under community consultation — no decision madeIn June 2026 the council opened consultation on whether to apply to IPART for a Special Rate Variation from 2027–28, presenting a no-SRV option and two higher-increase scenarios. Nothing is decided; check the council's page for the outcome.
- What the peg caps
- Total rates income — not your billIt doesn't cap the domestic waste charge, which is separate.
- Why your bill can still change more (or less)
- Land revaluations shift bills between propertiesYour share moves with your land value relative to other properties (NSW Valuer General).
- Overdue interest (2025–26)
- 10.5% per annumA NSW-wide statutory maximum set annually by the state government under the Local Government Act, applied by every council to overdue rates instalments.
- Concessions & hardship
- Eligible pensioners can receive a rebateThe council also offers a Hardship Policy and flexible payment options; check eligibility with the council.
The rate peg limits the council's total rates income, not each household's bill. How your individual rates change depends mostly on how your land value moved relative to other properties at the latest revaluation. Any Special Rate Variation is a separate process requiring IPART approval; as at mid-2026 Albury was consulting on options and had not applied.
Sources — check it yourself
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.