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Rates & fees

Rates & fees

Rates are one of the ways residents fund the council — in Balranald's case a smaller share than in most NSW councils, because grants make up the majority of income. 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, what the council's own Revenue Policy says about instalments and concessions, 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.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Rates at a glance

4.6%Set by IPART — a base of 3.0% plus adjustments, giving a core peg of 3.8% and a 0.8% population factor. The council's own Revenue Policy 2026–27 confirms "IPART has determined an allowable increase of 4.6% for Balranald Shire". It caps the council's total rates income, not your individual bill.
4.5%IPART's final rate peg for Balranald for 2025–26.
$531 / year (2024–25)About 56% below the NSW average of ~$1,203 (2023–24 was $476 vs ~$1,140). The council's 2026–27 Revenue Policy shows average residential rates per property of $601 in Balranald, $541 in Euston and $774 for residential rural 2–40 ha holdings. Rate levels reflect land values and the council's rating structure, not the level of service. (OLG time-series data; council Revenue Policy.)
Instalment dates
31 August · 30 November · 28 February · 31 MayRates are levied annually in July. Paying in full is also due 31 August. Credit-card payments carry a 2% surcharge; BPAY biller code 120113.
Domestic waste charge (separate from rates)
$516 per occupancy in 2026–27 (was $493 in 2025–26)Levied under s496 of the Local Government Act on each residential occupancy for which the service is available, and not covered by the rate peg. Vacant land is $84.
Overdue interest (2026–27)
9.5% per annumA NSW-wide maximum set annually by the Minister for Local Government (cash rate plus 6%, rounded to the nearest half per cent) — see OLG Council Circular 26-06 of 15 May 2026. The council's Revenue Policy adopts "the maximum rate as set by the Minister" rather than printing a figure.
Concessions
Eligible pensioners: 50% of combined ordinary rates and domestic waste charge, up to $250Plus 50% of water fixed and usage charges up to $87.50 and 50% of the sewerage fixed charge up to $87.50. Council funds 45% of the concession and the NSW Government 55%. Eligibility covers Pensioner Concession Card holders and certain DVA gold-card holders and war widows/widowers.
Special rate variation (SRV)
A seven-year variation approved in 2018 has now run its courseIPART approved a special variation in May 2018 allowing general income to rise by 10% a year for seven years — 94.87% cumulative — lifting rating income from about $1.4M in 2017–18 to about $2.7M by 2024–25, conditional on the money going to buildings, roads, bridges and drainage and on annual reporting to IPART until 2027–28. That is recorded in the Office of Local Government's public inquiry report. The council's Revenue Policy for 2026–27 relies on the ordinary rate peg only.

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 — the 2026–27 rates are struck on land values dated 1 July 2024. Balranald's rating base is unusual for its size: of about $4.2 million in ordinary rates for 2026–27, farmland raises roughly half and two mineral-sands assessments and three solar-farm assessments together raise about $1.2 million.

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.