Blayney Shire council rates — what you pay and when

Rates & fees

Rates are the main way residents fund the council. Each year an independent regulator (IPART) sets a 'rate peg' — the maximum percentage a council can lift its total rates income — and councils can apply to go above it through a special variation. Blayney applied and was approved: in May 2024 IPART approved a 33.1% cumulative increase, delivered as 10% a year (including the rate peg) across 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27, retained permanently in the rate base. Here's what that means alongside the ordinary peg figures 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

Special rate variation (in force): 33.1% cumulative — 10% a year for 3 years from 1 July 2024, including the rate pegApplied for under s.508A of the Local Government Act and approved by IPART on 14 May 2024, after community consultation from November 2023 and 28 submissions. The increase applies to all rate categories and is retained permanently in the rate base. Council implemented Year 3 (2026/27) at its June 2026 meeting.
: 4.7%IPART's ordinary rate peg for Blayney for 2026–27 — a core peg of 3.2% plus a 1.5% population factor. Because the approved special variation is expressed as 10% including the rate peg, the special variation is what governs Council's 2026/27 general income, not this figure.
: 3.8%IPART's ordinary rate peg for Blayney for 2025–26 (core peg 3.6% plus adjustments). Again superseded in that year by the approved special variation.
: ~$925 / year (2024–25)About 23% below the NSW average of ~$1,203 (OLG data). Council's adopted 2026/27 Revenue Policy projects an average residential ordinary rate of about $1,000–$1,009 depending on sub-category.
Instalment dates: 31 August, 30 November, 28 February, 31 MayPay in full by the first instalment date, or in four instalments. A reminder notice is sent to ratepayers who choose to pay by instalment.
Overdue interest (2026–27): 9.5% per annumThe maximum rate is set annually by the Minister for Local Government under the Local Government Act and applies statewide; for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 it is 9.5%. Council's own 2026/27 fees and charges schedule adopts 9.5%. Interest accrues daily on payments made after the due date.
Concessions & hardship: $250 pensioner concession on rates and domestic waste, plus $87.50 on sewerageFor eligible pensioners under s.575 of the Local Government Act. Concessions were allowed on 492 rate assessments in 2024/25. Ratepayers in genuine hardship can apply under Council's Pensioner and Rates Hardship Policy (policy 5E), which can allow a payment arrangement or a reduction or waiver of interest.
Waste charges (separate from rates): 2026/27: $472 domestic waste service + $120 waste management levyThe waste management levy applies to all 4,223 rateable properties and funds waste disposal services shire-wide; the domestic waste service charge applies to the 2,770 properties with a residence in the collection area. An availability charge of $88 applies to vacant land in the collection area. The rate peg does not cap these charges.

The rate peg limits the council's total rates income, not each household's bill, and a special variation works the same way — it lifts the cap on Council's total general income rather than adding a fixed percentage to every notice. How your individual rates change depends mostly on how your land value moved relative to other properties at the latest revaluation; the base date for land valuations used from 1 July 2026 is 1 July 2025. Council's residential rating structure combines a $490 base amount with an ad valorem component on land value, with different ad valorem rates for the Ordinary, Blayney & Carcoar, and Millthorpe sub-categories.

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.