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Rates & fees

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.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Rates at a glance

4.3%Set by IPART — a core peg of 3.8% plus a 0.5% population factor. It caps the council's total rates income, not your individual bill.
3.2%IPART's rate peg for the Central Coast for 2026–27, per the council's rates page.
How that compares (NSW, 2025–26)
Core pegs ranged 3.6%–5.1%Population growth lifts the final figure (total pegs ranged 3.7%–7.6%).
Minimum rate (2025–26)
$645.59A set minimum that applies across all rating categories for 2025–26.
Special variation (decided 2 June 2026)
Approved — but it moves a charge rather than raising what you payIPART approved a permanent special variation lifting the council's general income by 12.8% in 2026–27. That figure looks large because it is an accounting transfer, not an extra charge: the stormwater drainage charge moves off water bills and onto general rates notices. In the council's own words, "the only change to the amount paid by affected ratepayers as a result of the transfer will be the 3.2% rate peg". The council also has a special-variation history from its administration period.
Stormwater drainage charge moved bills (from 1 July 2026)
Off your water bill, onto your general rates noticeIt applies to most Central Coast properties and funds maintenance, upgrade and expansion of the drainage network. If your rates notice looks higher than last year and your water bill lower, this transfer is why — the charge itself did not rise because of the move.
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).

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.

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.