Coolamon Shire council rates — what you pay and when

Rates & fees

Rates are one of the ways 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. Coolamon does not run a standalone rates page: the rating structure, the fees schedule and the overdue-interest rate are all set out in the Delivery Program and Operational Plan and in the June council minutes each year. 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

: 4.9%Set by IPART — a core peg of 3.5% plus a population factor of 1.4%. The council's own adopted Operational Plan states the same figure. The peg caps the council's total rates income, not your individual bill.
: 6.3%IPART's peg for the previous year: a core peg of 4.5% plus a population factor and adjustment of 1.8%.
: ~$441 / year (2024–25)About 63% below the NSW average of ~$1,203; in 2023–24 it was $419 against a NSW average of ~$1,140 (OLG time-series data). Rate levels reflect local land values and the council's rating structure, not the quality of services.
2026–27 rating structure: Minimum rate $378 per parcel; ad valorem rates differ by townCouncil resolved separate sub-categories on 18 June 2026: Residential and Business are struck at 1.19¢ in the dollar in Ardlethan, 0.51¢ in Ganmain, 0.2518¢ in Coolamon and 0.257¢ elsewhere ('ordinary'); farmland is 0.1187¢ in the dollar. A $378.00 minimum applies to every category.
Other annual charges (2026–27): Waste from $257 + $122 (+$85 organics) · tip access $75 · stormwater $25Sewerage is a minimum $591.00 per built-on assessment on occupied land ($304.00 unoccupied), plus $167.00 for each water closet or urinal beyond two. Drinking water is billed separately by Goldenfields Water County Council.
Instalments: Quarterly — 31 August, 30 November, 28 February and 31 MayThese are the statutory instalment dates under section 562 of the Local Government Act 1993 that apply to every NSW council. Council does not publish a separate rates page; your rates notice is the authority for your own dates and amounts. Direct debit is available by form, and online payments go through DEFT.
Overdue interest (2026–27): 9.5% per annumSet by the Minister under section 566(3) of the Local Government Act as the statewide maximum for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (Reserve Bank cash rate plus 6%, rounded to the nearest half per cent), and adopted by Council in the same terms on 18 June 2026, accruing on a daily simple basis.
Concessions: Eligible pensioners: up to $250 on ordinary rates and domestic waste, plus $87.50 each on water and sewerageThese are the mandatory statutory concessions. You must hold a pensioner concession card from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs and occupy the property as your sole or principal place of living. An application form is required — download it from the council's Forms page. Council also refers non-pensioners to its rates section about hardship relief.
Special rate variation (SRV): None found in forceCoolamon was not among the councils whose special variation applications IPART determined on 2 June 2026, and the council publishes no SRV of its own — the ordinary IPART rate peg is what applies.

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 — and, in Coolamon, on which town sub-category your property falls into, because the ad valorem rate differs between Ardlethan, Ganmain, Coolamon and the rest of the shire.

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.