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. In Gwydir a residential rates notice is only part of the picture: separate annual charges for domestic waste collection, waste disposal, water access, sewerage and (in Bingara and Warialda) stormwater are levied on top.
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.
Rates at a glance
- 3.4%IPART's determination for Gwydir for 2026–27: a core peg of 3.4% with a population factor of 0.0%. It caps the council's total rates income, not your individual bill. Note that Council's own Statement of Revenue Policy 2026/2027 states a rate-pegging limit of 4.2% with a growth factor of 0.2% — those are IPART's 2025–26 figures for Gwydir; we publish IPART's 2026–27 determination and link both so you can check.
- 4.2%IPART: a core peg of 4.0% plus a population factor of 0.2%.
- ~$825 / year (2024–25)About 31% below the NSW average of ~$1,203 (OLG data). This reflects local land values and Gwydir's rating structure — 80% of the general rate yield is budgeted from Farmland, 16% from Residential and 4% from Business — not the level of service provided.
- Instalment dates
- 31 August, 30 November, 28 February and 31 MayRates can be paid in four instalments; Council sends a reminder notice one month ahead of each. (Statement of Revenue Policy 2026/2027.)
- Overdue interest (2026–27)
- 9.5% per annumA NSW-wide maximum set annually by the Minister for Local Government under s566(3) of the Local Government Act 1993 (Office of Local Government Circular 26-06, 15 May 2026). Council's own Statement of Revenue Policy 2026/2027 adopts the same 9.5% for 1 July 2026 – 30 June 2027.
- Other annual charges (2026–27)
- Domestic waste collection $445.37; waste disposal $271.92; stormwater $25 (Bingara & Warialda residential)Water access is $610 for a standard 20 mm connection plus usage at $2.17/kL (and $3.05/kL above 600 kL); residential sewerage is $780. The rate peg does not cap these charges. (Statement of Revenue Policy 2026/2027.)
- Concessions
- Eligible pensioners can receive a rebate on rates, water, sewerage and domestic wasteThe statutory NSW pensioner concession, of which Council funds 45% and the NSW Government the rest. Apply using Council's Pensioner Concession Form — check eligibility with the council.
- Special rate variation (SRV)
- None found in forceWe found no council-published special or special-variation approval for Gwydir; the ordinary IPART rate peg applies. Gwydir was not among the councils whose special variation applications IPART determined on 2 June 2026.
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 — Gwydir's 2026–27 rates are levied on Valuer-General land values with a base date of 1 July 2024. Council levies a base amount plus an ad valorem component in each rating category, and the base amount varies by category.
Sources — check it yourself
- Gwydir Shire Council — Statement of Revenue Policy 2026/2027 (rating structure, instalments, interest, charges) · 2026–27
- Gwydir Shire Council — Rates and Water Notices · 2026
- Gwydir Shire Council — Council Forms (Pensioner Concession Form) · 2026
- IPART — Rate pegs for NSW councils 2026–27 · Sep 2025
- IPART — Rate pegs for NSW councils 2025–26 · Oct 2024
- Office of Local Government — Circular 26-06, rates-related determinations for councils (overdue interest 2026–27) · 15 May 2026
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.