← Tenterfield Shire Council
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. Tenterfield's peg has been at the higher end of the NSW range for two years running, because IPART's per-council calculation adds a population/supplementary-valuation factor on top of the core peg. 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

5.1%Set by IPART: a core rate peg of 3.5% plus a 1.6% population factor. It caps the council's total rates income, not your individual bill.
5.2%A core rate peg of 3.8% plus a 1.4% population factor and adjustment. The council's own ratepayer information page states the same 5.2% figure.
~$922 / year (2024–25)About 23% below the NSW average of ~$1,203 (OLG data). Water, sewer, waste and recycling charges are billed separately.
Instalment due dates
31 August, 30 November, 28 February, 31 MayRates may be paid in four quarterly instalments; if you pay in full, payment must be received by 31 August of the rating year.
Overdue interest (2026–27)
9.5% per annumA NSW-wide maximum set annually by the Minister for Local Government under the Local Government Act (cash rate plus 6%, rounded to the nearest half per cent). Tenterfield's adopted 2026–27 Fees and Charges schedule lists the same 9.5%.
Concessions
Eligible pensioners: $250 off rates, plus $87.50 each off water and sewerThe rates rebate is half of your ordinary rate and domestic waste charge up to $250. You must hold a Commonwealth pensioner concession card and the property must be your sole or principal residence; apply on the council's pensioner concession form. Hardship arrangements and payment plans are also available on request.
Special rate variation (SRV)
A 2014–15 variation is permanently in the rate base; none in progressIPART approved a four-year special variation from 2014/15 to 2017/18 (15%, then 10% a year) — a cumulative 53.07%, which stays permanently in the council's rate base. The council did not apply for a special variation for 2025–26, and its adopted Delivery Program carries an action to develop SRV scenarios for the local roads network — see Priorities & direction.
Rating categories changed recently
New 'Residential Rural' and 'Business Industrial' sub-categoriesCouncil introduced a Residential Rural sub-category (2–40 ha outside a centre of population) that was previously rated as Residential Other; the change is being phased in over two years to reduce the impact on affected ratepayers.

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 — land values are set independently by the NSW Valuer General, not the council, and Tenterfield's most recent revaluation was February 2025.

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.