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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. Wentworth's Operational Plan 2026/2027 says the council is levying the full 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

3.2%IPART's peg for Wentworth for 2026–27 — a 3.0% base peg plus and minus small adjustment factors, netting to a core peg of 3.2%, with no population-factor adjustment on top. The council's Operational Plan 2026/2027 says it is applying the maximum 3.20%.
4.5%IPART's peg for Wentworth for 2025–26 (base 3.6% plus adjustments).
~$891 / year (2024–25)About 26% below the NSW average of ~$1,203 (OLG time-series data).
What the peg caps
Total rates income — not your billIt doesn't cap the domestic waste charge, which is separate. Wentworth also applies different base amounts and ad valorem rates by locality — Buronga, Dareton, Gol Gol, Gol Gol East, Pooncarie, Wentworth and Rural Residential are separate residential subcategories — so two houses of the same value in different towns can be rated differently.
Instalments
Quarterly: 31 August, 30 November, 28 February, 31 MayOr pay in full by the first instalment date. Daily interest starts accruing on an instalment as soon as it is overdue.
Overdue interest (2026–27)
9.5% per annumA NSW-wide maximum set annually by the Minister for Local Government under the Local Government Act (OLG Council Circular 26-06, 15 May 2026); the council's own 2026/2027 fees and charges schedule lists 9.50%. The council's 'Rates Payments Due Dates' web page still shows the older 10.5% figure — the statewide determination is the one that governs.
Domestic waste charge (2026–27)
$370.25 per rateable residential propertySet to recover the full cost of the new three-bin service including collection, processing, education and compliance. An additional kerbside waste bin costs $61.14 to 30 September 2026 and $104.16 from 1 October 2026.
Concessions
Eligible pensioners receive the mandatory rebatePensioner Concession Card holders who own and occupy rateable property in the shire receive a mandatory rebate on rates and annual charges; the NSW Government funds 55% of it and the council budgets about $80,000 as its share in 2026/2027. Apply with a Pensioner Concession Rates Rebate form.
Special rate variation (SRV)
None in force, and none proposedThe Operational Plan 2026/2027 states that the council could apply for additional income above the peg but that 'at this stage there has been no thought given to doing so'. A separate Tourism Special Rate of $10 per assessment continues; the plan says no new special rates are proposed for 2026/2027.

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 on which rating subcategory your property falls into.

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.