Electricity rebates in Australia: What energy support is available in 2026?

Electricity rebates in Australia fall into two categories.

The first is the ongoing concession-card system, where pensioners, seniors, and low-income households receive an ongoing yearly discount tied to a card they already hold.

The second is temporary cost-of-living rebates, which governments introduce and then wind back as budget priorities change.

This guide covers both, state by state, to help you understand your options for saving on your energy bills.

Quick facts

• The federal Energy Bill Relief Fund ended on 31 December 2025, after paying eligible households up to $300 in the 2024-25 financial year and a further $150 in the first half of 2025-26, according to energy.gov.au.
• No new universal federal electricity rebate has been confirmed for 2026 as of the time of writing.
• Queensland's one-off $1,000 Cost of Living Rebate applied only in the 2024-25 financial year and has not been repeated, according to the Queensland Government's cost of living page.
• Victoria's $100 Power Saving Bonus closed to new applications on 31 March 2026, as confirmed by Victorian Energy Compare.
• Western Australia removed its $400 Household Electricity Credit from 1 July 2025 as part of the 2025-26 state budget.
• There is no official "$500 electricity rebate" scheme in New South Wales. This figure does not appear on any NSW Government energy page.

The federal Energy Bill Relief Fund has ended

The National Energy Bill Relief Fund was a joint federal and state program that applied automatic credits to electricity bills between 2023 and the end of 2025.

Households received up to $300 in total relief during the 2024-25 financial year, followed by a further $150 (paid as two $75 quarterly credits) between July and December 2025.

According to energy.gov.au, this final round of payments concluded at the end of 2025, and the department's rebates page now directs households to check for state and territory schemes instead.

As of the time of writing, the Commonwealth has not announced a replacement universal rebate for 2026.

If a new federal payment is introduced, it will likely be announced through the federal Budget and rolled out automatically through electricity retailers, the same way previous rounds worked. Check the energy.gov.au rebates page for the current status.

State and territory electricity rebates

Once the federal Energy Bill Relief Fund is set aside, what's left in each state is a mix of one-off cost-of-living payments (mostly wound up) and ongoing concession-card rebates (still running).

We've rounded up the current status and what's available in each state and territory.

New South Wales

NSW households received the federal Energy Bill Relief Fund payments described above, but the NSW Government has not run a separate state-funded, universal cost-of-living electricity rebate alongside it. 

What NSW does offer is a set of six ongoing rebates, listed on the NSW Government's financial support page and on Service NSW. Most households can claim more than one at the same time. Here are the energy rebates available for NSW residents in 2026.

• Low Income Household Rebate: up to $285 a year ($313.50 for embedded network customers), for Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, or DVA Gold Card holders.
• Family Energy Rebate: up to $180 a year ($198 embedded network), for households that received the Family Tax Benefit. Reduced to $20/$22 if you also get the Low Income Household Rebate.
• Seniors Energy Rebate: $200 a year for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders. Cannot be combined with the Low Income Household Rebate.
• Medical Energy Rebate: $285 a year for households where someone cannot self-regulate their body temperature in extreme heat or cold.
• Life Support Rebate: up to $1,343.20 a year ($1,477.52 embedded network), depending on the equipment used at home.
• NSW Gas Rebate: a separate rebate for eligible concession card holders on mains gas or bottled LPG.

Households facing a short-term crisis rather than an ongoing cost pressure can also apply for Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA), a one-off payment to help avoid disconnection, through Service NSW.

NSW has also launched a separate, non-rebate program that's still relevant here.

The Home Energy Saver Program, which opened on 17 June 2026 and offers zero-interest loans of up to $15,000 for energy-saving upgrades such as solar, batteries, and heat pumps, with a further discount planned for lower-income households. 

This is a financing scheme rather than a bill credit, but it's the main current NSW Government initiative aimed at cutting electricity costs for households.

Victoria

Victoria ran the $100 Power Saving Bonus as a targeted cost-of-living measure for concession card holders. The fifth round of this program closed to new applications on 31 March 2026. No new round has been announced since.

What remains ongoing is a set of concessions administered by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

The Annual Electricity Concession gives Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, and DVA Gold Card holders a 17.5% discount on household electricity usage and service costs, calculated after any retailer discounts and solar credits.

Households facing a short-term crisis can apply for the Utility Relief Grant Scheme, worth up to $650 per energy type (or $1,300 for households with a single energy source) once every two years. 

Queensland

Queensland's main ongoing support is the Queensland Electricity Rebate, an annual concession for pensioners, seniors, veterans, and other concession card holders.

The rebate is currently $399.47 a year, applied daily and credited quarterly. It can be combined with the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate for households on mains gas, and with the Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession for households with a Queensland Health-certified condition, both listed on the Queensland Government's concessions page.

Queensland also delivered a one-off $1,000 Cost of Living Rebate to every residential electricity account from 1 July 2024, on top of the ongoing Electricity Rebate above. According to the Queensland Government, that payment was a temporary 2024-25 budget measure and has not continued into 2025-26 or 2026-27.

South Australia

South Australia's ongoing energy-specific support is the Energy Bill Concession, worth up to $291.27 a year for eligible households on low or fixed incomes, covering electricity, gas, and bottled LPG.

The amount is indexed each financial year and calculated as a flat daily rate. Households can also receive the broader Cost of Living Concession (COLC), a once-a-year payment covering energy, water, and other household bills, worth $270.60 in 2025-26 according to SA.GOV.AU.

Both can be claimed together, and both are paid automatically to households that received them previously.

Western Australia

Western Australia previously ran one of the more generous state electricity credits, with a $400 Household Electricity Credit paid to all Synergy and Horizon Power residential customers. According to WA.gov.au, this was a one-off measure introduced in the 2024-25 state Budget and was removed from the 2025-26 Budget onward.

What remains ongoing is the Energy Assistance Payment (EAP), a concession-card credit worth around $342.85 a year for Pensioner Concession, Health Care, and DVA Gold Card holders, applied automatically once a card is registered, according to Synergy.

Families with dependent children who also hold an eligible card can add the Dependent Child Rebate on top.

Households in genuine financial hardship can apply for the Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS), which covers up to 85% of an outstanding bill. 

Tasmania

Tasmania has not run a separate, universal cost-of-living electricity rebate on top of the federal Energy Bill Relief Fund. Support is delivered through ongoing concessions administered by Service Tasmania.

The Annual Electricity Concession gives eligible concession card holders a daily discount currently worth around $673 a year, according to the Tasmanian Government's concessions guide.

Households can also access the Medical Cooling or Heating Concession (worth around $200 a year), a Life Support Concession calculated per device, and a separate Heating Allowance of $56 a year for eligible pensioners.

Residents of embedded networks, such as retirement villages and caravan parks, can apply for equivalent concessions through the same page.

Australian Capital Territory

The ACT's main ongoing rebate is the Electricity, Gas and Water Rebate, worth $800 a year for eligible concession card holders in 2026-27, according to the ACT Revenue Office.

Separately, the ACT Government's Home Energy Support Program offers homeowners with a Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card, or Health Care Card up to $5,000 in rebates toward rooftop solar, reverse-cycle heating and cooling, hot water heat pumps, and ceiling insulation, according to Climate Choices ACT.

This is a one-off upgrade rebate rather than a recurring bill credit.

Northern Territory

The NT delivers ongoing support through the NT Concession Scheme, which covers up to $1,200 a year in electricity costs for members, calculated as a daily rate plus a per-kilowatt-hour component, according to NT.GOV.AU.

This is separate from the federal Energy Bill Relief Fund, which the NT Government also helped administer for local households and prepaid-meter customers in remote communities.

Households that exceed the concession cap and have a relevant medical condition can apply for an additional $154 Medical Support Allowance.

What to do now that most cost-of-living rebates have ended

With the federal Energy Bill Relief Fund gone and most state top-ups wound back, most households will see a higher bill from early 2026 onward. Three things to check:

• Check whether you're eligible for an ongoing concession, rather than a temporary rebate. Pensioner, healthcare, and seniors card holders in every state can access year-round discounts that don't depend on Budget announcements. 
• Understand what a typical bill looks like in your state, so you can tell whether yours is in line with others. Our average electricity bill guide can help you understand what that means for you.
• Compare your current plan against the market. With less automatic relief on bills, the gap between a competitive plan and a stale one matters more than it did in 2024 and 2025. Contact Utility Club today and let us help you find a better plan for your needs.