If you hold an eligible concession card, or you receive certain Centrelink or veterans' payments, you may already be entitled to help with your electricity bill. Many people miss it because they assume it is applied automatically, or they change retailer and the concession does not follow them.

The details differ by state and territory. The amounts below are taken from official government pages as they stood when this was drafted. Always check the official site before you apply, because rates and rules are updated.

Who it is usually for

Across the states we cover, the pattern is similar even when the names differ:

• the electricity account is in your name

• the address is your principal home, not a holiday house

• you hold an eligible card, such as a Pensioner Concession Card, a Health Care Card or Low Income Health Care Card, or a Veteran Gold Card (some states accept other cards or payments as well)

Only one concession is usually paid per household. If the card name and the account name do not match, the concession can be removed until you fix the details.

What is on offer in each state

These are the main ongoing electricity concessions. They are not like-for-like: Victoria is a percentage of the bill, and the ACT rebate also covers gas and water.

Sources are the official state and territory pages listed at the end of this post. Amounts are not directly comparable across jurisdictions.

New South Wales. The Low Income Household Rebate is up to $285 each financial year for retail customers, or $313.50 if you are in an embedded network (for example some apartment buildings or retirement villages). Apply through your electricity retailer if you are a retail customer, or through the NSW program if you are in an embedded network. Eligible card holders may also be able to apply for the NSW Gas Rebate or the Medical Energy Rebate.

Queensland. The Electricity Rebate is $399.47 a year. A separate Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate is $96.45 a year. Apply through your retailer. Queensland also has a Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme, and the Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme for low-income households in a crisis.

South Australia. The energy concession is up to $291.27 a year. It is calculated as a flat rate per day, so the credit on each bill depends on how many days that bill covers. Apply or update your details with ConcessionsSA. If you switch retailers in South Australia, the concession does not transfer automatically — you need to tell ConcessionsSA once you have your first bill from the new retailer.

Tasmania. From 1 July 2026, the annual electricity concession for retail customers is $1.84347 a day. Eligible embedded-network customers can receive a once-off payment of $673 in 2026–27. Apply through your retailer (or via Service Tasmania for embedded networks). The State Revenue Office cannot approve retail applications itself.

Australian Capital Territory. The Electricity, Gas and Water Rebate is $800 for 2026–27. It is a combined rebate, applied to your electricity account, with a lower daily rate in summer and a higher daily rate in winter. Apply through your energy provider. The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is not an eligible card for this rebate.

Victoria. The Annual electricity concession is 17.5 per cent of usage and service costs, after retailer discounts and solar credits. It does not apply to the first $171.60 of the annual bill. Phone your retailer with your concession card details. Households with a very high annual bill may need to apply for the Excess Energy Concession to keep receiving it. Victoria can also backdate the concession for up to 12 months (or from your card start date, if that is later).

How to make sure you actually receive it

1. Check the official page for your state and confirm you are eligible.

2. Make sure the name and address on your concession card match your energy account.

3. Apply through the pathway above — usually your retailer, sometimes a state agency.

4. Look for the concession as a credit on a later bill, and call the retailer if it is missing.

5. If you move house or switch retailers, ask whether you need to re-apply or update your details.

A concession lowers the bill you are already on. It does not replace a plan comparison. If you are eligible, you can still be on a more expensive plan than you need — and in some cases the concession is calculated after discounts, so the underlying plan still matters.

If you are having trouble paying, contact your retailer as well. They must have a hardship program, and most states also have emergency or utility-relief assistance on top of the ongoing concession.

We can check the plan for you

Bill Ninja does not assess or apply concessions — that is done by your retailer or the relevant state agency. What we can do is check whether a cheaper plan is available for your usage, using the government's free comparison sites, with no-conditions plans as the headline. We cover New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and Victoria, and most reports are ready within about 24 hours. No upfront fee, no card, no retailer commissions. If we find a saving and you're happy, tip what feels fair.

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