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National Energy Bill Relief for households and small businesses

Energy Bill Relief for households and small businesses

The Commonwealth Government has partnered with states and territories to provide up to $3.5 billion of electricity bill relief to eligible households and small businesses to ease cost of living pressures.

Eligible Victorian households will receive up to $300 and small businesses will receive up to $325 to help with the cost of their electricity bills. Eligible households and small businesses can expect to see the rebate applied to their bills, with households to receive payments on a quarterly basis ($75 per quarter) and small businesses to receive a one-off payment ($325).

Households 

Eligible Victorian households will receive rebates of up to $300 applied to their electricity bills in four quarterly instalments of $75.

To access the energy bill relief rebate, households must:

  • Hold an active electricity account with an energy retailer for their place of residence
  • Use their electricity account for domestic use only. Commercial properties are not eligible to receive the household bill relief

Most households will have their rebates applied automatically from their electricity retailer and will not be required to take any action.

Households in embedded networks

Customers in embedded networks such as a caravan park, residential community, retirement village or apartment building will need to apply for the payment via an application on the Victorian Energy Compare website. Embedded network customers will receive a one-off payment of $300.

More information about how to apply will be available soon.

Small businesses

Eligible Victorian business will receive a rebate of $325 applied to their electricity bill through a one-off rebate.

To access the energy bill relief rebate, small businesses must:

  • Have a separately metered business tariff
  • Have an annual electricity consumption below 40 MWh

Most Victorian small businesses will have their rebate applied automatically from their electricity retailer and will not be required to take any action.

Small businesses in embedded networks

Small businesses in embedded networks, such as shopping centres and apartment buildings will need to apply for the payment via an application on the Victorian Energy Compare website.

More information about how to apply will be available soon.

Learn more about the Energy Bill Relief Fund.

Energy Bill Relief Fund FAQs

The $250 Energy Bill Relief payment for eligible recipients of government concessions or benefits was available until 30 June 2024.

To be eligible, customer needed to have held one of the following concession cards on 1 August 2023:

  • Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA),
  • Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (GCH) For All Conditions, or
  • Health Care Card (HCC) issued by Services Australia.
  • For the above three concession types, your retailer should have automatically applied two separate instalments of $125 on your electricity bills across 2023-24.

Or, customers needed to have been recipients of one of the following benefits on 31 July 2023:

  • Carer Allowance,
  • Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (SHC) issued by Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or
  • Family Tax Benefit A and B.
  • For the above three benefits, you needed to have lodged consent with Services Australia by 30 June 2024 for your details to be shared with your retailer. Your retailer should have then applied one payment of $250 to your electricity bill.

If you were eligible for the $250 payment and did not receive it on your electricity bill by 30 June 2024, you should contact your electricity retailer.

The $325 Energy Bill Relief payment for eligible small businesses was available until 30 June 2024.

To be eligible for the payment, a small business must have:

  • been registered on a separately metered business tariff
  • not exceed a total annual electricity consumption of 40MWh

The eligibility date was 7 August 2023. Your retailer should have automatically applied the payment amount to your bill by 30 June 2024.

If a small business was run from home, the small business was not eligible for the small business bill relief unless the business’ energy consumption is separately metered (on a small business tariff). Other exclusions may also apply.

Small businesses in embedded networks were ineligible to receive a $325 Energy Bill Relief payment.

If you were eligible for the $325 payment and did not receive it, you should contact your electricity retailer.

Yes. Embedded Network household customers needed to apply for the 2023-24 Energy Bill Relief payment by submitting an application via the Victorian Energy Compare website.

Applications for this payment closed on 30 June 2024.

Incomplete Embedded Network household applications will remain open until supporting documentation which confirms a customer’s eligibility has been received.

Contact info.vec@delwp.vic.gov.au for any enquiries relating to existing applications.

Page last updated: 19/08/24