Trouble paying your rates?

Council has a Financial Hardship Policy to provide support and assistance to ratepayers who find themselves in financial hardship. The policy can be found  on our Policies page. Please contact the Rates Team on 13 99 72 for a confidential chat about your circumstance and how the provisions of the policy may be able to assist you. 

Special Payment Arrangements

Where a ratepayer is unable to make their payments as required, Special Payment Arrangement (payment plan) may be negotiated. These arrangements can be made at any time during the recovery process and can be flexible regarding the type of arrangement to best suit the ratepayer’s circumstance, however, as a minimum payments, over a 12-month period must cover the annual rate charge and any interest charged. Ratepayers who are unable to make this minimum repayment should be assessed in accordance with the financial hardship provisions.

 Financial Hardship

Council recognises that our ratepayers may experience times of financial hardship due to circumstances beyond their control and therefore do not have the capacity to pay their rates.

Financial hardship is a circumstance of experiencing a lack of financial means, which may be either ongoing or temporary. If you are facing financial difficulty on a personal level, you may wish to obtain advice from a community financial counsellor.

You can talk to a financial counsellor from anywhere in Australia by calling 1800 007 007 (Monday to Friday, 9.30 am – 4.30 pm). This number will automatically switch through to the service in the State or Territory closest to you, or you can visit the National Debt Helpline at www.ndh.org.au.