The Australian Government is partnering with state and territory governments to provide $3 billion in electricity bill relief to eligible households and small businesses. How much you can get and how it’s applied depends on your state and if you already get a concession on your electricity bill.

If you’re in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia or Victoria, this information is for you. If you’re in Western Australia, visit your state government website for information on assistance for electricity bills.

If you get an existing concession

If you already get a concession or rebate on your electricity bills, the relief payment will automatically be applied to your electricity account. There's nothing you need to do.

Relief payments will automatically be applied if you either:

• get an existing concession on your electricity bill
• live in Queensland (with or without an existing concession).

To check if you already get a concession on your electricity bill, look at the ‘Understand your bill’ section of your bill under ‘New charges and credits’ and ‘credits’.

Here’s what to do if you think you’re eligible for an existing concession.

If you do not get an existing concession

If you do not get existing concessions or rebates on your electricity bill, you may still have a government card or benefit payment that’s eligible for the relief fund. Services Australia or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) will contact you if they think you may be eligible.

Find the cards and payments that may make you eligible on your state government website:

• New South Wales
• South Australia
• Victoria
• Queensland - you do not need eligible government cards or benefit payments to get the relief payment because all households with electricity accounts are eligible.

What you need to do

If Services Australia (Centrelink) contacts you, they need permission to share your details with us. Follow their instructions. You’ll be asked for our ABN, which is:

• 49 091 105 092 for South Australia
• 88 090 538 337 for all other states (select AGL SALES PTY LIMITED).

If DVA contacts you, follow their instructions. If they ask you to, please contact us.

How we check your eligibility

After you follow the instructions from Services Australia or DVA and we have your details, we’ll check that your card or payment was valid at the times below:

• New South Wales - within 3 months of us receiving your details
• Victoria - 31 July 2023
• South Australia:
  
  • 29 September 2023
  • 29 December 2023
  • 29 March 2024
  • 30 April 2024

The details (full name and address) on your Services Australia or DVA card must match the details on your AGL electricity account so we can identify you and check your eligibility.

To find out what your AGL account details are, check your latest bill from us. You can view your past bills in My Account or the AGL app.

If your AGL details do not match your Services Australia or DVA details

If your details are correct with Services Australia or DVA, but incorrect on your AGL account, please contact us. We may ask for identification to update your details.

If your details are incorrect with Services Australia or DVA, you need to contact them to make changes.

Additional eligibility

• You must be the primary electricity account holder and it must be your primary place of residence.
• You must be the primary government card holder or benefit payment recipient.

If you think you’re eligible for existing concessions or rebates

You should:

• check if you're eligible for existing concessions on electricity and gas
• apply for any concessions you’re eligible for
• contact us to add new concessions to your account.

Business eligibility

To be eligible your business must:

• be on a separately metered business tariff
• use less electricity than the yearly threshold set for your state. The thresholds are:
  • Victoria - 40MWh
  • New South Wales and Queensland - 100MWh
  • South Australia - 160MWh.

Small to medium businesses customers can view energy usage on My Account or the AGL app.

Large, commercial, industrial and multi-site customers can view energy usage on AGL for business.

Each business customer can only receive one payment, even if you have more than one business or site.

How and when payments are applied

For most households and businesses, relief payments are applied directly to your electricity account.

See below for more information on payment timings and how payments are applied for embedded networks.

If you get an existing electricity concession

The first instalment was applied in August 2023, for all states. We expect that future payments will be applied roughly every three months after that (or six months for Victorian households). Victorian businesses received a once-off payment.

Victorians note - If you get an existing concession but are also eligible because of a government card or benefit payment, your second instalment will be in November 2023.

If you do not get an existing concession

If you do not already get a concession on your electricity bill, but have an eligible government card or benefit payment to receive the relief fund, your timings will be:

• NSW - a once-off payment within 3 months of us assessing your eligibility
• SA - four quarterly instalments, starting after October 1
• VIC - a once-off payment after 1 November 2023.

If you’re on an embedded network

If you’re a household or business on an embedded network, how your relief payment is paid depends on your state.