Utilities Concession

What is it?

The Utilities Concession covers electricity, natural gas, water and sewerage and is calculated on a daily basis, with rates depending on the season. The concession is available on the principal place of residence only and the account must be in the cardholder’s name. Only one Utilities Concession per eligible household can be claimed.

The Utilities Concession is also available to eligible residents of ACT caravan parks and retirement villages with embedded electricity networks. The Concession will be paid directly to eligible residents rather than as a reduction applied to utility bills. Please contact the ACT Revenue Office directly.

From 1 July 2023, the Government has permanently extended the assistance provided under the Utilities Concession to eligible holders of a Health Care Card.

In the 2023-24 financial year, an additional one-off rebate of $50 will be provided to the utilities concession.

The daily rates from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 will be based on the annual concession of $750. The daily summer rate for the Utilities Concession will be approximately 95.071 cents per day from 1 November to 31 May and the daily winter rate will be approximately 357.843 cents per day from 1 June to 31 October. The additional one-off rebate of $50 will be provided in July. The Utilities Concession will be applied to the applicant’s electricity account by their energy provider.

Who is eligible?

Eligible applicants must be the primary holder of one of the following concession cards from Services Australia, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or the ACT Government:

• Pensioner Concession Card.
• Low Income Health Care Card.
• Health Care Card.
• Veteran Gold Card Holders (Prisoner of War, War Widow or Totally Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) Embossed).
• ACT Services Access Card.

For primary card holders of a Low Income Health Care Card or Health Care Card, a new application needs to be made each time a new card is issued. Only the primary card holder can apply for the Utilities Concession. The primary card holder’s name and address must be the same as the name and address appearing on the electricity account.

The concession can only be claimed from the start date of the primary card holder’s concession card.

Please note: the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is not an eligible card under the scheme.

How do I apply?

Energy Providers

Contact your energy provider. Contact details including links for registered energy providers under the Utilities Concession scheme are listed below.

Caravan parks or retirement villages with an embedded network

For residents in a caravan park or retirement village with an embedded network, contact the ACT Revenue Office or complete the online application form available below.

Who runs it?

ACT Revenue Office
PH: (02) 6207 0028 - Select Option 5
Email: concessions@act.gov.au