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Pensioner assistance

If you receive a pension with entitlement to a Pensioner Concession Card, or a  Veteran Gold Card and you own a property in the ACT, you can apply for a rates rebate and a rates deferral.

A rebate is a reduction in your rates and a deferral means you can delay paying rates until a later date, or when the property is sold or transferred.

The pensioner rates rebate and rates deferral only apply if the property is your principal place of residence.

Further information is available on the Pensioner assistance web page.

Age 65 or over

If you are a property owner aged 65 or over, you can apply to defer payment of all or part of your rates charges. A deferral means you can delay paying rates until a later date, or when the property is sold or transferred. You can apply for a rates deferral only if the property is your principal place of residence.

Further information is available on the Age 65 or over web page.

Hardship assistance

  1. If you hold a Services Australia Health Care Card or Low Income Health Care Card and you own a property in the ACT, you can apply to defer payment of the rates charges for your home. You can apply for a rates deferral only if the property is your principal place of residence.
    • A deferral means you can delay paying rates until a later date, or when the property is sold or transferred.
    • Further information is available on the Hardship assistance web page.
  2. If you are a property owner and the payment of rates will cause significant hardship, you can apply to defer the payment of rates for your home. You can apply for a rates deferral only if the property is your principal place of residence.
    • A deferral means you can delay paying rates until a later date, or when the property is sold or transferred.
    • Further information is available on the Financial hardship information web page.

To apply you will need to:

  1. Visit the Rates Assistance web page and choose the type of application that matches your situation.
  2. Log into or create an ACT Digital Account.
  3. Verify your identity in your ACT Digital Account by providing details of two Australian identity documents.
  4. Provide consent for ACT Digital to obtain your Services Australia or DVA concession status from Services Australia.
  5. Provide your Rates Account Number and select your concession options.
  6. Once you have submitted your application, the ACT Revenue Office will be in contact with the result of your application within 28 days. You can also check on the status of your application by logging into your ACT Digital Account.
    Start the application process at the Rates assistance page

The ACT Digital Account is transforming the way ACT citizens can communicate and transact with the ACT Government. It is an online account to provide another way through which the community can access services. It also makes available an option for digital identity verification enabling online access to services which require a greater level of identity assurance.

You can access the ACT Digital Account using a web browser on any computer or mobile device connected to the internet. For an optimum experience, we suggest you use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Apple Safari.

You can access the ACT Digital Account via the ACT Digital Mobile App. For Android mobile devices it can be downloaded via Google Play and for iOS mobile devices it can be downloaded via the Apple App Store.

New users can sign up to create an ACT Digital Account online. You will need to supply some basic personal details and a verified email address. This will provide you with a Level 1 account to access services that only require a basic level of information about you.

To apply for rates assistance online, you will need to verify your identity to achieve a Level 2 account.  You can do this by providing your Australian identity document details, that is, one primary identification document AND one secondary identification document.

Primary identification document examples:

  • Australian Birth Certificate
  • Australian Citizenship Certificate
  • Record of Australian Immigration Status (ImmiCard)
  • Australian Visa
  • Australian Driver Licence
  • Australian Change of Name Certificate
  • Australian Marriage Certificate
  • Australian Passport (current or expired up to 2 years)

Secondary identification document examples:

  • Current Australian Medicare Card
  • Australian Passport (if it is not used as the primary document)
  • Services Australia Concession Card
  • Australian Driver Licence (if it is not used as the primary document)

These identity document details will be verified against your account name and Date of Birth, using the Australian Government Document Verification Service (DVS).

Note: All documents used to verify your identity to must be in your name and have your correct date of birth.

If you are having any issues with your ACT Digital Account, such as logging in, creating an account or verifying your identity, please contact ACT Digital using the Access Canberra online form or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81 during business hours. You can also find more information about using ACT Digital Account at https://www.myaccount.act.gov.au/s/support.

If you are having issues with your application, such as identifying your property, finding your rates account number or understanding your concession options, please contact the ACT Revenue Office on (02) 6207 0028.

If you are having issues with your application, such as identifying your property, finding your rates account number or understanding your concession options, please contact the ACT Revenue Office on (02) 6207 0028.

If you are having any issues with your ACT Digital Account, such as logging in, creating an account or verifying your identity, please contact ACT Digital using the Access Canberra online form or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81 during business hours. You can also find more information about using ACT Digital Account at https://www.myaccount.act.gov.au/s/support.

If the name on your ACT Digital Account does not match the one listed for the property on our records, you will get an error message that says, “We could not find a property that matched”. Please call the ACT Revenue Office on (02) 6207 0028 for assistance.

Your rates account number appears on your rates notice. It is a 9-digit number beginning with 41 or 44. Please call the ACT Revenue Office on (02) 6207 0028 if you do not know your rates account number or do not have one for your new primary place of residence yet.

You can check the progress of your application by logging into your ACT Digital Account. You can expect to hear from us within 28 days. We will send you an email confirmation to the email address provided in the ACT Digital Account.

If you applied for rates assistance without an ACT Digital Account, you can check on the progress of your application by contacting the ACT Revenue Office on (02) 6207 0028.

If you would prefer not to use an ACT Digital Account, you can call the ACT Revenue Office on (02) 6207 0028 for alternative application options.

For more information about the range of services available through the ACT Digital Account and the way it protects your personal information, please visit https://www.myaccount.act.gov.au/s/daabout.

If you are having issues with your ACT Digital Account, such as connecting your Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs card, please contact ACT Digital using the Access Canberra online form or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81 during business hours. You can also find more information about using ACT Digital Account at https://www.myaccount.act.gov.au/s/support.

Each owner must submit their own application separately so that individual identity and concession eligibility details can be confirmed, and to provide consent to information sharing.