Seniors Energy Rebate & Concessions– 2023 (Full List)

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Energy rebates for seniors and pensioners

Every state in Australia offers some sort of energy rebate to seniors and pensioners with valid senior health cards or pensioner concession cards. While the details and eligibility of the pensioners and seniors energy rebate vary, if you hold a concession card, you’re probably eligible for some help on your energy bills. Find out more about how you can apply to the Senior Energy Rebate in your state or territory by reading more below.

What is the Seniors Energy Rebate?

The seniors energy rebate is a rebate for a discount off your energy bills and is available to eligible seniors and pensioners who hold certain Health and Concession cards in Australia.

The exact details of the energy rebates depend on the individual state. Some energy rebates for seniors cover gas and electricity while others only cover one.

Choose your state from the list below to see the details of the seniors energy rebates in your area.

Remember:Although you qualify for senior rebates, you may still be eligible for other rebates that aren't specifically tailored to seniors such as a solar rebate.

Seniors Energy Rebate NSW

There are many energy rebates in NSW, but the pensioners rebate is one of the most famous.

The Seniors Energy Rebate in NSW is available to self-funded retirees with a primary residence in New South Wales and offers up to $200 per household per year to put toward you electricity bills. To qualify you must have a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card issued by Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Who is eligible for the Seniors Energy Rebate in NSW?

To be eligible for the $200 Senior Energy Rebate in New South Wales, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a resident of New South Wales
  • Hold a valid Commonwealth Seniors Health Card from Centrelink or the DVA
  • Be registered as the primary account holder on your electricity bill
  • Be applying for your primary residence in New South Wales only

How to Apply for the Pensioners Electricity Rebate NSW

If you have checked and you are eligible and meet the criteria to apply for the seniors energy rebate, then you can apply online at the Services NSW website.

Before you apply make sure you have the following documents handy:

  • Your Centrelink or DVA Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
  • Your most recent electricity bill
  • Your Contact information
  • Your banking/credit union details

Steps to apply for the NSW seniors energy rebate online:

  1. Visit the Services NSW application link
  2. Log in to your MyServiceNSW Account or create a new one
  3. Follow the on-screen prompts to enter your details
  4. Submit the application

You can also apply in person at any Service NSW Centre or request over the phone at 13 77 88.

Once your application is approved, Services NSW will send a payment directly to your bank account within 5 business days.

On the other hand, if your application is denied, Services NSW will notify you.

You may also want to check out:

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Seniors Energy Rebate QLD

There are 2 different seniors discounts in QLD if you hold a Pensioner Concession Card, Senior Health card, or DVA card:

  1. The Electricity Rebate offers $340.85 per year
  2. The Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate offers $76.19 per year

If you qualify for both energy rebates you can receive a total of $415.77 including GST.

Who is Eligible for the Seniors Energy Discount in QLD?

To apply for the Electricity Rebate or the Reticulated Gas Rebate for pensioners and seniors you will need to have one of the following cards to qualify:

  • Pensioner Concession Card
  • Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card
  • Queensland Seniors Card
  • Commonwealth Senior Health Care Card (Electricity Rebate only)
  • Asylum seeker status—residents will need to provide their ImmiCard details (Electricity Rebate only)

In addition, you must be:

  • A resident of Queensland,
  • The primary account holder
  • Live alone or share your place of residence with a spouse, dependant, other Pensioner Concession Card, other Queensland Senior Card holders, care and assistance providers who do not pay rent, or others who receive income support payment who do not pay rent.

How to Apply for the Seniors Electricity Rebate:

To apply for the Seniors Electricity Rebate in Queensland, simply contact your electricity provider. You can apply with a written form or by simply calling your energy provider. However, you will need to give them information regarding your concessions card and your most recent bill. If your application is successful the rebate money will be automatically applied and deducted from your electricity bills.

How to Apply for the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate:

To apply for the Reticulated Natural Gas Rebate, simply contact your gas provider. Make sure you have your most recent bill and your concession card with you as they will need this during the application process. As with the seniors electricity rebate, if your application is successful the rebate money will be automatically applied and deducted from your gas bill.

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Seniors Energy Rebate VIC

If you have a seniors card in Victoria, you can apply for 2 different energy rebates for seniors:

  1. The Electricity Concession covers 17.5% of your electricity usage & service charges
  2. The Winter Gas Rebate covers 17.5% of your gas usage & service charges

You can apply for these energy rebates if you are a resident of Victoria and have a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, or Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.

The electricity concession does not apply to the first $171.60 on your annual bill, which means that you will only receive this rebate for the money you spend after this amount. However, if you spend over $2,973.00 on electricity per year, you must apply for the Excess Electricity Rebate instead.

Likewise, the winter gas rebate does not apply to the first $62.50 of the six-month winter billing period, which means that you can only receive the rebate after you have spent $62.50. However, if you spend over $1,644.00 in the period from 1 May to 31 October, you must apply for the Excess Gas concession instead.

Who is Eligible for the Electricity Concession & Winter Gas Rebate in Victoria?

To be eligible for the annual Electricity Concession or Winter Gas Rebate in Victoria you must:

  1. Be a resident of Victoria
  2. Be the account holder
  3. Have one of the following cards:
  • A Pensioner Concession Card
  • A Health Care Card
  • AVeterans’ Affairs Gold Card

Seniors Energy Rebate ACT

There is a seniors energy rebate in ACT known as The Utilities Concession.

The Utilities Concession helps to cover all utility bills for senior and pensioner residents in ACT with eligible concession or health care cards.

If you have a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card (HCC), Veteran’s Affairs Pensioner Concession Card or Gold Card, you can get an energy rebate worth up to $700 to assist with utility bills through this pensioners discount.

The Commonwealth Senior Health Care Card is not eligible for this concession

Who is Eligible for the ACT Utilities Concession?

To be eligible for the ACT Utilities Concession, you must be applying for your primary place of residence and be the main cardholder of one of the following:

  • Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)
  • Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card (HCC)
  • Veteran’s Affairs Pensioner Concession Card (only POW, TPI & War Widows)
  • Gold Card Holders

It's also important to note that the address listed on your card must match the address on your energy account or you will not be eligible.

Important!If you are a Low Income Health Care Cardholder, you will need to submit a new application every time you are issued a new card.

How to Apply for the Utilities Concession in ACT:

To apply for the Utilities concession, simply contact your energy provider and make sure you have your card information handy so that they can verify that you meet the eligibility criteria. 

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Seniors Energy Rebate SA

Pensioners and seniors with eligible cards in South Australia have two available energy rebates:

  1. The Energy Bills Concession offers up to $231.41 / year to help cover the cost of energy bills (including petrol and LPG bottled gas)
  2. The Cost of Living Concession offers up to $107.60 / year for self-funded retirees on fixed incomes to help with electricity, gas, water, medical bills, and council rates.

How to apply for the seniors energy rebate in South Australia

To apply for the Cost of Living Concession or the Energy Bill Concession in South Australia you must live at the property you are applying for and have one of the following cards:

  • Pensioner Concession Card
  • DVA Gold Card
  • Low Income Health Care Card
  • Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

If you are applying for the Energy Bill Concession, nobody in your household can have an income of more than $3,000 per year unless they are a spouse, domestic partner, or dependent, or get an allowance through Centrelink or DVA.

Seniors Energy Rebate TAS

If you hold a DHS or DVA Pensioner Concession Card in Tasmania, you are eligible for two senior energy rebates in the state:

  1. The Annual electricity concession offers a daily energy discount of 140.70c / day to help pay for the cost of your electricity.
  2. The heating allowance for pensioners offers two payments of $28 in May and September to help pay for the cost of your heating.

Who is Eligible for the pensioners' energy rebate in Tasmania?

You can apply to both the annual electricity concession and the heating allowance if you live in Tasmania and have one of the following:

  • DHS or DVA Pensioner Concession Card
  • DHA Health Care Card, or an ImmiCard

To apply for the annual electricity concession and the heating allowance, simply contact your energy supplier.

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Seniors Energy Rebate WA

The name of the pensioners' energy rebate in Western Australia is called The WA Government Energy Assistance Payment.

The Energy Assistance Payment offers up to $305.25 annually for help with your energy bills in Western Australia.

The Energy Assistance Program now replaces the Cost of Living Allowance in Western Australia.

Who is Eligible for the Energy Assistance Payment?

You can apply for the WA Government Energy Assistance Payment if you’re a resident of Western Australia and have one of the following cards:

  • Centrelink Health Care Card
  • Centrelink Pensioner Concessions Card
  • Veteran Affairs Gold Card
  • Centrelink Commonwealth Seniors card
  • Veteran Affairs Commonwealth Seniors Card
  • Veteran Affairs Pensioner Concession Card

How to Apply for the Energy Assistance Payment

You can apply to this energy rebate using the following online application form.

Once you have applied, the government will verify concession card details with Centrelink, the DVA or the Department for Communities as well as look into your energy account consumption to prove the truthfulness of your application.

Seniors Energy Rebate NT

The name of the energy rebate for seniors over the age of 65 and residing in the Northern Territory is the NT Seniors Recognition Scheme.

the NT Seniors Recognition Scheme offers up to $500 / year to help with electricity, gas, phone and internet bills, as well as fuel, travel, and accommodation expenses.

Who is eligible for the NT Seniors Recognition Scheme?

To receive a rebate NT Seniors Recognition Scheme, you will need to prove your identity and residency with some supporting documents.

This includes proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residency with a supporting document which can include:

  • A birth certificate
  • An Australian passport
  • A citizenship certificate
  • Some types of Aboriginal identification
  • An immigration card
  • Other Australian government documents

You will also need to prove you are a current NT resident or live in the NT for 183 days out of the year, with proof of your current home address.

If you don’t have proof of a fixed home address, you can prove residency with a letter from a medical professional, police officer, or NT Government or Australian Government employee.

Sudden financial hardship?If you're suddenly experiencing financial hardship and having difficulty paying your energy bills, a one-off energy assistance payment might be available for you.

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How Do I Apply for the Seniors Energy Rebate in my state?

Below we have made a quick list of each seniors energy rebate or concession for pensioners by state and how to apply:

Energy Rebates for Pensioners by State
Energy Rebate & StateHow to apply
New South Wales Seniors Energy RebateApply directly online for the Senior Energy Rebate NSW or call 13 77 88
Electricity and Gas Rebates for Pensioners and Seniors in QueenslandContact your gas or electricity retailer and provide your personal details
Annual Electricity and Winter Gas Rebates in VictoriaContact your gas or electricity retailer and provide your personal details
ACT Utilities ConcessionYou must be a customer of a registered energy provider (ActewAGL, Origin, or EnergyAustralia) and contact them directly to apply
Tasmania Annual Electricity Concession or Heating AllowanceContact your authorised retailer and provide your personal details
WA Government Energy Assistance ProgramApply directly online for the WA Government Energy Assistance Program
NT Seniors Recognition SchemeApply directly online for the NT Seniors Recognition Scheme
SA Energy Bill and Cost of Living ConcessionsApply directly online or fill out an Application For Household Concession and email it to a[email protected]

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