Your Rates Notice is sent by one method only. Choose the one that works best for you.

Tell us when your details change so you receive your Rates Notice on time and avoid unwanted late fees.

Submit changes at least 50 days before the next due date to ensure your next Notice is delivered correctly.

Council encourages ratepayers to use of one of the faster and safer online delivery options below.

Always let us know when you change your Postal Address for Rates Notices It's also used in cases of undeliverable online delivery and by other Council departments for contacting you.	To update your delivery address, complete online form below or write to Council. (Changes are not accepted over phone). Change Postal Address for Rates Notice
Receive Rates by Email You will no longer receive your Notice by post.	Complete the online form below. Sign up or update Email for Rates Notice
Receive Rates Notice to your online banking (BPAY View) You will no longer receive your Notice by post.	Conveniently receive, pay and store your Rates Notices through your online banking. Benefits include due date reminders and alerts and access to notices up to 18 months old. Visit BPAY View for details to sign up/update or contact your financial institution for more information.

Apply Online

• Submit your form at least 2 weeks before the next due date to ensure direct debits are processed in time to meet payment due dates,

• If your form is received after the submission deadlines, you will need to pay any current instalments by the due date using an different payment method listed on your Rates Notice so you are not charged late interest. 

To apply/change arrangement - complete the  Rates Direct Debit form

To cancel an existing arrangement - write to us at mail@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au. 

A Section 603 Certificate states all outstanding rates, charges and debts payable to Council for a property. Solicitors, real estate agents and members of the public who are buying a property can order a Section 603 certificate to check the rates status of a residential or business address.

Order Online

• Fee applies as per Council's current Schedule of Fees and Charges. 

• Additional urgency fee applies for requests requiring turnaround within 24 hours.

Order Section 603 Certificate online

Refunds can be provided by Council for overpaid / duplicated rates payments, or for payments made to a wrong rates account.

Overpayments made to a rates account are automatically applied to future instalments.

Submit by Email

• Refund fee may be applicable (excludes accounts with pension discount or those where payment for the current financial year has been made in full). Refer current Schedule of Fees and Charges.

• Refund will be processed within 14 days, plus bank processing time.

• For payments made into incorrect accounts around property settlement time - Please provide sufficient proof of payment and written confirmation from the purchaser’s solicitor to make sure rate adjustments were not made in the property settlement.

Write to Council at mail@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au.

Council records reflect the name that is listed on the Certificate of Title for your land. 

Council will only update name details after we receive advice from the NSW Land Registry Services.

• Name changes due to due to sale, purchase, marriage or change of name certificate.
  You will first need to officially change your name on your land title. Visit NSW Land Registry Services or contact them on (02) 8776 3575 for more information.

• Name changes due to deceased estate/owner.
  Council will update the title of the deceased individual to “Estate of the Late” after receiving a copy of the Death Certificate or if advised by Services Australia (Centrelink).

Council will review Rates and Charges amounts only if the fees are a result of Council error. Reviews will not be undertaken due to errors in customer payments.

Before submitting your dispute, check the following:

• Have you made payments on time? All late payments are charged daily interest, starting the first day after the due date. The longer an amount remains unpaid, the more interest will be charged.

• Have you advised Council of your current delivery details? Update your address. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure Council has the correct address to deliver the Rates Notice. 

Requests due to oversight, being unaware or not receiving the rates notices will result in your request being unsuccessful.

Submit by Email
Submit all dispute / waiver requests to Council in writing. Attach documentation to support your claim that the charges were due to an error caused by Council. Email: mail@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au.

Owners of residential / business apartments may receive a Rates Notice for each ‘lot’ on their property – such as the residence itself and any associated car/storage spaces (as they are commonly classified under separate titles).

You can apply to have such lots combined (aggregated) so that your rates charges are calculated as one land value instead. This removes any minimum rate charges you may be paying for car/storage lots, thus reducing the total amount of rates you pay. This does not affect the owner's ability to sell each lot separately.

The following conditions must be met for aggregation and once approved, you will be issued with one notice for all lots with one set of rates and charges:

• Only car spaces or storage facilities can be aggregated to a residential/business apartment on the same strata plan (Aggregating two storage lots/car spaces together without a residential/business apartment is not permitted).

• All lots involved must be under identical ownership.

• All lots involved must be used by the occupier of the unit (cannot be leased out separately).

• A maximum of 2 car spaces or storage facilities can be aggregated.

Apply Online

• Fee applies as per Council's current Schedule of Fees and Charges.

Aggregation of Multiple Lots Form

If you have not received your latest rates notice, make sure Council has your correct delivery details (via post, email or to your online/mobile banking).

Update using the Change of Postal Address form or Email Notification of Rates Notice form. 

• Copies of rates notices for the current financial year can be requested free of charge.

• Copies for notices for previous financial years can also be ordered. Fee applies as per our Schedule of Fees and Charges.

Request by calling Customer Service on (02) 9330 6400.

The following items can be ordered from Council. Fees apply as per our Schedule of Fees and Charges.

• Rates Balance Letter - confirming the current balance of the rates account.

• Request History Statement of rates account - listing charges and payments for the financial year.

Additional urgency fee applies for requests requiring turnaround within 72 hours.

Order by calling Customer Service on (02) 9330 6400.

Councils use property land values as the basis for calculating how much each property owner pays in rates. The value of your land may have changed. The NSW Valuer-General assesses property values in NSW every three years.

• The Valuer-General has issued notices for the July 2022 land valuations to all property owners,

• If you have any queries or concerns about land value, please contact the Valuer-General’s office.​

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) allows Council to increase the total rates collected every year to keep up with inflation by a rate peg, or by an approved Special Rate Variation (SRV). 

• It is important to remember that the rate peg does not apply to your individual rates but rather to the total amount of rates collected by Council.

• Most properties will experience rate increases that may be higher or lower than rate peg.

• In the 2023/24 financial year, Council has applied the approved 5.8% SRV increase to the total rates collected, which enables us to continue to provide ongoing services for the community.

Council rates are a type of property tax, and are a mandatory payment by all property owners in a Council area (LG Act). Rates are used to help maintain community facilities, provide new projects and pay for more than 100 services provided by Council, including maintaining local roads, parks and libraries.

There is no direct connection between the amount of rates paid for a property and the level of council services received. The rates paid may not relate directly to the services, infrastructure or facilities used by each ratepayer (eg not all ratepayers will use parks, a public library or cycle paths) and it is not possible for many services to be charged out on an individual basis (eg street lighting). However, all residents and businesses make use of Council services, infrastructure or facilities at some point in time regardless of where they live (eg driving on roads, using parking space, public bins, benefitting from street lighting).

Many services are provided for the benefit of all community members, but every individual decides which services they use and access.

To view the full list of what you can expect Council to deliver for the community this year, see our current Delivery Program and Operational Plan.

Under the current law, properties within our Council area are classified as either business or residential, based on their primary use. Car/storage spaces with a separate title are not approved for residential accommodation. Therefore by law, Council must classify it as business and apply the Business Minimum rate.

If you own a residential/business apartment in the same strata complex as your car/storage space, you may be able to reduce the total rates you pay.

For more information, see the following item under the Rates Forms and Requests heading on this page "Apply to reduce the rates for your storage/car space - combine lots (aggregate)".

Refer to Council's current Schedule of Fees and Charges for a list of all charges.

Property owners may have some or all of the following three charges on their Annual Rates and Charges Notice. Certain properties may be exempt from some or all of the below charges (refer LG Act Section 555 and 556).

Ordinary Rate (Rates)

Rates are used to help maintain community facilities, provide new projects and pay for more than 100 services provided by Council, including maintaining local roads, parks and libraries. To see a full list, view our current Delivery Program and Operational Plan.

Rateable properties in the Georges River Council area must pay rates. The type of Ordinary Rate depends on the rating category (or sub-category) applied to your property.

Visit Council's page on How rates are calculated and spent for more information. 

Waste Management Charge 

All rateable residential properties in the Council area must pay a domestic waste management charge, even if it is not used. A waste charge still applies for vacant properties (with no building). Other properties are charged where a service is provided.

These charges contribute to providing current and future waste services, and include the supply of bins, collection and disposal costs. Also included is the household clean-up collection and Council education programs.

Visit Council's Waste page for more information. 

Stormwater Management Charge

This contributes to the cost of providing new or additional stormwater services across the local Council area.

These activities may include stormwater pollution prevention, flood mitigation, rainwater and stormwater harvesting, community education programs and stormwater drainage systems operations and maintenance.

Charges are based on the size of land, rating category and property type. 

Over time, the roles and responsibilities of Council has increased as a result of increasing community demand and increased responsibility due to changes in laws and regulation. Council is now responsible for delivering more than 100 services.

• Costs rise over time, including Council's. Rates need to increase to help pay for the services you expect.

• Your rates are also affected by land valuation changes of properties in the Georges River Council area. When land values change, it changes how total rates are distributed across properties. 

However, the increase in total rates collected each year by Council to support our ever-growing community is restricted by IPART, and does not grow with increases in land values.

While the roles and responsibilities of Council have grown significantly over time, our income has not.

There are lots of reasons why rates continue to increase.

• Infrastructure like roads, footpaths and stormwater must be maintained to an acceptable standard as outlined in Asset Management Plans.

• The community demands a broad range of infrastructure and services, whilst maintaining the existing service levels.

• Rising costs of water, electricity, waste services (by suppliers and State Government). We have responsibility for public lighting, waste, and watering our parks and reserves. 

• Changes in legislation by State government without any cost recovery such as the changes to the Local Nuisance Act.

• Other changes in legislation where the cost of the service is far greater than the legislated fees such as in planning and building, food inspections.

• Rising costs required by State Government to fund the NSW emergency services (including Fire & Rescue and SES). All NSW Councils fund 11.7% of the costs of emergency services.  

As a Council, we must manage these rising costs to ensure rates remain affordable. We're doing this in a number of ways:

• Ongoing reviews to ensure services are efficient and effective with value for money.

• Recurrent budget is developed annually using zero based budgeting to ensure cost savings are captured.

• Ongoing budget assurance work in reviewing trends in spending.

• Lobbying against legislative changes that impose costs to Council without cost recovery.

If you have a single dwelling on land that could be subdivided or developed, the rateable value of your land may be more than is usual for a single dwelling. If this is the case, you may be able to postpone part of your rates.

Postponing your rates will result in you paying less rates until you sell or develop the land when you must pay the postponed amount (including some postponed interest charges).

This provision is usually used for 'asset rich and cash poor' owners who choose to continue to use and occupy their land after the land has been rezoned but can’t afford the high holding costs that come about due to increases in the land values. By postponing your rates, you can pay the postponed rates when you realise the value of the land when it is sold or developed. Where the land is held for longer than five years, some of the postponed rates are written off by Council so at any time you are only liable to pay a maximum of five years postponed rates and interest. This is particularly beneficial if you intend to hold the land for longer than five years.

To assess how much you will need to pay, the land is given two values, with one being the value of the land if it were only zoned for residential use, and the full land value according to its zoned uses. Council will postpone the rates differences between the values and you will only need to pay the rates on the lower value. After five years and each year after that, unless the land has been vacated or developed, Council writes off one year of the postponed rates from five years prior so at any time you are only liable to pay a maximum of five years of postponed rates when the land is developed or sold.

You should seek your own independent advice to see if this suits your circumstances before making any decision.

If you believe that you may be eligible and wish to discuss your situation, please contact Council on (02) 9330 6400 to receive information on how to begin an application.

Council is legally unable to reduce or waive the value of rates (as it is secured against the land). Under the legislation, Council may waive interest or late fees when customers enter into payment arrangements.

Council encourages all ratepayers to make payments on time to avoid daily interest fees charged the first day after the due date. 

If you are experiencing financial difficulties in paying your rates by the due dates, Council may be able to assist.

Visit our Payment Plans and Hardship Assistance page for further information.