Pensions

The state government provides a rate rebate for Victorian property owners who hold an eligible pension concession card.

The 2025/26 municipal rates concession provides eligible ratepayers with a rebate of up to 50 per cent off their rates charges, capped at $266.00, along with a $50.00 rebate applied to the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF).

Eligibility requirements

Which concession cards are eligible?

  • Pensioner Concession Card – issued by Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs
  • Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card – War Widow (WW)
  • Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card – Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI)

Eligible concession cards.png

 

Other eligibility criteria

  • You can only claim a concession for one property in Victoria, which must be your principle place of residence.

  • You must be the person responsible for the payment of the account.

  • Your name must be on the account.

  • Your name and address on the account must match the concession card details.

  • Your eligible card must be valid at the time of application.

 

Find out more about eligible concession cards from the DFFH website.

How to claim the pension rebate

How do I apply?

Complete a municipal rate concession application(PDF, 132KB) and produce a copy of your current eligible card. You can bring it into Council or email it to customerservice@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au. 

What happens next?

Once we receive your application, we will confirm your eligibility with Centrelink and apply the concession rebate to your rate account.

For further information regarding the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing or the municipal rates concession, please visit the Department’s website.

If you have previously applied and your circumstances have not changed, the concession will automatically be applied to your rates each year. Please advise us if your circumstances have changed and you are no longer eligible for a rebate. Holders of Health Care Cards are not eligible for a concession on rates and charges.

Already applied for the pension rebate?

If you have previously applied and your circumstances have not changed, the concession will automatically be applied to your rates each year after we reconfirm your eligibility with Services Australia.

The pension rebates will appear on your annual rates notice if you received it in the previous financial year and continue to be eligible. If you applied after the annual rates notice was sent, you would have been sent a confirmation of the pension rebate being applied.

If you are still unsure, please contact the rates team on 1300 179 944 who will happily assist you.

Council funded pension waiver

In addition to the state government funded concession, Council will also waive an additional $100.00 of rates to approved pension cards based on the same criteria as the state government funded concession.

This waiver is provided automatically when applying for the state government funded concession.

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