Rate notices are mailed out in July each year and can be paid in full by the due date or by four installments. Reminder notices are issued in January, April, July and September if you choose to pay by installments.

Rate payments can be made:

• By telephoning 1300 704 941 or logging onto Card Pay. Card Pay ID: 497 and Reference is contained on Rates Notice.
• By using BPAY. Contact your participating financial institution to make this payment from your cheque, savings or credit card account. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
• By direct debit
• At any branch of the Commonwealth Bank regardless of whether or not you are a customer. Complete the details on the Bank Deposit Slip at the bottom of the rate notice. The bank will stamp Ratepayer’s Copy and return it to you as a receipt.
• By posting your cheque made payable to Strathfield Council and crossed NOT NEGOTIABLE with original deposit slip in reusable envelope supplied to GPO Box 4692 SYDNEY NSW 2001.
• At Council’s Customer Service Centre or at the Strathfield Library and Information Centre – cheque, EFTPOS or credit card. Visa, MasterCard are accepted.

Rates are calculated according to the value of land in the area. The value of land in the Strathfield Local Government Area is determined every three years by the Valuer General. Council sets a rate in the dollar in its annual Operational Plan and a base rate.  Your land valuation is multiplied by the amount in the dollar and added to the base rate.

The Valuer General provides Council with new values for rating purposes, and also provides landowners with a Notice of Valuation informing them of the new land value. The NSW Valuer General’s Department can be contacted on 1800 110 038 or visit http://www.valuergeneral.nsw.gov.au/.

There are many factors that the Valuer General takes into consideration when deciding on land value including recent sale prices, zoning and access to public facilities. This means that rates charged in the Strathfield local government area will be different to rates charged by other councils.

If you disagree with your land valuation, as contained in the Notice of Valuation sent to you, you can object to the Valuer General. The NSW Valuer General’s Department can be contacted on 1800 110 038 or visit http://www.valuergeneral.nsw.gov.au/.

You must still pay the full amount of your rates while your objection is being considered. Should your land valuation be amended, the Valuer General will advise Council and your rates will be adjusted.

All residents who have their waste and recycling collected pay a domestic waste charge. The fee is determined by the total income needed to operate this service. Council sets the fee at a fixed rate each year and the income generated by this charge is put back into the waste and recycling collection service to keep it operating successfully.

Council does not charge GST on rates or garbage collection charges.

Interest will be charged when you fail to pay your rate notice or rate installment by the due date. Interest accrues daily, starting from the first day after the due date.

If you are unable to pay your rates by the due date, please contact Council’s customer service on 9748 9999 or by sending an email to council@strathfield.nsw.gov.au to arrange an acceptable rate payment plan.

Interest will be charged when you fail to pay your rate notice or rate installment by the due date. Interest accrues daily, starting from the first day after the due date.

Yes, it is your responsibility to advise Council of new contact details. To change your mailing address, please download and complete the Change of Mailing Address form below and send by email to council@strathfield.nsw.gov.au or by mail to PO Box 120 Strathfield NSW 2135.

If you wish to receive your rates notices by email, please register via the Email Rates Notice Registration portal on this website.

To check your details, please contact Council’s Customer Service Centre on 02 9748 9999. Council will not accept notifications of change of address over the telephone.

Sometimes two different addresses will appear on your rate notice – the postal address and the property address. Council sends your rate notices to your postal address.  The property address is what you are paying your rates on.

If you receive a pension you may be eligible for a rebate if you satisfy the following criteria:

• You hold a current pension concession card
• You own the dwelling for which a rebate is sought
• You occupy the dwelling for which a rebate is sought as your sole or principal place of living.

The pensioner concession card will need to be issued by Centrelink, or you may hold a current pensioner concession card issued by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs because:

• You are a widow or widower of a member of the Australian Defence or Peacekeeping Forces, or
• You are the unmarried mother of a deceased unmarried member of either of those forces, or
• You are a widowed mother of a deceased unmarried member of either of those forces, or
• You are a TPI under the Veterans Entitlement Act, 1986, or
• You receive a general rate of pension adjusted for extreme disablement under section 22 (4) of the Veterans’ Entitlement Act 1986 of the Commonwealth, or a special rate of pension under section 24 of that Act.
• You receive a general rate of pension adjusted for extreme disablement under section 22 (4) of the Veterans’ Entitlement Act 1986 of the Commonwealth, or a special rate of pension under section 24 of that Act.

If you satisfy all of these criteria you will need to visit Council’s Customer Service Centre, complete an application form and produce your pension concession card.

Pensioners who have already been granted a rebate with Council will have their rate notice automatically adjusted provided there has been no change with their eligibility.

If you start receiving a pension after the commencement of a quarterly billing period and you meet the above conditions, you can claim a rebate from the start of the next quarterly billing period.

If you cease to qualify as an eligible pensioner, you will not be entitled to receive a rebate after the end of the quarterly billing period in which you ceased to be eligible. Therefore, if you were granted a pensioner rebate in advance that you are no longer entitled to, it will be charged back to your rate account for the period pertaining to your ineligibility.

Please contact Council’s Rates Section on 9748 9960 immediately if your eligibility changes.

Eligible pensioners may be granted a rate rebate of 50% of the rates and charges up to a maximum of $250 per annum.

You may no longer be eligible for a pensioner rebate due to a change in circumstance or personal details. For example, you may not have received the pensioner rebate because:

• You may not be a pensioner anymore
• The owners’ name on your property may have changed
• You may have gone overseas for an extended period of time
• You may have changed from Centrelink to Veteran Affairs or vice -versa
• Or you may have changed your details at Centrelink or Veteran Affairs

Please contact Centrelink or Department of Veteran’s Affairs to update your details or to enquire about your current status in relation to receiving a pensioner rebate.

Fees vary according to the fine or registration. The required fees are set out in Council’s Schedule of Fees and Charges. Council’s Customer Service staff can assist you in assessing the appropriate fee.

Fees vary according to the type of certificate. The required fees are set out in Council’s Schedule of Fees and Charges. Council’s Customer Service staff can assist you in assessing the appropriate fee.