Rates

Rate Notices

Council will issue three (3) rates notices each year, with these notices having a 30-day payment time frame. 

• period 01 July 2025 to 31 October 2025 – will issue in July 2025
• period 01 November 2025 to 28 February 2026 – will issue in November 2025
• period 01 March 2026 to 30 June 2026 – will issue in March 2026

Land Valuations

The value of your land, along with the property characteristics, is the basis for the calculation of the General Rate.  The State Valuation Services sets this rateable value. For valuation enquiries please contact State Valuation Services (https://www.nrmmrrd.qld.gov.au/land-property).

Differential General Rates

There are 55 Differential General Rate categories determined for 2025/2026. These categories are detailed in the 2025/2026 Revenue Statement.  Every property in the region has been allocated one of these 55 categories. Each category has a ‘cents in the dollar rate’ and a ‘minimum rate’.  Differential General Rates are calculated by multiplying the rateable value of a property by the category’s ‘cents in the dollar rate’. The minimum charge applies when the resulting amount is below the set minimum Differential General Rate for the category.

Objection to Differential General Rate Category

If you consider your property has been incorrectly categorised, you may lodge an objection. The only ground for objection is that you believe your property should be in another category. Objections must be lodged within 30 days of your rates notice being issued. Rates and charges are still due and payable by the due date. If the rating category is changes as a result of an objection, the rates will be adjusted at that time. 

If you are objecting based on the property being your principal place of residence, please submit a Principal Place of Residence Declaration as detailed in the next section. An objection is not required in for this situation.

Objection to Rating Category Form

Owner Occupier/Principal Place of Residence General Rate Category

To claim the owner occupier general rate category, you must complete a Principal Place of Residence Declaration and submit to Council for assessment. Your situation must satisfy the definition provided in the Principal Place of Residence Policy and this category is only available to residential properties owned by at least one natural person.

Principal Place of Residence Policy
Principal Place of Residence Declaration Form

Interest

Interest charges will be applied to all overdue rates and charges under section 133 of the Local Government Regulation 2012.

You can apply for Principal Place of Residence status on your property by completing the declaration form (below).
Your situation must satisfy the definition provided in the Principal Place of Residence Policy.

If you are granted Principal Place of Residence status, you are entitled to the owner-occupied general rating category of 1a for Urban or 1b for Non-Urban .

Principle Place of Residence Declaration Form

To calculate the rates capping amount for 2025/2026 take the general rate charge from the previous financial year Cycle 3 Notice (less any Capping Adjustments showing on the Cycle 3 Notice) and multiply this by the limit on increase percentage for your general rate category of the current cycle.  Add this amount to the previous financial year Cycle 3 general rate charge amount and this is the maximum general rate for each cycle this financial year.

Your rate notice will itemise the full general rate charge for your property on page 2 of the rate notice.  The full charge is your property’s land valuation multiplied by the category’s cents in the dollar. Where the calculated amount is less than the minimum rate, the minimum rate is applied.  This calculated amount is then divided by 3 and charged on each notice issued by Council for the financial year.

Any Capping Adjustment will be itemised as a separate charge line on page 2 of your notice and is the difference between the full general rate and the maximum general rate amount for the cycle. 

Working Example:

General rate charged on Cycle 3 notice was $414.00 for Category 1a and the property did not have any previous capping credits

1. $414.00 x 10.5% = $43.47
2. Add Cycle 3 charge = $457.47
3. $457.47 is the maximum general rate that can be charged on each cycle notice for 25/26 – as this is limiting the increase of the general rate to 10.5% on the previous financial year
4. This property has a new land valuation of $175,000 and is in Category 1a, so the full general rate charge for Cycle 1 is $488.00
5. The difference between the Cycle 1 full general rate and the maximum general rate for 25/26 is $30.53

A capping adjustment of CR $30.53 will be applied to each cycle notice in 2025/2026 to ensure that the general rate increase is not more than 10.5% compared to last year.  Should capping not have been applied, this example would have received a general rate increase of 17.8% based on the new land valuation.

Please note: the limiation on increase will cease to apply from the start of the billing period following:

• The transfer of ownership of land, or
• The change to characteristics of the land which results in a change to the differential general rate category applicable to the land (excluding where the differential general rate category changes from non-owner to owner occupier and the ownership remains unchanged), or
• Increases resulting from a property inspection or internal audit, or
• Changes to the configuration of the Land Area resulting in a new registered parcel of land

There is currently no land for sale.

A property search contains detailed rates and charges information required for settlement purposes and information that the purchaser needs to know e.g. Current Financial Years rates and charges; including applicable issue periods, payments received and interest charged or accrued on the property account; etc.

• Urgent property search - provided in three (3) working days from receipt of application and payment.
• Standard property search - provided in five (5) to ten (10) working days from receipt of application and payment.

To obtain a property search, please complete a property search request form and return to Council with payment of the appropriate fee.

To obtain a written property search, please complete a property search / special water meter read application form and return to Council.

To obtain Property Summary Application Form complete and return to Council.

Payment is required on application. If submitting the form digitally, Council's Customer Service department will call you for payment via credit card.

General Ratepayers Information 2025/2026
Rating Category Statement and FAQ 2025/2026
Budget Adoption 2025/2026
Revenue Policy and Statement 2025/2026