Rebates & concessions you may be missing

In most states you give your retailer your concession card details (Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or DVA Gold Card) and the ongoing rebate then shows as a line on each bill. You do not usually have to reapply each year, but you should tell your retailer if your card status changes.

The common ones are the Pensioner Concession Card, the Health Care Card and the DVA Gold Card, though a few schemes accept other cards. See concession cards and energy for which card unlocks what.

Yes, as long as the electricity account is in your name and you hold an eligible concession card. The rebate follows the account holder, not the property owner, so renters qualify on the same terms as homeowners.

The entitlement follows you, but it does not move automatically. When you switch you need to give your new retailer your concession card details again so the rebate is applied to the new account.

Yes. Most states run an emergency assistance scheme (such as EAPA vouchers in NSW or the Utility Relief Grant in Victoria) for bill crises, separate from the ongoing concession. If you are behind right now, read what to do when you cannot afford your electricity bill.

Sometimes. A few schemes, like family energy rebates or one-off state bonuses, are income-tested rather than card-based, so it is worth checking your state scheme even without a card.

Several states offer a gas or reticulated natural gas rebate for concession-card holders alongside the electricity one, so if you have mains gas, ask your gas retailer to apply it too.

A rebate helps but is rarely the whole answer. Stack it with your retailer's hardship program, any emergency grant, and a plan review to cut the underlying cost. Free financial counselling is available through the National Debt Helpline.

No. You can still shop for the cheapest plan and carry your concession across. In fact switching to a genuinely cheaper plan plus claiming your rebate usually beats staying put for either one alone.

Start with your state government energy page and check both the ongoing concession and any one-off bonus or emergency grant, since households often claim one and miss the other. A quick call to your retailer will confirm what is already on your account.

If someone in the home relies on equipment like a dialysis machine or oxygen concentrator, most states offer a life support concession to offset the extra power, and you also get added protection from disconnection. Your doctor completes a form to register the equipment.