Rates

Rates are levied by councils on homes and businesses. They provide income for essential services and infrastructure. Rates are exempt from the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Rates can be paid either in full or quarterly.

Paying in full, your rates are due by 31 August each year.

Paying in quarterly instalments, rates are due:

  • 1st instalment: 31 August
  • 2nd instalment: 30 November
  • 3rd instalment: 28 February
  • 4th instalment: 31 May

If you have a general enquiry about rates, you can submit it online using Council's customer request management system.

Rates general enquiry

Rates harmonisation update

Inner West Council is harmonising rates as required by the State Government. This commenced in July 2021 with the harmonisation of the minimum amount charged for rates, which applied to about 38% of all properties across the Local Government Area (approximately 30,000 properties).

From 1 July 2023 Inner West Council's rates have been 100% harmonised, with a single rating structure replacing the three rating structures from the former Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville councils.

The harmonisation process does not increase Council's overall income from rates – however, harmonisation means individual ratepayers’ rates will change. Some ratepayers will pay less and some will pay more as rates are calculated according to the value of land, subject to a minimum rate.

Rates are levied by councils based on the rating category and the land value provided by the NSW Valuer General. The rate category is determined by the land use between residential and business (see section 516 and section 518 of the Local Government Act 1993).

Your rates this year are also subject to new land valuations that have been issued by the NSW Valuer General's Office. For more information on that process please see the "land values" page on the Valuer General's website.

Council is committed to delivering high quality infrastructure, facilities and services that align with our community’s needs and expectations. We are focussed on continuous improvement and ongoing service reviews to ensure Inner West is efficiently and effectively delivering value for our community from the rates income.

Inner West Council has achieved savings of $22 million since amalgamation in 2016 and we continue to improve our financial performance. We were able to absorb the impact of losing $1.5 million annual income from the former Marrickville Special Rate Variation that expired in June 2020 through prudent financial management. We have also recently purchased two commercial investment properties that together generate over $4.5 million in revenue that would otherwise need to be generated through rates income.

Please also check out our frequently asked questions on rates harmonisation. 

How are your rates and other income spent?

Every $100 collected is distributed as follow across a range of services.

For every $100 collected Council allocates $26 to capital and major projects, $12 to resource recovery planning and operations, $10 to parks and streetscapes operations, $9 to children's services, $8 to sports and recreation, $6 to civil maintenance, $6 to libraries, history, community venues and centres, $4 to parking and ranger services, $3 to strategic planning and economic development, $3 to facilities management, $3 to events, living arts, community wellbeing, social and cultural planning, $2 to engineering services, $2 to development assessment, $1 to urban forest, $1 to urban ecology and sustainability, $1 to traffic and transport planning, and $1 to building certification, environmental health and building regulation.

  • Capital and major projects $26
  • Resource recovery planning and operations $12
  • Parks and streetscapes operations: $10
  • Children's services: $9
  • Sports and recreation: $8
  • Civil maintenance: $6
  • Libraries, history, community venues and centres: $6
  • Parking and ranger services: $4
  • Strategic planning and economic development: $3
  • Facilities management: $3
  • Events, living arts, community wellbeing, social and cultural planning: $3
  • Engineering services: $2
  • Development assessment: $2
  • Urban forest: $1
  • Urban ecology and sustainability: $1
  • Traffic and transport planning: $1
  • Building certification, environmental health and building regulation: $1

How are your rates calculated?

Land value (set by the NSW Valuer-General) × rate in the dollar (subject to minimum rate for Residential Ordinary, and Business General)

Your ad valorem has been adjusted with full harmonisation into a single rating structure starting 1 July 2023.

Domestic waste management charges

Your rates notice includes an annual domestic waste management (DWM) charge to Council to manage and collect residential waste. This is authorised under Section 496 of the Local Government Act 1993.

This charge funds Council's household recycling service, green waste service, garbage collection and disposal, clean-up service and lane cleaning. It includes landfill tipping fees, as well as the NSW Government Section 88 landfill levy which increases each year as part of the NSW Government's strategy to reduce landfill.

All ratepayers currently receive a subsidy in their domestic waste management charges, as part of a $7 million plan that commenced in July 2021 to align these charges with our Zero Waste Resource Recovery Strategy over a period of six years.

The following domestic waste management charges are current from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024:

  • Small garbage bin (less than 120 litres): $377.00 p.a.
  • Standard garbage bin (120 litres): $502.00 p.a.
  • Large garbage bin (240 litres): $753.00 p.a.
  • Vacant/availability: $251.00 p.a.

Note: From 8 October 2023, Council will be rolling out food recycling to the LGA, with garbage (red bin) collection fortnightly and garden organic waste (green bin) collection weekly. There will be no change in price.