Pay your rates
Your rates help us provide the Port Stephens community with valued services like road maintenance, footpaths and cycleways, libraries and pools, community services for young people and seniors, and much more.
Payment options
There are many ways to pay your rates — see the options below for more details.
- You can pay your rates online from your financial institution account using BPAY.
- Visit bpoint.com.au to pay from your Visa or Mastercard. Quote Biller Code 4333 and your assessment number.
Payments made using a credit card will incur a fee of up to 1%.
Put your rates on autopilot with direct debit — we can arrange automatic transfers from your cheque or savings account on a fortnightly, quarterly or annual basis.
To register, complete the Direct Debit Request Form and review the Direct Debit Request Agreement.
Credit cards cannot be used for direct debit.
To pay via BPAY:
- contact your participating bank, credit union or building society to pay from your cheque or savings account
- quote Biller Code 4333 and your assessment number.
There is no fee for BPAY payments from credit card accounts.
Credit card payments can be made over the phone for Visa and MasterCard only.
To pay your rates via phone:
- call 1300 BPOINT or 1300 276 468
- quote biller code 4333 and your assessment number.
Payments made using a credit card will incur a fee of up to 1%.
Mail your cheque or money order with the bottom portion of your notice, payable to:
Port Stephens Council
PO Box 42
Raymond Terrace
NSW 2324
Please note: no receipts will be issued for payments via mail.
You can pay your rates in person by presenting your account at any Australia Post Office or Council's Administration Building (during office hours) which is located at:
116 Adelaide Street,
Raymond Terrace
NSW 2324
Payments made using a credit card (Visa and Mastercard only) or PayPal will incur a fee of up to 1%.
Credit card payments cannot be made over the counter at Australia Post.
Rates FAQs
Find frequently asked questions about rates below:
Rates and charges can be paid annually by 31 August or in quarterly instalments before:
- 31 August
- 30 November
- 28 February
- 31 May
Where these dates fall on a weekend the due date will be the following Monday. We will send an instalment reminder at least 30 days before each due date.
Under State legislation, some pensioners are eligible for mandatory rebates.
A maximum of $250 is available each year on all ordinary rates and domestic waste management charges. People who become, or cease to be, eligible pensioners during the year will receive a concession proportionate to the number of full quarters in which they are an eligible pensioner.
To be eligible:
- you must be a pensioner with a current Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) or a Veterans Affairs TPI or EDA gold card, and
- the property must be your sole or principal place of residence, and
- you must own the property or be legally liable to pay the rates on the property.
War Widow Pensioners who do not hold a Pensioner Concession card may be entitled to a concession provided they meet an income and assets test.
If you satisfy the above criteria, please complete the online Application for Council Pensioner Concession Rates Rebate.
If you are experiencing difficulty in paying your rates by the due dates, contact our Rates Team on 02 4988 0255 as soon as possible, preferably before the account becomes overdue.
We can offer flexibility with alternative payment arrangements.
Daily interest is charged at 9% on all overdue amounts.
If you are not under financial hardship and don’t make an arrangement or pay by the due date, we may send the debt to our debt collection agency and you may incur legal costs. After 5 years of non-payment, we may sell property by public auction.
Ratepayers receive quarterly rate notices posted to their nominated address. If your current postal address is different from the address shown on the rate notice, please use the online Change of Address / Contact Details Application Form — we cannot accept notifications of change of address over the phone.
Alternatively, you can receive your rates by email — sign up at our eNotices Portal.
Each property falls into one of 4 categories for rating purposes, dependent on the actual use of the property:
- residential
- farmland
- mining
- business
Council's rating structure consists of 2 parts:
- base amount — a flat amount common to all properties
- ad valorem component — an amount calculated on the land value of your property.
More information about land value is available from the NSW Valuer General.
To find your rate category and charges for the current financial year, see our Current Rate Categories and Charges.
Higher valuations do not necessarily increase your total rate amount, as the NSW government 'pegs' rate rises. New valuations result in some ratepayers paying more while others pay less.
The size of any change in your rate bill as a result of new valuations will depend on:
- how the change in your land value compares to the average change in land values across Port Stephens, and
- the extent to which the council can, if necessary, moderate large rises or falls in individual rate bills by altering the base rate/ad valorem percentages.
To learn more, watch a webinar or download factsheets about rate revaluations and rate capping by clicking here.
A Section 603 certificate states the amount (if any) due or payable to Council by way of rates, charges or otherwise for a parcel of land, as stated in the Local Government Act 1993. It is commonly required during the sale of property.
Solicitors, real estate agents and members of the public may apply for a certificate for a fee of $95 or $190 for urgent requests needing a 24 hour turnaround.
How to apply
- Register for Council's Online Services. Order a certificate and pay for it securely online. Payments made using a credit card will incur a fee of up to 1%.
OR
Complete the Rating Certificate Application (603) and submit by:
- email council@portstephens.nsw.gov.au — we will obtain your credit card details over the phone * best option for urgent requests
- mail to PO Box 42 Raymond Terrace 2324
- in person to our Administration Building at 116 Adelaide Street Raymond Terrace
The NSW Spatial Services Collaboration Portal provides land and property services, which include property information, surveying and mapping.
Land Valuations and Property Sales Information is available through the NSW Spatial Collaboration Portal's Land Values and Property Information Page.
Read the Medium Density Housing Fact Sheet to establish rates.
Residents, surveyors and developers can contact us about changing street number addresses or to apply for the allocation of street addresses for a proposed development at addressing@portstephens.nsw.gov.au
We follow the NSW Addressing Manual as supplied by the Geographical Names Board. See the Land and Registry Services website for access to the policies and guidelines as set out by the Department.
Through Land and Registry Services you can access the street address of a property if you have the Lot and Deposited Plan or, if you have the street address you can find out the Lot and Deposited Plan.
Go to the LPI Searches page for further details.
To find out how to access your neighbour's details for dividing fencing or other issues, visit LawAccess NSW.