Energy Bill Relief Fund

The $250 Energy Bill Relief payment for eligible recipients of government concessions or benefits was available until 30 June 2024.

To be eligible, customer needed to have held one of the following concession cards on 1 August 2023:

• Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) issued by Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA),
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (GCH) For All Conditions, or
• Health Care Card (HCC) issued by Services Australia.
• For the above three concession types, your retailer should have automatically applied two separate instalments of $125 on your electricity bills across 2023-24.

Or, customers needed to have been recipients of one of the following benefits on 31 July 2023:

• Carer Allowance,
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (SHC) issued by Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or
• Family Tax Benefit A and B.
• For the above three benefits, you needed to have lodged consent with Services Australia by 30 June 2024 for your details to be shared with your retailer. Your retailer should have then applied one payment of $250 to your electricity bill.

If you were eligible for the $250 payment and did not receive it on your electricity bill by 30 June 2024, you should contact your electricity retailer.

The $325 Energy Bill Relief payment for eligible small businesses was available until 30 June 2024.

To be eligible for the payment, a small business must have:

• been registered on a separately metered business tariff
• not exceed a total annual electricity consumption of 40MWh

The eligibility date was 7 August 2023. Your retailer should have automatically applied the payment amount to your bill by 30 June 2024.

If a small business was run from home, the small business was not eligible for the small business bill relief unless the business’ energy consumption is separately metered (on a small business tariff). Other exclusions may also apply.

Small businesses in embedded networks were ineligible to receive a $325 Energy Bill Relief payment.

If you were eligible for the $325 payment and did not receive it, you should contact your electricity retailer.

Yes. Embedded Network household customers needed to apply for the 2023-24 Energy Bill Relief payment by submitting an application via the Victorian Energy Compare website.

Applications for this payment closed on 30 June 2024.

Incomplete Embedded Network household applications will remain open until supporting documentation which confirms a customer’s eligibility has been received.

Contact info.vec@delwp.vic.gov.au. for any enquiries relating to existing applications.