UPDATE 28/08/23:

A small number of ratepayers in Yarra have been incorrectly charged for a kerbside waste service.

2023/24 is the first year that Council has separated waste service charges from general rates. As this is our first year implementing this separation, a small degree of error was anticipated.

We are currently investigating the issue. Impacted ratepayers will not be charged late or interest charges on overdue rates until the matter is investigated and resolved.

We want to reassure our ratepayers that no one will be paying for a service they do not receive.

We are working to rectify this issue as soon as possible.

If you are concerned that you may have been charged the “Waste charge - Kerbside” in error, please contact us on 9205 5555 or email [email protected].

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Yarra City Council’s annual rates notices have been distributed to all rate-paying property owners. We’ve put together a handy guide on how to navigate your rates notice.

Most information on your rates notice should be easy to understand, however we recognise that some detailed financial information can be more challenging.

The below guide has been developed to assist you with better understanding your annual rates notice. There is also some additional information on the reverse of your annual rates notice which will also assist.

Council has developed an informative brochure that can be read alongside your rates notice to provide clarity on several topics, including the separation of waste service charges from general rates. To view the brochure, click here.

If you are still unclear about your annual rates notice, or if you are experiencing financial hardship, you can contact our customer service team on 03 9205 5555 or [email protected] .

Property valuation

This section of your annual rates notice outlines the value of your land and property. This value determines the amount of rates you pay to Council each year. Property valuations are conducted by the Valuer General’s office and change year-on-year.

• Site value
  • Site value is the value of the land only and does not include the value of any improvements such as buildings.
• Capital improved value
  • Capital improved value (CIV) is the assessed market value of both the land and any improvements such as buildings.
• Net annual value
  • Net annual value (NAV) for residential and primary production properties is five per cent of a property’s CIV. For non-residential properties, NAV is the greater of either the estimated annual market rental of the property minus all legislated expenses to maintain that property (except council rates) or 5 per cent of CIV.

Rates and charges

 This section of your annual rates notice outlines the different expenses listed in your rates notice.

• Balance brought forward
  • This line item shows any rates or charges that have been carried over from the previous financial year.
• Fire services levy
  • This levy is collected on behalf of the Victorian Government to fund the operation of the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board and the Country Fire Authority. Calculated based on CIV.
• General rate
  • General rates are collected by Council to fund all of the services provided by Council other than those included in the separated waste service charges. This includes libraries, leisure centres, maintaining our parks and public spaces and much more. General rates are calculated based on NAV.
• Waste charge – kerbside
  • The kerbside waste rate includes services such as household bin collections and transport, recycling processing, hard and green waste collection and processing, among others. The kerbside waste rate would only be applied to properties that receive a kerbside waste service from Yarra City Council. Ratepayers who do not receive a kerbside service from Council would be exempt from this charge. Calculated based on NAV. This charge was previously included in the general rate. It has now been removed and listed as a separate line item.
• Waste charge – public
  • The public waste rate includes services such as street sweeping, park and street bin collection and litter removal, among others. Calculated based on NAV. This charge was previously included in the general rate. It has now been removed and listed as a separate line item.
• Balance remaining for this financial year
  • This line item shows the total balance on the date that your annual rates notice is issued after any payments and supplementary valuation in the financial year.
• Total
  • This is the total amount owing to Council for 2023/24.

Preferred payment options

This section outlines your options for paying your rates to Council. There are three options provided for you to choose from.

• Council approved direct debit
  • This option is best for individuals looking to pay their annual rates notice in instalments over the course of the year. There are options to pay in 10 or 4 instalments on the set dates listed on your rates notice. You can initiate this process by downloading a direct debit request from at yarracity.vic.gov.au/directdebit
• BPAY
  • BPAY is an electronic bill payment conducted via your financial institution/bank. If you are unsure how to conduct this, you can contact your financial institution/bank. Make sure to have your annual rates notice handy as the information listed under this option will be essential to completing your payment.
• Online
  • You can pay your rates on our website, yarracity.vic.gov.au. On the homepage, click the “Pay or report an issue” button on the top right-hand corner of the screen. From there select “pay your rates”. Make sure to have your annual rates notice handy as the information including your “property number” will be essential to completing your payment.