Eligible concession card holders may claim a concession on their Council rates and charges up to the maximum of $266 for Council rates and $50 for Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund which is funded by the Victorian Government.

Pensioners who received this concession last year and who are still eligible, will find the current concession has been deducted automatically from their rates notice. If this is the case, no further application is required.

If you have an eligible card and reside at the property and have not yet received a concession, you will need to complete an application form and return it to Council.

Eligible cards are:

• Pensioner Concession Card – issued by Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card – War Widow/er (WW)
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card – Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI)

Are there any other criteria?

Yes, to be able to claim a concession on your municipal rates, charges and Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, you must ensure that:

• You have one of the eligible concession cards and your card is valid at the time of application, and
• You are the person responsible for payment of the account, and
• Your name is on the account, and
• Your name and address on the account matches that on your concession card.

For more information about eligibility, download the Municipal Rates Concession information leaflet(PDF, 1MB).  

To apply for the Pensioner Concession on your rates and charges, download the Municipal Rates Concession application form(PDF, 284KB) or call in to the Customer Service Centre at 1 Bridge Street East, Benalla and complete the form.

The concession does not apply to Health Care Card holders.

For more information on concession programs, please call the Concessions Information Line on 1800 658 521 (toll free) or visit the Department of Human Services information on concessions.