Understanding your rates
Council rates explained
We use your rates to provide and maintain essential services and facilities such as roads, footpaths, sport and recreation facilities, libraries, lifeguards, waste services, environmental protection and much more. This helps us to ensure that the Central Coast is a great place to live, work and play.
Your Council rates for 2025-26 explained
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) determines how much councils can charge for rates, and the annual increase or ‘rate peg’ – which is 4.3% for 2025-26.
This increase is applied to Council’s total rate income for the financial year.
Council calculates a rate charge by multiplying your property’s unimproved land value by the Ad Valorem Rate in the dollar. A different rate in the dollar applies to each rating category (i.e. residential, business).
There is a set minimum rate of $645.59 that applies for all rating categories for 2025-26.
Rates calculator tools
This tool is designed to help you calculate an approximate amount for your Council ordinary rates for a full financial year.
Rates calculator 2025-2026
It also helps you to calculate the estimated difference between your rates payable in 2024-25 versus 2025-26, based on current and previous land values. This is based on the land valuation movement from 2019 to 2022.
Rebates and hardship assistance
To find out if you are eligible to apply for a pensioner rebate or hardship assistance on your rates notice and water account, visit rebates and hardship assistance.
Land valuations effective from 2026-27
In early 2026, ratepayers across the Central Coast received their land valuations from the NSW Valuer General. This has understandably raised some questions in the minds of ratepayers about how land valuations will impact Council rates.
The NSW Valuer General has advised that, since the last land valuation in 2022, residential properties across the Central Coast have seen, on average, a 0.5 per cent increase in their land valuations. Individual properties may have experienced higher or lower movements.
Changes in land valuations do not directly correlate to an equivalent change in a property’s Council rates.
Council rates are calculated using the unimproved value of land, meaning the value of the land alone. Buildings, homes and other improvements are not included in the valuation.
Following each valuation cycle, Council redistributes rates across properties based on their relative land values. Council will not receive additional money because of increases in land values.
As a general guide, if your land valuation increased by more than the Central Coast average over the valuation cycle, your share of rates may rise slightly compared to other properties. If your land valuation increased by less than the average, your rates may decrease slightly as part of this redistribution.
Separate to the impact of land valuations, is the annual rate peg increase to rates, which for 2026-27 is 3.2%.
If a ratepayer does not agree with their land valuation, they need to lodge an objection with NSW Valuer General.