Rates

2024/2025 Budget Project Highlights

2024/2025 Budget Highlights

Rates are a contribution each property owner makes towards providing facilities and services in the Shire of Chittering. The above brochure provides a snapshot of where rates will be spent in the current rating year. 

2024/2025 Instalment Payments & Due Dates

If you have opted for the four instalment option the due dates for payment of rates by instalments for the current rating year are:

2024/2025 Emergency Services Levy

2024/2025 Emergency Services Levy Brochure

The Emergency Services Levy (ESL) helps deliver essential fire and emergency services across Western Australia.

No matter where you live in our vast State, you will see the ESL hard at work. The ESL helps protect 2.9 million Western Australians by funding the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and its volunteers to respond to bushfires, storms, cyclones, floods, road crashes, hazardous spills and search-and rescue missions.

It supports around 26,000 fire and rescue, marine and emergency services volunteers and more than 1,800 career firefighters, operational and corporate staff from DFES to provide around-the-clock fire and emergency services.

Your ESL contribution also helps fund fire and emergency vehicles, aerial fleets, life-saving equipment and emergency services facilities.

To learn more about how your ESL is calculated, including information on the different rates, limits and concessions visit www.dfes.wa.gov.au/esl 

How your rates are calculated

Local Government Authorities in Western Australia levy rates against each property by determining a 'rate in the dollar' which is then multiplied by the Valuation of the property, either the Gross Rental Value (GRV) or Unimproved Value (UV), as determined by the Valuer General's Office.

• GRV is the estimated yearly rental value of your property and is provided to Council by the Valuer General (a State Government Office) every five (5) years. A value for vacant residential, commercial or industrial land is calculated at three per cent of the determined resale value.
• UV is the site value of an unimproved property, also provided to Council by the Valuer General’s office, on an annual basis.

Different rate levels are charged for Gross Rental Value and Unimproved Value properties.

Minimum Rates

A minimum rate is set in recognition that every property / owner / resident benefits from works and services provided by the Shire.

Payment Options

Pay Rates Online

Ratepayers are offered a choice to pay rates in either one or four instalments. To qualify for the instalment option, any arrears, plus the full amount of the first instalment must have been paid by the date of the first instalment as identified on the rate notice.

Please note that payments not received by the first instalment date will attract a late payment interest charge.

Pay in four instalments:

Ratepayers may choose to pay their rates in four instalments. To be eligible for this option you must have paid the first instalment by the due date.

This option includes an administration charge (see here for the current charge, this is one charge per instalment) and instalment interest of 2.5%.

Payments not received by the due date will attract a late payment interest charge of 8% per annum (excluding pensioners and seniors with rebated rates).

Council provides a wide variety of convenient payment methods for its ratepayers.

Payment methods available for payment of rates include:

1. Pay your rates online (credit cards only).
2. Payment via BPAY using your savings, cheque or credit account. Please use Biller Code 55038 and your reference number. 
3. Payment by Direct Debit via BPay (reoccurring BPay). Please refer to your Rates Notice for the BPay payment details.  
4. Telephone: Credit Card payment (Visa or Mastercard only). Phone BPoint on 1300 276 468.
5. In-person at the Administration Centre (office hours only).
6. Payment by Cash, Cheque, Money Order, EFTPOS (No Cash Out), MasterCard and Visa Card.
7. Mail cheques to: Shire of Chittering, PO Box 70, Bindoon WA 6502
8. Please DO NOT send cash payments through the mail.

Requesting copies of Rates Notices

Apply for Copies of your Rates Notice

The current fee for this is in our Fees & Charges. You can use the above link to apply through our website.

Interim Rates

Some ratepayers may receive amended rate notices during the year called Interim Rates Notices. These notices are required to be issued if the Valuer General's Office considers that the Gross Rental Value (GRV) or Unimproved Value (UV) of a ratepayers' property has changed.

Any alteration to the property could cause the GRV or UV of your property to be re-assessed by the Valuer General's Office. Typical events which could trigger a revaluation and the need to issue an Interim Rates Notice include:

For GRV and UV Property

• Creation of a new property (if a lot is created from a subdivision or amalgamation)

For GRV property

• Improvements or additions to the property (installation of a swimming pool, construction of a garage or carport or the addition of a bedroom)
• Demolition of a property (this is usually the first step in the redevelopment of a site and only the first in a series of interim rate adjustments)
• Removal of a swimming pool

When a new or amended valuation is supplied by the Valuer General's Office, a reason for the amendment and effective date of the valuation is also provided. This information will be shown on your Interim Rates Notice.

For further information please contact the Rates Department on (08) 9576 4628 or via chatter@chittering.wa.gov.au.