Your assessment number is Council's reference number for your property and can be used when contacting Council with enquiries regarding your rate account.

The property location and description area shows the address of your property and your Lot and Deposited plan number, which is the legal description of your property.

This area of your Rates and Charges Notice shows all owners listed against the account and the current postal address.

If your postal address needs updating, please submit a Change of Postal Address Application Form to Council. Notices can also be issued via e-mail by submitting an Application for Electronic Rate Notices.

This part of your Rates and Charges Notice will show all charges levied against your rate account. The types of charges that will appear in this area are:

• Your land rate, which is calculated by multiplying your rateable land value by the rate in the dollar for the applicable year.
• Your base amount, which is a fixed amount that all rateable assessments pay.
• Your domestic waste charge.
• The stormwater management charge.

Any pension concession or balance carried forward from a previous year will also be shown in this area.

If paying your rate account in full (rather than in instalments), the due date is the date that the annual rate levy is due by. This due date will always be the 31st August of the applicable year.

The posting date is the date your Rates and Charges Notice was issued.

This area on your notice is the date that notice data was extracted from Council’s records and the amount due is what was due as at this date. If you have made any payments after the printed date please deduct from the amount owing.

If paying by instalments, the instalment amounts and due dates will be listed in these boxes. Quarterly instalments will always be due on 31st August, 30th November, 28th February and 31st May of each year. A quarterly Instalment Notice will be issued at least one month prior to an instalment's due date.

Your annual Rates and Charges Notice covers the period of 1st July until 30th June of the current financial year.

Individual rate instalments cover two months that have elapsed and one instalment in advance. For example, the instalment due on 31st August covers the period of July, August and September.

This box on your notice details any overdue rates and charges brought forward from a previous year. Unless an arrangement has been made this amount is due and payable immediately.

Interest accrues on all overdue rates and charges at the rate indicated on the rates and charges notice.

Failing to pay rates and charges by the due dates may cause debt recovery action to commence and legal fees may be incurred. If you are having difficulty making payment please contact Council’s Revenue Team on 02 4677 8282 to make a suitable arrangement.

For further information, please see Council's Debt Recovery Policy and Hardship Policy can be located on the Policy/Protocol Register.

The NSW Valuer General provides Council with a rateable valuation of your property every three years.

The Valuation Base Date is the valuation year currently being used to calculate rates. Your current rateable land value can be viewed under the Particulars section of your Rates and Charges notice.

For further information about your land value, please contact the NSW Valuer General.

The Local Government Act 1993 requires all land to be categorised according to its dominant use. You must notify Council within 30 days after receiving your Rates and Charges Notice if there is a change to the dominant use of the property (eg. from Business to Residential) or if you disagree with your categorisation.

To request a change in category, please complete an Application for Change in Category of Land for Rating Purposes form.

Rate payments can be made using any of the payment methods listed on your Rates and Charges Notice. These include:

• Bpay
• Direct debit
• Post Billpay (in person, over the phone or over the internet)
• Via the Customer Portal
• In person
• Via mail
• Centrepay

Please refer to the bottom section of your Rates and Charges Notice for further information regarding each payment method.

If you are claiming a pension concession through Council, the rebate will be deducted from your annual levy and be shown as a separate line item under the particulars of rates and charges on your notice.

If you are an eligible pensioner and are not currently claiming a rebate through Council, an application can be made by completing a Pension Concession Application Form.

This charge is for the domestic waste service at your property. You are charged for a core service, being a garbage and recycling bin, and a garden organics bin if in a serviced area. Any additional bins are listed as a separate line item on your notice.

A list of Council's annual domestic waste charges can be viewed in Council's Operational Plan.

In accordance with section 496 of the Local Government Act 1993, Council must levy a Domestic Waste Charge for all properties that have access to the service. This includes vacant land.

The stormwater management charge applies to parcels of land rated as residential or business where Council provides stormwater services.

The maximum amount that can be charged is:

• $25 per residential lot.
• $12.50 per residential strata lot.
• A minimum of $25 plus $25 per 350m2 or part thereof for business lots (capped at $325).

Pensioners, rural properties and vacant land are exempt from the charge.

Stormwater is the water which runs off hard surfaces into our local waterways during rainfall events. As stormwater flows across the land it collects pollutants such as dirt, litter and leaves that are then washed into local waterways causing the degradation of these waterways. Wollondilly Shire contains three of Sydney's major water catchments. Parts of these catchments also form part of Sydney's drinking water catchment and it is therefore of vital importance that these waterways are protected. Council is responsible for the management of the stormwater drainage infrastructure in Wollondilly Shire.

Further information regarding the stormwater management charge can be viewed in Council's Operational Plan for the current financial year.

Subdivided land will be rated on a pro-rata basis from the date the new deposited or strata plan is registered. Newly created lots will be rated and a Supplementary Rates and Charges Notices will be issued from the date of registration once land values have been received from the NSW Valuer General.

The parent assessment of a subdivided property will be rated from the beginning of the financial year to the date of registration of the new lots, and any outstanding or credit balance will be allocated to the new lots on receipt of a rateable land value.

Council may be provided with new valuations from the NSW Valuer General if land is rezoned. As rates are based on the rateable land value this may affect the rates levied.

If you live in a single dwelling on land that could be subdivided or is in a commercial zone the rateable valuation may be higher than usual. If you plan on residing at the property for some time you may apply to Council to have part of your rates postponed. Contact Council’s Revenue Team on 02 4677 8282 for further information.