About your rates

The city generates revenue by charging rates to City of Moreton Bay property owners. These funds help provide and maintain services and infrastructure, including:

  • roads, footpaths and the city’s stormwater network
  • parks, gardens and nature reserves
  • sports grounds, swimming centres, community halls and libraries
  • town planning, and building and plumbing regulations
  • animal control
  • food safety regulation and public health
  • waste facilities, waste reduction and education
  • environmental and coastal protection
  • economic development
  • disaster response.

Council issues rate notices quarterly in July, October, January, and April. Payment is due 30 days after the date of issue.

Paper notice fee

A quarterly charge of $2.50 including GST is applied to rate notices issued by post.

Why was the fee introduced?

The fee was introduced in response to the ongoing increases to the cost of producing and delivering a paper notice. The revenue will be used to offset the costs incurred.

How was the $2.50 fee calculated?

The cost is based on the actual costs incurred by Council. In addition, the fee was benchmarked against other organisations including utilities and banks who also charge paper notice delivery fees.

What is the cutoff date to sign up to eRates before the Q3 notices go out?

Anyone who signs up for eRates before midnight on 31 December 2024 will not be levied the $2.50 fee. Sign up to receive your rates notice via email.

Are there any exemptions?

Ratepayers who receive a Council pensioner rebate or self-funded retiree rebate will be exempt from the fee for the notice issued for their principle place of residence.

What if I don’t have an email address?

For those that do not wish to receive a notice via email and do not want to pay the fee, the alternative is to register for BPayView with their bank. Their notices will come to their online banking service (app or online portal) each quarter and they can pay from there. People registered for BPayView will not be levied the $2.50 fee.

Interest charged on overdue rates

Council charges 8% interest per annum on overdue rates per the Local Government Act 2009 and Local Government Regulation 2012. Interest compounds daily no outstanding balances.

Payment options

You can pay your rates in person at a customer service centre or Australia Post, online, by phone, or with a flexible payment plan.

Learn more about paying your rates.

Payment plans

Council offers ratepayers the option to enter a payment plan where they can pay their rates in instalments. Property owners will not receive any reminders or final notices while a payment plan is in effect. However, interest will continue to accrue.

Find out more about entering a rates payment plan.

Providing authority to a third party

Council can only share rating information with the property owner or an authorised third party. 

Property owners can authorise a third party to make changes or enquire about their rates account on their behalf by completing a rates authority form(PDF, 557KB).

Council will verify identity before providing authority to ensure confidentiality and protect against identity theft.

Change of ownership processing fee

A processing fee of 301500 including GST is charged when a property within City of Moreton Bay transfers ownership.

The fee is included on the new owner’s first rates notice. The fee will not apply when transferring:

  • because of a legal change of name
  • to, or adding of, a spouse or de facto partner because of a merge or separation of assets on the principal place of residence
  • to surviving joint tenants on death, or other joint tenants
  • where no money is exchanged
  • by court direction
  • to a government agency.

Statement of accounts fee

Council charges 301501 including GST for rates account statements.

Ratepayers can access their payment history for free through Online Services.

Back to top