funding · Ipswich City Council
Ipswich Council approves quarterly rates and 12.19% overdue interest from 1 July
Ipswich City Council has adopted payment arrangements for 2026-27, including quarterly billing for rates and charges and 12.19% interest on overdue accounts from 1 July 2026.
Ipswich City Council has approved payment, discount and interest arrangements for 2026-27, with rates and charges, including the Emergency Management Levy, to be levied quarterly and overdue accounts to attract 12.19% interest from 1 July 2026. The resolution was adopted at the council’s extraordinary budget meeting on 30 June.
The council also decided that ratepayers can pay by instalments and receive a discount for paying before the end of the relevant period, so long as that period ends on or before the due date for payment. Those settings sit in Part 8 and Part 9 of the 2026-2027 Budget in Attachment 2.
The broader budget package also locks in the charges that will appear on rates notices across Ipswich, including a household waste service charge of $553.00, a non-household waste levy of $110.80, a $39 annual Rural Fire Brigades special charge, a $3 annual Rural Fire Brigades separate charge, a $68 annual Ipswich Enviroplan separate charge and an Infrastructure Separate Levy of 0.00614 cents in the dollar, with a $65 minimum annual charge.
Mayor Teresa Harding delivered the 2026-2027 annual budget speech before councillors voted on the package. The meeting was held in the Council Chambers at 1 Nicholas Street, Ipswich.
The council also adopted the 2026-2027 Budget, the Annual Plan 2026-2027, the revenue statement, revenue policy and financial sustainability measures. It adopted the Debt Policy, Investment Policy and Financial Management Policy for 2026-2027 as well.
Council granted a concession framework for eligible pensioners who own and occupy rateable land, and approved a 100% concession of differential general rates for properties listed in Attachment 1. The minutes also say rating categories will be applied from the quarterly rating assessment notice for each parcel, with the chief executive officer delegated to identify the category for individual properties.
The payment arrangements take effect from 1 July 2026, the start of the new financial year. That is also when the council’s procurement settings, including the Procurement Policy, Procurement and Contracts Manual and Annual Contracting Plan, begin operating under the new budget year.
Reference minutes
Based on Ipswich City Council Extraordinary Council - 30 Jun 2026 9:00 AM - Budget minutes.
Key facts from the minutes
- Ipswich City Council resolved that rates and charges, including the Emergency Management Levy, will be levied quarterly.
- Overdue rates and charges will attract interest at 12.19% per annum from 1 July 2026.
- The resolution allows ratepayers to pay by instalments and to receive a discount for early payment.
- The 2026-27 budget package includes a household waste service charge of $553.00 and a non-household waste levy of $110.80.
- Council adopted a $39 annual Rural Fire Brigades special charge, a $3 annual Rural Fire Brigades separate charge, a $68 annual Ipswich Enviroplan separate charge and an Infrastructure Separate Levy of 0.00614 cents in the dollar, with a $65 minimum annual charge.
- Eligible pensioners who own and occupy rateable land can receive concessions, and some listed properties receive a 100% concession of differential general rates.
- The arrangements take effect from 1 July 2026.
Why it matters
- It fixes when Ipswich residents and businesses are billed, what discounts they can claim and how much extra overdue accounts will cost.