funding · Toowoomba Regional Council
Toowoomba card surcharge to drop from 0.33% to zero on 1 October
Residents and businesses paying Toowoomba Regional Council charges by card are due to stop paying the surcharge from 1 October, after a committee recommended changing the fee.
Residents and businesses paying Toowoomba Regional Council charges by card are due to see the council’s 0.33 per cent surcharge drop to zero on 1 October 2026, after the Corporate Services Committee recommended an amendment to the 2026/27 Register of Fees and Charges.
The surcharge is to be switched off after close of business on 30 September. The current fee applies to the value of card transactions, excluding EFTPOS debit transactions and on-street and off-street parking fees.
The change follows Reserve Bank of Australia reforms announced in March 2026. The reforms include removing surcharging on debit, prepaid and credit cards on the designated eftpos, Mastercard and Visa networks, lowering interchange-fee caps paid by Australian businesses and increasing transparency around fees charged by card networks and payment service providers.
Toowoomba Regional Council introduced the surcharge several years ago to help offset rising bank fees from card transactions. Its forecast surcharge revenue is expected to fall from $105,000 to about $35,000, a reduction of approximately $70,000. The council expects at least part of that reduction to be offset by lower bank fees.
The committee also recommended formally recording a zero charge for online access to the council’s Real Estate Portal. The automated service provides property location and description details, rates and charges information, outstanding balances, current water meter readings, land area and land valuation.
Launched in March 2022, the portal received more than 18,000 hits during the 2026 calendar year. It provides free access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is used by property owners, real estate agents and solicitors. The service operates under section 155 of the Local Government Regulation 2012.
The committee recommended that Council adopt both amendments. The card surcharge change is scheduled to take effect on 1 October, while the portal’s zero charge would formalise its existing free-access arrangement.
Reference minutes
Toowoomba Regional Council Corporate Services Committee, 8 September 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The Corporate Services Committee recommended reducing Toowoomba Regional Council’s card surcharge from 0.33 per cent to nil.
- The surcharge change is scheduled to take effect on 1 October 2026, after the fee is turned off following close of business on 30 September.
- Council forecasts surcharge revenue will fall from $105,000 to approximately $35,000, a reduction of about $70,000.
- The proposed change follows Reserve Bank of Australia reforms announced in March 2026.
- The Real Estate Portal will have a formally recorded nil online access charge under section 155 of the Local Government Regulation 2012.
- The portal received more than 18,000 hits during the 2026 calendar year and provides free 24/7 access to property and rates information.
Why it matters
- Card payments to Toowoomba Regional Council are scheduled to become cheaper from 1 October, while property and rates information remains available through a free online portal.