Solar feed-in tariffs
Why your feed-in credit doesn't match your neighbour's, even next door
Feed-in tariffs are not set nationally. Each state takes a different regulatory approach, and within a state, individual retailers still publish their own rates. This guide explains the general shape of each approach without quoting figures that will be outdated within a billing cycle.
What a feed-in tariff actually is
A feed-in tariff is the credit applied to your account for electricity your rooftop solar system sends back into the grid, rather than what your household consumes directly. It's expressed as a rate per kilowatt hour exported, separate from the rate you pay for electricity you draw from the grid.
In some states a regulator publishes a minimum rate retailers must offer, in others there is no floor and retailers set their own competing rates entirely. Some retailers also now offer time-varying export rates, paying more for exports during periods the grid values solar power most, and less during the middle of a sunny day when many systems are exporting at once.
A state-by-state overview of the regulatory approach
General mechanisms only. Current rates should always be checked against your own retailer's published rate card or Energy Made Easy.
New South Wales
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) publishes an annual benchmark range for feed-in tariffs. Retailers are not required to pay within that range, but it's commonly used as a reference point when comparing offers.
Victoria
The Essential Services Commission sets a minimum feed-in tariff each year that retailers operating in Victoria must pay at minimum, with some retailers offering higher voluntary rates on top.
Queensland
Feed-in tariffs in the deregulated parts of the market are set by individual retailers, with a historical regional benchmark sometimes referenced in regional network areas rather than a strict statewide minimum.
South Australia
The market here is deregulated, so retailers publish their own competing feed-in rates. Given SA's high rate of rooftop solar uptake, network export limits and time-varying export tariffs are increasingly common features to check for.
Western Australia
The southwest interconnected grid uses a scheme historically administered through Synergy, with different arrangements again in regional and remote networks served by Horizon Power.
Tasmania
Feed-in arrangements are regulated through the state's main retailer structure, with rates reviewed periodically alongside broader tariff determinations.
Australian Capital Territory
The Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) sets a feed-in tariff for the ACT, providing a more centrally regulated approach than most other jurisdictions.
Northern Territory
Government-owned retailer Jacana Energy operates feed-in arrangements across most of the Territory, with separate schemes applying in some remote and off-grid communities.
How to find the number that applies to you
The most reliable current figure will always be your own retailer's published rate card, since feed-in tariffs are reviewed and adjusted more frequently than most other bill components. Energy Made Easy also displays the feed-in tariff attached to each plan listed for your area, alongside the standard usage rates, so you can compare it directly against your own export volume.
If your system was installed some years ago under an earlier scheme, it's also worth checking whether that arrangement has an expiry date, since some historical schemes transition to standard market rates after a set period.
Compare current feed-in tariffs on Energy Made EasyWant the background on time-of-use billing too?
Feed-in tariffs often sit alongside time-of-use import rates on the same bill. Our home page covers how off-peak and shoulder pricing generally works.
Back to the guide overview