Learn how we use your Port Adelaide Enfield council rates, how your council rates are calculated and how to pay them, what happens if you’re late with payments or facing financial hardship, and explore our frequently asked questions.
Your rates help fund essential services
The City of PAE delivers services and facilities that help build strong and vibrant communities, and your rates likely pay for a wide range of services and activities.
Rates are a form of property taxation and the amount you pay is partially based on your property’s valuation. Refer to the LGA information sheet Council rate and property values explained or check out this video more information about how rates are set by SA councils.
Each year, we give our community the opportunity to help us set our Annual Business Plan when it’s released for public consultation. Once the rates have been set, we distribute our Annual Business Plan Summary to ratepayers, which details how we will allocate our budget, and the services and projects that we plan to deliver.
How and when are council rates due?
You can pay your rates in one annual amount or quarterly instalments, which are due in September, December, March and June each year. We send your rates notice to you at least 30 days before the due date, and if you don’t pay your rates by that due date, you’ll receive a fine.
Here’s how you can pay your rates:
- Online payment
- BPay (Biller code: 18192. You’ll find the reference number on your rates notice)
- Direct debit (quarterly)
- By phone (call 1300 012 401)
- By mail
- In person at our service centres
- Centrepay (Centrelink reference number: 555 062 677B)
Setting up direct debit
We offer two direct debit options to help you pay your rates. You can set up your own direct debit arrangement by completing this form to set up quarterly direct debit payments.
Having difficulty paying your rates?
We’re committed to treating ratepayers equally, confidentially and respectfully. If you are unable to pay your Quarterly instalment by the due date, please complete and return a Rates payment arrangement form for our Property & Revenue Team to review and approve. With an approved arrangement, no recovery or legal action will be pursued in accordance with the agreed terms and conditions.
If you’re experiencing financial hardship:
- You’ll need to attend a session with an accredited financial counsellor who’ll prepare an income and expenditure statement so we can consider the application. This service is free of charge through some charitable organisations like Uniting Care Wesley. We can refer you to a hardship counsellor who will liaise with on a regular basis. Alternatively, download a list of financial counsellors here
- The counsellor will review your income and expenditure and prepare a budget for you to follow
- The counsellor will prepare a letter to us that confirms your current financial circumstances and includes some suggestions for an achievable payment plan
- You’ll need to provide us with these documents to support your application for hardship. We may need more information or evidence in some cases
Check your eligibility for State Government concessions here or call the Concessions SA Hotline on 1800 307 75.
Default in payment
If you don’t make a payment when council rates are due, additional fines will apply under the Local Government Act 1999:
- 2% of the overdue amount will be immediately added to your next bill
- At the end of each following month, we’ll add interest to the overdue balance
Rate rebate review questionnaire
We conduct a rebate review every year in readiness for the coming financial year. The purpose of this review is to determine if an organisation that is currently receiving a rebate continues to be eligible for this rebate. Each organisation currently receiving a rebate will receive an email from us once this review period has commenced.
To avoid any potential delays or a possible withdrawal of the rebate, each organisation is required to return their completed Rate rebate questionnaire as soon as possible after they receive their email from Council indicating the review period has commenced, but no later than the end of February in the year proceeding the new financial year. Completed forms can be emailed to service@cityofpae.sa.gov.au
Download the Rate rebate questionnaire form
Please note: If you are building a residential property on land rated as 'Vacant Land', please refer to the section below titled “What’s the construction rate rebate?”
Rates FAQs
Receiving your Port Adelaide Enfield Council rates notice electronically makes it easier for you to manage your payments, save paper and reduce waste. You can access your notice on any electronic device whenever and wherever you’re ready to pay your rates.
Sometimes, your rates notice will go to your email’s spam or junk folder, depending on your service provider. It’s best to check your email settings and whitelist noreply@ezybill.com.au to make sure that you receive your notices.
We recommend getting in touch with your service provider if you need any help. If your electronic notice is returned to EzyBill as undeliverable via email, a paper copy will be issued to your postal address.
Once you are registered:
- Your next quarterly rates notice will be delivered by email
- You won’t receive any more paper notices
- You can view all future notices in the EzyBill portal
- You can still make payments with your preferred payment method
- You’ll need to tell us if your postal address changes. We’ll only use this to issue overdue and legal demand letters
Overdue and legal demand letters will only be issued to your postal address, so please make sure you keep your details updated with Council.
If you've used EzyBill to pay rates with another council, you can use the same log-in for the City of PAE. Make sure that your owner/ratepayer details match, and that you choose a unique username. We recommend a combination of your first and last name or email.
You’ll get an activation link from noreply@ezybill.com.au, which expires in four hours. If you miss this time frame, you can request an updated link to complete your activation.
If you don’t pay your rates on or before the due date, you will incur a 2% fine under the Local Government Act. Each month your rates go unpaid, we will add an extra charge to your rates notice at this interest rate.
If we don't hear from you and your rates stay unpaid, we'll need to take steps to recover the debt under the guidelines of the Local Government Act 1999 and our Debt Treatment Plan.
It's important to reach out to us as soon as you know that you can't pay on time, so we can find a solution. If things progress and we need to engage a collection agent, you’ll be responsible for paying legal fees and additional costs.
We’re committed to treating ratepayers equally, confidentially and respectfully. If you are unable to pay your Quarterly instalment by the due date, please complete and return a Rates payment arrangement form for our Property & Revenue Team to review and approve. With an approved arrangement, no recovery or legal action will be pursued in accordance with the agreed terms and conditions.
If you’re experiencing financial hardship:
- You’ll need to attend a session with an accredited financial counsellor who’ll prepare an income and expenditure statement so we can consider the application. This service is free of charge through some charitable organisations like Uniting Care Wesley. We can refer you to a hardship counsellor who will liaise with on a regular basis. Alternatively, download a list of financial counsellors here
- The counsellor will review your income and expenditure and prepare a budget for you to follow
- The counsellor will prepare a letter to us that confirms your current financial circumstances and includes some suggestions for an achievable payment plan
- You’ll need to provide us with these documents to support your application for hardship. We may need more information or evidence in some cases
Check your eligibility for State Government concessions here or call the Concessions SA Hotline on 1800 307 75.
The Local Government Act 1999 gives us permission to sell a property if rates have been overdue for three years or more, according to Section 184 of the Act.
We'll send you a formal written notice detailing the outstanding amount and our intention to sell the land, and we'll also notify the registered mortgagee (if applicable). If we don’t receive payment within one month of the notice, we may proceed with the sale process.
Under the Local Government Act, Seniors Card holders can apply to defer part of their Port Adelaide Enfield Council rates payment. If you pay at least $500 annually, we'll postpone the remaining balance with a monthly interest charge.
The deferred amount will be due when the property is sold, or you can pay it off earlier at your own pace. Get in touch with our Customer Service Team to discuss your eligibility and criteria before you apply.
If your debt feels overwhelming, consider seeking support from free, confidential financial counselling services like the National Debt Helpline. Call 1800 007 007 to find a financial counsellor near you.
If you need to change your mailing address for your rates notice, you can:
- Send us an email to service@cityofpae.sa.gov.au
- Complete a customer request here
Alternatively, contact us on 8405 6600 and ask to speak to a Customer Relations Officer. These calls are recorded so we can keep details related to your change of address request.
Port Adelaide Enfield Council rates are set annually, and billing starts in July each year. We also collect a levy on behalf of the Landscape Administration Fund.
We keep things simple with a minimum charge method. For the 2025-26 financial year, the minimum rate is $1,190.
These are the rates we adopted on 9 June 2026:
- Residential: $0.0016365 per dollar
- Commercial/industrial/other: $0.0043291 per dollar
- Vacant land: $0.0043291 per dollar
- Regional landscape levy: $0.0000585 per dollar
- New Haven levy: $0.0012988 per dollar
To calculate your rates:
- Find the capital value of your property
- Multiply it by the relevant rate in the dollar
- Discover your rates levy (subject to the minimum rate)
If you disagree with the valuation in your Port Adelaide Enfield Council rates notice, you have 60 days to lodge your objections with the Valuer-General. You can send them a written note or visit in person.
If you have received a similar notice within the past 60 days, your objection window starts from the date of the first notice. If the Valuer-General has already addressed your objection, you won’t be eligible to object again. However, if you need an extension, they might consider it with a reasonable cause.
Remember, even if you object to your valuation, you still need to pay your rates notice. We can still pursue you for overdue rates during this period.
You can use these methods to object to your valuation:
- Submit your detailed objections in writing to the Office of the Valuer-General at GPO Box 1354, Adelaide, SA 5001
- Visit 101 Grenfell Street, Adelaide, SA 5000
- Call the Office of the Valuer-General on 1300 653 346
- Send an email to OVGObjections@sa.gov.au
Use the online form at www.sa.gov.au/landservices and search for 'Objecting to a Valuation'
If you think that the Land Use Category that we have applied to your account is incorrect, you can lodge a written objection that outlines the grounds of your objection and includes the Land Use Category applied.
You have 60 days to lodge your objection once you receive your first Port Adelaide Enfield rates notice for that financial year. When a completed form is submitted with council, a land use recommendation can then be forwarded to the Valuer-General. Notification of any change will be made in writing to the rate payer.
You will still need to pay your rates by their due date while you are going through the objection process.
Complete an objection to land use form
Read the Valuer-General’s land use fact sheet
Everyone who lives and works in our community has an impact on the environment. We all share the responsibility of taking care of our precious soil, water, landscapes, marine environments, native animals and plants, and ecosystems. The Regional Landscape Levy helps fund the vital work needed to care for and nurture these environmental assets.
We collect the Regional Landscape Levy on all rateable properties on behalf of the Landscape Administration Fund, and then we distribute these funds to the Landscape Boards. You can find out more about the levy on your Port Adelaide Enfield Council rates notice, listed under the heading 'Particulars of Rates and Charges' as 'Separate Rate – Regional Landscape Levy'.
The Regional Landscape Levy is a state tax, included in the total balance shown on each rates notice. Call the Department for Environment and Water on 8204 1910 or visit their website if you have any questions.
Read the Landscape SA Summary
Read the Landscape SA Policy Overview
We have declared a separate rate to support the New Haven housing development. This development has trialled new technology in energy efficiency, environmentally friendly materials and onsite domestic wastewater treatment and reuse to benefit the land and its residents. We have declared a separate rate for each allotment within Deposit Plan No. 42580 at the New Haven Village in North Haven. There are 62 allotments within the Village area.
We calculate the total annual charge using the property value supplied by the State Valuation Office. To work out a sewerage charge, multiply the property value by the rate for 2026-27 which is $0.0012988.
Read the Customer Charter
Read the Hardship Policy for Residential Customers of Minor and Immediate Water retailers
If you’re building a residential property on land rated as 'Vacant Land' this financial year and you can prove that the concrete footings have been poured, you could be eligible for a Construction ate rebate (also known as a Residential Building rebate).
Apply for the Residential Building (Construction) rate rebate online
Download an editable Residential Building (Construction) rate rebate form
