Cost of Living

Can You Get Both the $150 Energy Relief and the $285 Low Income Household Rebate in NSW? (June 2026 Update)

Can NSW households receive both the $150 Energy Relief and the $285 Low Income Household Rebate? Learn how the two payments work, who needs to apply, and what to check on your electricity bill.

If you've been searching around for NSW electricity bill help lately, you've probably run into two different numbers that keep popping up: $150 and $285. It's easy to assume they're just two names for the same thing — I had the same question at first — but once you look into the details, they turn out to be run by different bodies with different rules.

So today I want to answer one specific question: can you get both the $150 Energy Relief and the $285 Low Income Household Rebate at the same time?

This post splits things into two groups: regular retail electricity customers in NSW, and people living in embedded networks. Which group you fall into changes how you actually need to apply.

Short answer first

If you meet the conditions, yes, you can get both. They sound similar, but they're completely separate schemes. The $150 Energy Relief is a federal government payment, and the $285 Low Income Household Rebate is a NSW state government rebate. Different governments run them, so getting one doesn't block you from getting the other.

There's one thing worth keeping in mind, though. Neither of these is simply "you automatically get it" across the board — one is mostly automatic, while the other usually requires you to register or apply. If you don't know that difference and just sit back waiting, you may miss out on support you were eligible for.

You can check the official details for the federal bill relief on the Service NSW Household National Energy Bill Relief page, and the NSW rebate details on the NSW Low Income Household Rebate page.

The $150 Energy Relief, explained

Its official name is National Energy Bill Relief, and it's run by the Australian federal government for the 2025–26 financial year. If you're a regular retail electricity customer meaning you get your bill directly from a retailer like AGL, Origin, or EnergyAustralia you didn't need to apply for anything; it was credited straight to your bill automatically. It didn't arrive as one $150 lump sum, though. It came as two $75 instalments, credited on bills in late July and early October 2025.

You can confirm the current payment timing and eligibility on the official Service NSW Household National Energy Bill Relief page.

So from where we're standing now, in June 2026, the real question for most retail customers isn't "can I still get this," it's "did I already get this last year." It's worth pulling up your bill again to check.

Things look a bit different if you live in an embedded network — apartment buildings, retirement villages, caravan parks, anywhere you pay your electricity through a building manager or village operator rather than a retailer directly. An embedded network means you're not billed straight by an electricity retailer; instead, your power costs run through a body corporate, strata manager, or village operator. In that case, the rebate isn't automatic, and you do need to apply — and the application deadline is 11:59pm AEST on 30 June 2026.

If you live in an embedded network, check the official National Energy Bill Relief application page before the deadline.

If you're reading this now, that date is close, so if this applies to you, it is worth checking and applying as soon as possible.

The $285 Low Income Household Rebate is a different story

This one is a NSW state government rebate for low-income households. It's available to anyone holding a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, Low Income Health Care Card, or DVA Gold Card.

For retail customers it's $285 a year; for embedded network customers it's a bit higher, at $313.50.

You can check the retail customer rules on the Service NSW Low Income Household Rebate retail page, or the embedded network rules on the Service NSW Low Income Household Rebate on-supply page.

Unlike the $150, it doesn't come as two lump-sum instalments it builds up daily and shows up as a credit on every bill, so whenever during the financial year you apply, the clock starts running from that date.

If your concession card is already registered with your retailer, there's nothing more for you to do it just keeps applying automatically. If this is your first time applying, you'll need to call your retailer directly, and embedded network residents need to apply separately through Service NSW. One thing worth noting: you can't receive this rebate together with the Seniors Energy Rebate you have to choose one or the other but it can be combined with the Family Energy Rebate, the Gas Rebate, and the Medical Energy Rebate.

One more detail worth knowing: households receiving the Family Energy Rebate can also get the Low Income Household Rebate, but doing so reduces the Family Energy Rebate amount. For retail customers, that means it drops to $20 instead of the full $180.

You can check how the Family Energy Rebate changes when you also receive the Low Income Household Rebate on the official NSW Family Energy Rebate page.

Here's the difference at a glance

Who pays it → $150: federal government / $285: NSW state government
Amount → $150: $150 (retail) / $285: $285 (retail), $313.50 (embedded network)
Automatic → $150: automatic for retail customers / $285: usually requires an application
How it's paid → $150: two $75 instalments / $285: daily accrued credit
Application needed → $150: only embedded network customers need to apply / $285: needs your concession card registered

So when can you get both

Put simply: if you live in NSW, have an electricity account in your own name, and hold an eligible concession card, you meet the conditions for both payments as a retail customer.

For the Low Income Household Rebate, retail customers should confirm their concession card details with their electricity retailer. Embedded network customers can apply through the Service NSW Low Income Household Rebate on-supply page.

Embedded network residents have one more thing to check during the application process. When you apply through Service NSW, your eligibility for the $150 Energy Relief may get checked at the same time, so it's worth confirming your situation on the official application page. The two schemes are separate, but embedded network customers may need to deal with both through the Service NSW application process.

A few things to watch for

If you're in an embedded network, remember both the amount ($313.50) and the application process are different from the retail case. And most importantly, check whether it's already been applied to your bill. For retail customers, the $150 was most likely already credited on bills in the second half of 2025, so if you haven't seen it, the right move isn't to apply — it's to contact your retailer directly.

Also worth remembering: the $285 rebate only keeps applying without interruption if your concession card details are correctly registered with your retailer. If you've switched providers, you'll need to register again with the new one.

How to check

Pull up a recent electricity bill or its PDF and look for terms like "rebate," "relief," "credit," "Bill Relief," or "Low Income Household Rebate."

If you're still not sure, the fastest way is to call your retailer's customer service line directly. If you're unsure about eligibility itself, you can check through Service NSW (13 77 88) or their official website.

If you're unsure about eligibility itself, you can call Service NSW on 13 77 88 or check the official Service NSW Household National Energy Bill Relief page and NSW Low Income Household Rebate page.

What you need to check today is simple: look at your recent bill to see whether the $150 Energy Relief has come through, and if you hold a concession card, confirm whether the Low Income Household Rebate is currently being applied.

The bottom line

The $150 is an energy relief payment aimed at most NSW households with a residential electricity account, and the $285 is a rebate the NSW state government provides to low-income households. The names sound similar enough to confuse, but they're genuinely separate schemes — so if you meet the conditions for both, you can receive both. The real difference is that one comes automatically and the other usually needs an application, so it's worth double-checking your bill either way.

Details and deadlines for these payments can change with government policy, so before applying it's worth checking the official Service NSW website for the latest information.

Per official guidance, NSW households are eligible for up to $150 in the 2025–26 financial year, most of it paid automatically in two $75 instalments, while the Low Income Household Rebate runs at $285 a year for retail customers and $313.50 a year for embedded network customers.