Solar battery rebates by state in 2026

If you are buying a home battery in Australia in October 2026, the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program is the main thing paying for it, and in most states it is the only thing. On top of that, only three places still have a live state or territory battery incentive: New South Wales (a virtual power plant incentive plus a zero interest loan of up to $15,000), Western Australia and the ACT. South Australia has a retailer-run virtual power plant incentive. Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have no open state battery scheme.

We first published this on 5 September 2026 with statuses checked on 2 August. On 15 October 2026 we rechecked the federal program and the NSW, Victorian, Queensland, Western Australian and NT schemes against government sources. For the full picture in the four biggest states, including solar panel and hot water rebates, see our state guides for Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia.

Below is the detail, dated and sourced, so you can see what your quote should actually include.

Every scheme at a glance

Status checked 2 August 2026, with the federal, NSW, Victorian, Queensland, WA and NT rows rechecked on 15 October 2026. Values are approximate and move with certificate prices, so treat them as a guide.

The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program

This is the big one. It started on 1 July 2025 and runs to 2030. It does not pay you cash. It creates small-scale technology certificates (STCs) for your battery, your installer sells them, and the value comes off your invoice before you pay, the same way the solar panel rebate works. We cover that mechanism in our STC explainer.

How much it is worth right now

The number of certificates depends on your battery’s usable capacity and an STC factor set by the government. For installs between 1 May 2026 and 31 December 2026 the factor is 6.8 certificates per usable kWh.

STCs trade at up to $40 each and most installers get somewhere in the high thirties, so the discount lands at roughly $258 to $272 per usable kWh on the first 14 kWh. In plain numbers, as at 15 October 2026:

• A 10 kWh battery earns about 68 certificates, worth roughly $2,600 to $2,700 off the price.
• A 13.5 kWh battery earns about 91 certificates, worth roughly $3,460 to $3,640.
• A 20 kWh battery earns about 119 certificates, worth roughly $4,520 to $4,760.

Across common household sizes that is around 30 per cent off the installed cost. For the rest of the bill, see our guide to what a solar battery costs in Australia.

The size tiers that started on 1 May 2026

Before May 2026 every kWh earned the same rate. Not any more. The certificates now taper as the battery gets bigger, which was done to stop people oversizing just to chase the rebate.

So the first 14 kWh is the best value part of any battery. A 30 kWh battery does not get twice the discount of a 15 kWh one. It gets far less.

The step down schedule

The other 1 May 2026 change was the pace. The rebate used to step down once a year. It now steps down every six months through to the end of the program in 2030. The factor is locked in by your installation date, not your deposit or contract date. The published schedule runs like this.

The next cut is on 1 January 2027, from 6.8 down to 5.7. On a 13.5 kWh battery that is about 15 fewer certificates (91 down to 76), roughly $570 to $600 of difference for the same hardware.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water now publishes these factors and size tiers on its own program page, and we checked them there on 15 October 2026.

Who qualifies

• Nominal capacity between 5 kWh and 100 kWh, with certificates only created on the first 50 kWh of usable capacity.
• The battery must be paired with rooftop solar. New or existing panels both count.
• The battery must be on the approved product list and be capable of joining a virtual power plant. You do not have to actually join one.
• Installation by an accredited installer. Accreditation moved from the Clean Energy Council to Solar Accreditation Australia in 2024.
• One claim per property.
• No income test and no application form. Your installer handles it.

Sources: Cheaper Home Batteries Program, DCCEEW and Small-scale technology certificates for batteries, DCCEEW.

New South Wales

NSW no longer gives households a point of sale discount just for installing a battery, but it now has two other forms of help: a virtual power plant incentive and the Home Energy Saver loan. The NSW Government says its household battery installation discount “is no longer available”, because the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program took over from 1 July 2025. What remains is a separate incentive for connecting your battery to a virtual power plant (VPP), paid through the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme, run by NSW Climate and Energy Action.

What it is. An upfront payment for signing up a battery with a participating VPP provider. You do not apply to the government. The provider claims the incentive and passes it on, on top of whatever ongoing payments the VPP offers.

Who qualifies. Since 1 July 2026, batteries up to 50 kWh can be eligible, including batteries installed under the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program. It can be claimed once per electricity meter (NMI).

Roughly what it is worth. The NSW Government does not publish a fixed amount. The payment depends on how much capacity you make available to the grid (up to 28 kWh is counted), which provider you choose and the contract terms. Compare offers from several VPP providers, and weigh the upfront payment against how much control over your battery you hand over.

Does it stack? Yes. The NSW Government says the VPP incentive can be combined with the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program discount. It cannot be combined with the NSW apartment building battery discount.

Home Energy Saver. Since 17 June 2026, NSW homeowners and landlords with a household income of up to $210,000 can get a zero interest loan of up to $15,000, repaid over up to 10 years, for upgrades including batteries, solar panels and heat pump hot water. It is arranged through the participating finance providers listed on the Home Energy Saver page. A discount of up to $4,000 for households on up to $80,000 or holding an eligible concession card has been announced but was not yet open on 15 October 2026. Apartment buildings with four or more units also have a separate battery discount, open since 1 September 2026.

The full NSW picture, including solar panel and hot water help, is in our NSW solar rebate guide.

If you had a battery installed with the old NSW installation discount before 1 July 2025, you may still be able to claim the VPP incentive as well. Check the NSW VPP incentive page for the current rules before you sign.

Victoria

There is no Victorian battery rebate or battery loan open as at 15 October 2026.

Solar Victoria’s interest free battery loan closed to new applications in 2025 after the program passed its target, and Solar Victoria’s own buyers guide now says plainly that it is no longer accepting applications. Victorians get the federal discount and nothing else on the battery itself.

The Solar Homes panel rebate and the hot water rebate are still open, but they are separate products and do not apply to storage. The Solar Homes household income threshold also dropped from $210,000 to $150,000 a year for applications submitted after 30 June 2026, so some households that qualified last year no longer do.

Source: Solar Homes Program, Solar Victoria. Every Victorian program, including the panel and hot water rebates, is in our Victoria solar rebate guide.

Queensland

There is no Queensland state battery rebate open as at 15 October 2026.

The Battery Booster program, which offered up to $4,000 to households under an income cap, was fully subscribed and closed in 2024. Queensland has not announced a replacement.

This matters, because several solar and comparison sites still advertise a live Queensland battery rebate of $3,000 or $4,000. We found pages doing exactly that while researching this article in August 2026. If a salesperson quotes you a Queensland state battery rebate, ask them to show you the current program page on qld.gov.au. Queenslanders do get the federal discount. On the panels side of a package, Brisbane sits in the same certificate zone as Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, so it earns a little more than Melbourne or Hobart but no more than the other mainland capitals. The one open state program, Supercharged Solar for Renters, pays landlords up to $3,500 towards solar panels on a rental and does not cover batteries. See our Queensland solar rebate guide.

South Australia

The SA Home Battery Scheme, the most generous state battery subsidy in the country when it launched in 2018, closed to new applications on 1 September 2022 and is not coming back. The South Australian Government’s own page confirms the closure.

What South Australia still has is a virtual power plant incentive delivered through the Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS), worth up to about $2,050 based on 2026 reporting, and it stacks with the federal discount. The catch is that you do not apply to the government. It is offered by participating energy retailers as part of a VPP deal, so the value and terms depend on which retailer you sign with. SolarQuotes reporting from June 2026 says the incentive is limited to priority group households, such as concession card holders, for the rest of 2026; we could not confirm this with ESCOSA or the SA energy department, so ask the retailer whether you qualify before counting on it. Joining a VPP also means giving them some control over when your battery charges and discharges.

Source: Home Battery Scheme closed, SA Department for Energy and Mining.

Western Australia

WA has the most straightforward state top up in the country and it is open.

The WA Residential Battery Scheme started on 1 July 2025. Batteries installed before that date are not eligible.

• Synergy customers, meaning most of Perth and the south west, get up to $1,300.
• Horizon Power customers, meaning regional WA, get up to $3,800.
• The rebate is $130 per usable kWh for Synergy customers and $380 per usable kWh for Horizon Power customers, counted on up to 10 kWh, so any battery of 10 kWh or more gets the full amount. The minimum battery size is 5 kWh.
• You must join a virtual power plant. That is a condition, not an option.
• There is also an interest free loan of up to $10,000 over three to ten years with no early repayment fee, capped at a household gross income of $210,000. The rebate itself is not income tested.
• It stacks. WA’s own material still shows a 10 kWh battery getting about $5,000 in combined support, but that example predates the federal cut on 1 May 2026. At the current federal factor, a 10 kWh battery in Perth gets about $3,880 to $4,020 in total: the $1,300 state rebate plus roughly $2,580 to $2,720 in federal certificates.

The full WA picture, including feed-in rates and the loan for solar panels bought with a battery, is in our WA solar rebate guide.

Tasmania

There is no Tasmanian battery rebate or battery loan open as at 2 August 2026.

Tasmania’s Energy Saver Loan Scheme, which offered interest free finance that could be used for batteries, closed to new applications in September 2025, earlier than planned. See Energy Saver Loan Scheme, ReCFIT for the current position. Tasmanian households get the federal discount only.

Worth saying plainly: Tasmania has the weakest battery payback in the country because of lower daytime solar output and a relatively low peak tariff.

Australian Capital Territory

The ACT does not offer a battery rebate. It offers cheap money instead, and it is open.

The Sustainable Household Scheme provides a low interest loan that can be used for batteries, heat pumps, efficient appliances and electric vehicles. Reporting through 2026 puts the ceiling at $15,000, rising to $20,000 from 1 July 2026, repaid over ten years, at 3 per cent for general applicants since 1 July 2025. There is also a Home Energy Support program for concession card holders covering a share of solar and heat pump costs.

Because it is finance rather than a subsidy, it stacks cleanly. The federal STCs come off the price first and the loan covers what is left. We could not load the ACT Government’s climatechoices.act.gov.au page to confirm the 2026 ceiling and rate directly, so check the current terms there before you plan around them.

Northern Territory

The NT Home and Business Battery Scheme is closed. The NT Government’s page says the funding cap has been reached, and it was not taking new applications when we rechecked on 15 October 2026. When it ran it paid a grant per kWh of usable capacity up to a capped maximum, but published figures for the final round differ between sources, so we are not quoting one.

The NT Government has not announced new funding, so plan your purchase assuming no territory grant. The upside is that Darwin earns the highest federal certificate value in the country on the panels side of a package because of its solar zone rating.

Source: Home and Business Battery Scheme, NT Government.

How to make sure you actually get the discount

Your installer applies the federal discount, so the only way to check you received it is to read the quote.

1. Ask for the battery’s usable capacity in kWh, not the nominal or nameplate figure. Certificates are worked out on usable capacity and the two numbers are not the same.
2. Ask for the STC value as a separate line, not buried in a “special price”. If it is not itemised, you cannot tell whether it was passed on.
3. Check the install date, not the quote date, against the step down table above. A quote in December that installs in January is worth less.
4. In NSW, WA or SA, ask which state incentive is included and how it is being claimed.
5. Get at least three quotes and compare line items, not headline numbers. Our guide on how to compare solar quotes walks through what to line up.

To start with installers who work in your area, browse the directory by region.

FAQ

Can I claim the federal battery rebate if I already have solar panels?

Yes. Existing rooftop solar counts. You do not need to buy new panels to get the battery discount, though the battery does have to be paired with a solar system at the property.

Is there still a Queensland battery rebate in 2026?

No. The Queensland Battery Booster program closed in 2024 once its funding was fully allocated, and there is no replacement as at 15 October 2026. Queenslanders get the federal discount, which is not income tested and needs no application. Be careful with third party sites still advertising a live Queensland rebate, because several were still doing so in October 2026.

Should I wait for a better rebate or buy now?

On the federal discount alone, waiting costs you money. The factor now steps down every six months, so a battery installed in January 2027 earns roughly 16 per cent fewer certificates than the same battery in December 2026. The counter argument is that hardware prices have been falling, so the two can partly cancel out. Get quotes now and compare against the step down date.

Do I have to join a virtual power plant?

For the federal discount, no. Your battery must be capable of joining one, but taking part is optional. For the WA scheme, joining a VPP is a condition. For the SA REPS incentive and parts of the NSW scheme, the value is tied to a VPP or aggregator deal. Read what control you are handing over before you sign.

Can I claim a state rebate and the federal one together?

Yes, where the state scheme is open. The NSW, WA and SA incentives all sit on top of the federal discount rather than replacing it, and the NSW and ACT loans are finance so they stack by definition. Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the NT have no open battery scheme to stack.

Is a bigger battery better value under the new rules?

Not per kWh. Since 1 May 2026 the first 14 kWh earns the full rate, the next 14 kWh earns 60 per cent, capacity above 28 kWh earns 15 per cent, and anything above 50 kWh earns nothing. Size the battery to your evening usage, not to the rebate.

Related reading

• what a VPP is and whether to join one
• the feed-in tariff tracker
• the average Australian electricity bill

About this research

This is independent desk research by Solar Cobber. We did not visit sites, request quotes or accept payment for inclusion. Figures are dated and sourced, and pricing and policy details change, so confirm current terms directly before you sign anything.