Rates checked: 2 August 2026. Feed-in tariffs change often, sometimes with only five business days notice. Every rate below is taken from a regulator’s or a retailer’s own page and is dated. Check the linked page before you sign anything.
Only two places in Australia still force retailers to pay you a minimum rate for exported solar. Tasmania sets a minimum of 9.276c per kWh, and regional Queensland has a regulated rate of 6.006c per kWh. Everywhere else, the number is whatever your retailer decides to offer, and Victoria’s floor is now zero.
This page tracks what retailers are actually paying, state by state, as at 2 August 2026. If you want the background on how feed-in tariffs work and why they fell so far, read our feed-in tariff explainer first. This page is about the current numbers.
Why the numbers keep falling
A feed-in tariff (FiT) is the credit your retailer pays for each kilowatt hour your panels send to the grid. It is not a government payment. In most states it is a commercial decision by the retailer.
Rates have fallen because millions of rooftops now export at the same time. AGL puts it plainly on its own feed-in tariff page: “During sunny times, lots of homes and businesses are sending extra solar power to the grid, creating more supply than demand. When there’s too much electricity available, its market value goes down.”
The regulators say the same thing with numbers. IPART’s solar feed-in tariff benchmark for NSW is 3.4c to 6.5c per kWh for 2026-27, down from 4.8c to 7.3c in 2025-26. The Queensland Competition Authority cut the regulated regional Queensland rate by about 31 per cent, from 8.660c to 6.006c, in its final determination published on 5 June 2026.
One change is worth knowing about even if you never switch plans. AGL states on its own page that “Customers on a Standard Retail Contract will not receive any feed-in tariff from 1 July 2026.” If you have never moved off a default plan, your export credit may now be zero.
Who sets the rules in each state
The regulatory picture is not the same anywhere.
Victoria no longer has a minimum. The Essential Services Commission confirms on its own site that it “no longer sets minimum feed-in tariffs,” following an amendment to the Electricity Industry Act 2000. The last minimum, 3.3c per kWh, applied until 30 June 2025. Since 1 July 2025 retailers set their own rate, and the only rule is that it cannot go below $0.00 per kWh. Red Energy repeats this on its feed-in tariff page and confirms the same floor applies to Victorian offers accepted from 1 July 2026.
New South Wales has a benchmark, not a rule. IPART publishes a range each year to show what exports are worth. Retailers do not have to match it. The 2026-27 all-day benchmark is 3.4c to 6.5c per kWh.
Queensland is split in two. South East Queensland has been deregulated since July 2016 and retailers set their own rates. In regional Queensland, where Ergon Retail dominates, the QCA sets a mandatory rate. Ergon’s own tariff page lists the current rate as $0.06006 per kWh from 1 July 2026, down from $0.08660 per kWh.
South Australia is market based. ESCOSA has the power to set a minimum retailer feed-in tariff but has instead run a monitoring regime since 2017 rather than setting a rate.
Tasmania has the only mainland-style minimum left. The Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator sets a minimum feed-in tariff that every retailer in Tasmania must offer. From 1 July 2026 it is 9.276c per kWh, which is 5.6 per cent higher than the 2025-26 rate. Aurora Energy confirms the same figure on its price page.
Western Australia runs a government scheme, not a retail market. The Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS) pays a time-of-day rate. The WA Government’s own page lists 10c per kWh for exports between 3pm and 9pm and 2c per kWh at all other times for Synergy customers. Synergy’s DEBS page repeats these figures and adds two important details: DEBS applies only to the first 50 kWh you export each day, and the legacy REBS rate is 7.135c per unit.
The ACT does not regulate feed-in tariffs at all. The ACT Government states plainly that “these tariffs are voluntary, and the rates are not regulated in the ACT.”
The Northern Territory has the highest standard rate in the country. Jacana Energy’s residential pricing page, valid from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, lists an Anytime FiT of 9.33c per kWh plus a Super FiT of 18.66c per kWh for exports between 3pm and 9pm daily, applied automatically to customers with a smart meter.
State and territory comparison
| State / Territory | Regulated minimum | Who sets it | Verified retailer offers below | Legacy or premium scheme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | None. Benchmark only, 3.4c to 6.5c for 2026-27 | IPART | 2.5c to 8c | Solar Bonus Scheme closed |
| VIC | None since 1 July 2025. Floor is $0.00 | Was ESC, now retailers | 1c to 5c | Premium FiT ended 1 November 2024 |
| QLD (SEQ) | None, deregulated since July 2016 | Retailers | 1c to 8c | Solar Bonus Scheme 44c, runs to 1 July 2028 |
| QLD (regional) | 6.006c per kWh from 1 July 2026 | QCA | 6.006c | Solar Bonus Scheme 44c, runs to 1 July 2028 |
| SA | None. Monitoring only | ESCOSA | 0.5c to 8c | Distributor scheme closed |
| WA | DEBS: 10c peak, 2c off-peak, first 50 kWh a day | WA Government | 10c / 2c | REBS 7.135c per unit |
| TAS | 9.276c per kWh from 1 July 2026 | Tasmanian Economic Regulator | 9.276c | Not applicable |
| ACT | None. Not regulated | Retailers | 2.5c to 10c | Legacy FiT scheme closed 13 July 2011 |
| NT | Not a minimum, but a set retail rate | Jacana Energy | 9.33c, plus 18.66c 3pm to 9pm | Legacy 1:1 buyback closed |
Current retailer offers, by state
Every rate here comes from the named retailer’s own current page. Retailers state GST differently, and that is noted. Rates in this table were read on 2 August 2026.
| Retailer | State | Rate | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | ACT | 10c per kWh (Solar Boost Variable) | Higher rate applies until a daily limit is reached, then the standard rate |
| Origin | ACT | 5c per kWh | Standard retailer FiT, all other plans |
| Origin | NSW | 8c per kWh (Solar Boost Variable) | Daily limit applies, then 3c |
| Origin | NSW | 3c per kWh | Standard retailer FiT |
| Origin | QLD (Energex) | 8c per kWh (Solar Boost Variable) | Daily limit applies, then 3c |
| Origin | QLD (Energex) | 3c per kWh | Standard retailer FiT |
| Origin | QLD (Essential Energy) | 6.006c per kWh | Southern regional QLD, the QCA regulated rate |
| Origin | SA | 8c per kWh (Solar Boost Variable) | Daily limit applies, then 2c |
| Origin | SA | 2c per kWh | Standard retailer FiT |
| Origin | VIC | 5c per kWh (Solar Boost) | Daily limit applies, then 1c |
| Origin | VIC | 1c per kWh | Standard retailer FiT |
| EnergyAustralia | VIC | 1.5c per kWh | Single buyback rate, GST exclusive |
| EnergyAustralia | NSW | 3c per kWh | Single buyback rate, GST exclusive |
| EnergyAustralia | ACT | 3c per kWh | Single buyback rate, GST exclusive |
| EnergyAustralia | SA | 3c per kWh | Single buyback rate, GST exclusive |
| EnergyAustralia | QLD | 4c per kWh | Single buyback rate, GST exclusive |
| Red Energy | NSW (Ausgrid) | 2.5c per kWh | Flat solar rate, market and standing offer |
| Red Energy | NSW (Ausgrid) | 6.7c per kWh | Smart FiT, 4pm to 9pm, on solar time of use |
| Red Energy | NSW (Ausgrid) | 2.5c then 1.1c per kWh | Surplus FiT 10am to 3pm, first 6.85 kWh a day then the balance |
| Red Energy | VIC | 1c per kWh | Residential market and standing offers |
| Red Energy | QLD | 5c per kWh | Solar Saver plans and standing offer. Other market offers 1c |
| Red Energy | SA | 2c per kWh | All market offers and standing offer |
| Red Energy | ACT | 2.5c per kWh | All market offers and standing offer |
| Alinta | NSW | 3c per kWh | Standard FiT from 1 July 2026 |
| Alinta | QLD | 2c per kWh | Standard FiT from 1 July 2026 |
| Alinta | SA | 0.5c per kWh | Standard FiT from 1 July 2026 |
| AGL | All states | No FiT on a Standard Retail Contract | Applies from 1 July 2026, per AGL’s own page |
| AGL | Not stated by state | 8c per kWh (Solar Savers) | First 8 kWh exported each day, then a lower rate. See the note below |
| Ergon Retail | QLD (regional) | 6.006c per kWh | All exports, regulated, from 1 July 2026 |
| Aurora Energy | TAS | 9.276c per kWh | Regulated minimum, from 1 July 2026 |
| Jacana Energy | NT | 9.33c per kWh | Anytime FiT, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 |
| Jacana Energy | NT | 18.66c per kWh | Super FiT, 3pm to 9pm daily, smart meter required |
| Synergy | WA | 10c peak, 2c off-peak | Peak is 3pm to 9pm. First 50 kWh exported each day |
| Amber | NEM states | No fixed rate | Paid the live wholesale price, which can be negative |
Sources: Origin, EnergyAustralia, Red Energy, Alinta, AGL, Ergon, Aurora Energy, Jacana Energy, Synergy and Amber.
Amber is a different model. It has no set feed-in tariff at all. Its help page, updated 29 July 2026, says customers are paid “the true wholesale value” of exports. That can be very high in an evening peak and it can be zero or negative in the middle of the day.
The catch that costs people money
Look at the pattern in the table. Almost every headline rate above about 5c comes with a string attached.
Caps are the most common one. Origin’s Solar Boost plans pay the higher rate “until daily limit is reached, then standard retailer feed-in tariff applies.” AGL’s Solar Savers headline is 8c per kWh for the first 8 kWh you export each day. EnergyAustralia’s Solar Max applies its higher rate to the first 10 kWh of average daily export. Synergy’s DEBS covers the first 50 kWh a day. Red Energy’s NSW Surplus FiT pays 2.5c on the first 6.85 kWh exported between 10am and 3pm, then drops to 1.1c.
A cap matters most for the households that export most. A 6.6 kW system in a home where nobody is in during the day can easily push 20 kWh or more to the grid on a clear day. On a plan paying 8c for the first 8 kWh and 3c after that, the effective average rate is not 8c. It is 5c at 20 kWh a day, and it keeps falling as you export more.
Time windows are the second one. Red Energy’s 6.7c Smart FiT in the Ausgrid area only applies between 4pm and 9pm. Jacana’s 18.66c Super FiT only applies from 3pm to 9pm. Panels alone generate very little in those windows. Without a battery, a high evening rate is close to worthless.
Higher usage rates are the third one, and the hardest to see. Solar Victoria makes this point on its own guidance page: “Some plans offering higher feed-in tariff rates may have less competitive prices for the electricity consumed from the grid.”
A worked example
Take a NSW household that exports 15 kWh a day, every day.
Plan A uses AGL’s published Solar Savers structure: 8c per kWh for the first 8 kWh exported each day, then a lower rate. Using 3c for the balance, the daily credit is (8 x 8c) + (7 x 3c) = 85c. Over a year that is about $310.
Plan B pays a flat 3c per kWh, which is the published standard rate for both EnergyAustralia and Alinta in NSW. The daily credit is 15 x 3c = 45c. Over a year that is about $164.
So Plan A looks $146 a year better. That $146 is the entire prize.
Now add the other side. Say that household also buys 12 kWh a day from the grid, which is 4,380 kWh a year. If Plan A’s usage rate is just 4c per kWh higher than Plan B’s, the extra usage cost is $175 a year. The plan with the lower feed-in tariff is now $29 a year ahead.
The maths is not exotic. A 4c gap in a usage rate is common between plans, and most households buy more from the grid than they export to it. That is why the feed-in tariff is usually the least important number on a plan.
To compare properly, put both plans through the federal government’s Energy Made Easy site, which is run by the Australian Energy Regulator, or Victorian Energy Compare if you are in Victoria. Enter your actual usage and export figures. Both tools give you an estimated annual cost that includes the feed-in tariff, the usage rates and the daily supply charge together. The annual number is what matters. The feed-in tariff on its own is not.
Why self-consumption now beats exporting
The gap between what you pay and what you are paid has become enormous.
In the Northern Territory, Jacana charges residential customers 31.6788c per kWh including GST and pays 9.33c for exports. In Western Australia, Synergy’s page lists 32.3719 cents per unit for the A1 residential tariff against 2c per unit for off-peak exports. That is roughly a 16 to 1 gap in WA outside the 3pm to 9pm window.
Put simply, a kilowatt hour you use yourself is worth several times more than a kilowatt hour you sell. Every load you can shift into daylight, the dishwasher, the washing machine, the pool pump, pre-cooling the house, charging the car, is worth more than any feed-in tariff on the market.
This is also why the case for a battery has changed shape. A battery used to be about backup. Now it is mostly about not selling your power for 1c and buying it back at 30c a few hours later. In WA and the NT the evening export windows add a second reason, since stored solar exported between 3pm and 9pm earns 10c and 18.66c per kWh respectively.
If you are running the numbers on storage, our guides on what a solar battery costs in Australia and the federal battery rebate cover the current pricing and the Cheaper Home Batteries Program discount.
Two-way pricing, or the “sun tax”
Exporting is no longer always free. Momentum Energy explains on its two-way solar page that “from 1 July 2025, distribution networks in New South Wales and South Australia will be moving some customers onto two-way solar network tariffs.” A two-way tariff can include a charge for exporting during the middle of the day, as well as a credit for exporting in the evening.
“Sun tax” is the nickname. It is a network charge, not a tax, and it is billed to your retailer, who may or may not pass it through to you.
New South Wales customers are seeing the flow-on already. Red Energy’s page explains that residential customers in the Ausgrid area with a smart meter who installed solar from 1 July 2025 are placed on a time of use or demand tariff with solar time of use added, and that Essential Energy customers who added solar from that date are automatically placed on the Essential Sun Soaker tariff for usage and the Essential Solar TOU tariff for generation.
If you are installing in NSW or SA now, ask your installer and your retailer which network tariff you will be assigned to. It changes the value of your system more than the headline feed-in tariff does. Our guide on comparing solar quotes covers the other questions worth asking before you sign.
Methodology
This is a desk research page. Here is exactly how it was built.
Between 30 July and 2 August 2026, we read the current public pages of Australian energy regulators and major electricity retailers and recorded only the rates those pages state themselves. The regulator sources were the Essential Services Commission (Victoria), IPART (NSW), the Queensland Competition Authority, ESCOSA (South Australia), the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator, Energy Policy WA, the ACT Government and Energy Made Easy, which is run by the Australian Energy Regulator. The retailer sources were Origin, EnergyAustralia, Red Energy, Alinta, AGL, Ergon Retail, Aurora Energy, Jacana Energy, Synergy, Amber and Momentum.
We verified 31 individual retailer or regulated rates against a named source page. Every one is listed in the tables above with its state and its conditions.
Three things we could not verify, and did not guess at:
- Powershop. Powershop publishes its feed-in tariff rate cards inside its customer terms page. We could not load that page during this check, so no Powershop rate appears here.
- Momentum Energy. Momentum does not publish a feed-in tariff table. Its site directs customers to enter an address to see the rate for their plan. We have used Momentum only as a source on two-way pricing, which it does publish.
- AGL’s rates by state. AGL’s plan comparison pages could not be loaded during this check, and the Energy Made Easy plan listing we found for AGL Solar Savers has since been retired. The AGL figures in the table come from AGL’s own live help page (the standard retail contract change) and from AGL’s own published Solar Savers plan description (8c per kWh for the first 8 kWh exported daily). We could not confirm which states that Solar Savers structure currently applies to, or the exact rate after the cap, so treat it as a structure rather than a state-specific quote.
Two honest limitations. First, this is a snapshot of published standing and market offers, not a survey of every plan sold in Australia. Smaller retailers, promotional offers and virtual power plant deals are not included, and some of those pay more. Second, retailers can move these numbers with as little as five business days notice, which AGL states directly for Victoria and Western Australia. A rate that was correct on 2 August 2026 may not be correct next month.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest solar feed-in tariff in Australia right now?
Among the rates we verified on 2 August 2026, Jacana Energy’s Super FiT in the Northern Territory is the highest at 18.66c per kWh, but it only applies between 3pm and 9pm. For an all-day flat rate, Tasmania’s regulated 9.276c per kWh and Jacana’s 9.33c Anytime FiT are the highest we could confirm.
Does my state still have a minimum feed-in tariff?
Only Tasmania and regional Queensland have a rate that retailers must pay. Tasmania’s is 9.276c per kWh from 1 July 2026. Regional Queensland’s is 6.006c per kWh from 1 July 2026. Victoria abolished its minimum on 1 July 2025 and the floor is now $0.00 per kWh.
Why did my feed-in tariff drop to almost nothing?
Two likely reasons. Your retailer cut its rate at the July price change, which is when most reductions happen. Or you are on a default standard retail contract, and some retailers now pay nothing at all on those. AGL states on its own site that standard retail contract customers get no feed-in tariff from 1 July 2026.
Is a plan with a 10c feed-in tariff better than one with 3c?
Not automatically. Most high rates are capped at a set number of exported kilowatt hours a day, or limited to an evening window, and they often sit alongside higher usage rates. Compare the estimated annual cost of the whole plan on Energy Made Easy rather than the feed-in tariff on its own.
Should I get a battery now that feed-in tariffs are so low?
Low export rates do strengthen the case, because storing power you would have sold for a few cents and using it instead of buying at 30c or more is where the value now sits. Whether it pays for you depends on your usage pattern and the installed price. Our battery cost guide covers current pricing.
What is the sun tax and will I pay it?
It is a two-way network tariff that can charge for exporting during the middle of the day. Networks in New South Wales and South Australia began moving some customers onto these tariffs from 1 July 2025. Whether it reaches your bill depends on your network tariff and whether your retailer passes it through, so ask your retailer directly.
Ready to size a system around self-consumption rather than exports? Compare installers in our directory and get more than one quote before you commit.
Related reading
- the average Australian electricity bill
- peak and off-peak electricity times
- solar battery rebates by state
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.