Free money: More than $7,600 in rebates, concessions and payments

With the cost of living at an all-time high, it can pay to look into what financial relief might be available. State and territory governments offer a range of payments that may be able to help.

You will generally have to meet certain conditions to be eligible – for example, some are only available to certain concession card holders – but it’s worth checking. And while they may not be huge amounts of money, every little bit can help.

Here are the details of just some of the payments available in each state and territory. These mostly relate to energy bills and kids’ school expenses or activities. You’ll find some information on eligibility requirements and how to apply but it’s best to visit the relevant website provided to get the complete picture of how these work and whether you may be eligible.

ACT

Future of Education Equity Fund up to $750 a year per student

The scheme provides assistance to low-income families with students enrolled in an ACT preschool (attached to a school) or school.

How much is on offer: The payment is $400 for preschool students, $500 for primary school students and $750 for high-school and college students.

Who is eligible: Students must be enrolled full-time in a public or non-government school in the ACT in years P-12. Students registered for home-schooling in the ACT may also be eligible. Applicants must have a current means-tested Health Care Card or Centrelink card, which must list the student(s) as dependents (some payment codes only) or provide other forms of evidence proving low-income status or equivalent financial stress.

How to apply: You will need to complete an application form which you can get from the school or online and provide the proof requested.

Utilities Concession up to $750 a year

The Utilities Concession is a rebate towards the ongoing costs of electricity, gas, water and sewerage services.

How much is on offer: The annual concession amount is $750. It is calculated on a daily basis, with rates depending on the season.

Who is eligible: You must have one of the following concession cards – Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card, Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card, Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card or Gold Card or ACT Service Access Card.

How to apply: You need to contact your energy provider. Registered providers under the scheme are ActewAGL Retail, Origin and EnergyAustralia.

Find out what else is on offer in ACT

It’s also worth taking a look at the ACT government’s Savings Finder tool which can help you track down the discounts, rebates and subsidies that may be relevant to you and provides information on how to apply.

New South Wales

Active Kids voucher up to $200 a year per child

The Active Kids program provides vouchers for parents, guardians and carers of school-enrolled children to use towards sport and active recreation costs each year.

How much is on offer: You can get two $100 vouchers each year for each eligible child. The first voucher is valid from January to 30 June and the second is valid from July to December.

Who is eligible: Children aged between 4.5 and 18 years who have a current Medicare card and are enrolled in school from Kindergarten to Year 12 are eligible. This includes those who are home-schooled or enrolled in secondary school education at TAFE NSW.

How to apply: You can apply for an Active Kids voucher through your MyService NSW Account. You’ll need to provide your child’s name, date of birth and Medicare number. You then present the voucher to the relevant business to get your discount. You can only use the voucher with registered providers.

Back to School voucher up to $150 per child

The Premier’s Back to School NSW Vouchers program provides vouchers that can be used towards the cost of school uniforms, shoes, bags, technology, textbooks and other eligible expenses

How much is on offer: The program provides three x $50 vouchers, totalling $150 for each eligible student.

Who is eligible: To be eligible children must be a resident of NSW and be enrolled to attend school in 2023 (from kindergarten to year 12). This includes students who are home-schooled or enrolled in year 10 or year 12 equivalent qualifications at TAFE NSW.

How to apply: You can apply through your MyService NSW Account. You’ll need to provide a Medicare card that includes the name of the student, an additional proof of identity document such as your NSW driver licence or Australian passport and the name of the school or educational facility where the student is enrolled to attend in 2023. Students can apply on their own behalf if they have their own Medicare card. They can only be used at registered businesses. Vouchers expire on 30 June.

Creative Kids voucher up to $100 a year per child

The Creative Kids program provides vouchers for parents, guardians and carers of school-enrolled children to use towards creative and cultural activities each year. These can include performing arts, visual arts, coding, languages, literature and music.

How much is on offer: You can get $100 each year for each eligible child.

Who is eligible: Children aged between 4.5 and 18 years who have a current Medicare card and are enrolled in school from Kindergarten to Year 12 are eligible. This includes those who are home-schooled or enrolled in secondary school education at TAFE NSW.

How to apply: You can apply for a Creative Kids voucher through your MyService NSW Account. You’ll need to provide your child’s name, date of birth and Medicare number. You then present the voucher to the relevant business to get your discount. You can only use the voucher with registered providers. Vouchers expire on 30 June.

Toll Relief Rebate Scheme up to $750 a year

The Toll Relief Rebate Scheme provides a 40% rebate on tolls for frequent toll users. This replaces Toll Relief which provides free or half-price car registration for frequent toll users. Drivers can still claim that for toll expenditure between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022.

How much is on offer: Up to $750 a year. Sole traders may be eligible for an additional rebate of $750, up to a total of $1,500.

Who is eligible: You need to spend $375 or more on eligible tolls in a financial year and have a NSW personal toll account. To get the additional $750, sole traders need to have an Australian Business Number (ABN) that is registered in NSW, is physically located and operating in NSW, has been active since the start of the current financial year and shows they are a sole trader/individual. They also need to be registered with the Australian Business Register as the associate for the ABN. It is not available for a ridesharing or taxi business.

How to apply: The process was not available at the time of writing as the scheme is new.

Family Energy Rebate up to $180 a year

The Family Energy Rebate helps NSW family households with dependent children cover the costs of their energy bills.

How much is on offer: Up to $180 a year.

Who is eligible: You need to have been the recipient of the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for the previous financial year and have had your entitlement to the FTB payments finalised by Centrelink. The same person that receives the FTB must be the account holder of an energy retailer.

How to apply: You can apply online or download and complete the PDF form. Applications for the 2022-23 Family Energy Rebate will close at 11pm on 16 June 2023.

Fertility Treatment Rebate of $2,000

The Fertility Treatment Rebate helps with the costs of IVF and other Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments.

How much is on offer: $2,000.

Who is eligible: To be eligible you must:

• be a woman (Service NSW acknowledges people in the transgender community, or who are non-binary, may receive fertility treatment but may not identify as women.)
• be a resident of NSW
• have received fertility treatment from an accredited ART provider
• have received eligible fertility treatment(s) from 1 October 2022
• be claiming out-of-pocket costs not reimbursed by another government program or rebate, such as Medicare.

You won’t be eligible if you received the treatment at a publicly supported IVF clinic as part of the lower-cost fertility treatment program or for the sole purpose of fertility preservation.

How to apply: You can apply using your MyService NSW Account. The rebate can only be claimed for out-of-pocket costs after claims from Medicare have been made. The rebate is available until 1 October 2026, or until the available funds are exhausted.

Find out what else is on offer in NSW

If you’re a resident of NSW resident and want to find out what else might be on offer you can use the Savings Finder tool or browse for government rebates and savings on the Service NSW website.

Northern Territory

Sport Voucher up to $200 a year per child

The Sport Voucher scheme gives vouchers towards kids’ sport, recreation and cultural activities.

How much is on offer: You can get two $100 vouchers each year for each eligible child – one in January and one in July.

Who is eligible: The scheme is available to every school-enrolled child from preschool to year 12 and includes home-schooled children.

How to apply: You can apply online and then take the voucher to a registered provider.

Learn to Swim voucher up to $200 a year per child

The Learn to Swim scheme gives vouchers towards swimming lessons.

How much is on offer: You can get two $100 vouchers each year  – one in January and one in July.

Who is eligible: Your child must be under five years old and not enrolled in preschool or school.

How to apply: Your child must be registered for the water safety awareness program run by the Royal Life Saving Society before you apply for your voucher. You can then apply for a Learn to Swim voucher on the Grants Tracker website. You can then book lessons with a registered swim activity provider using your voucher.

Back to School Payment up to $150 a year per child

The Back to School Payment provides students with an entitlement to receive educational items in term one of each school year.

How much is on offer: Up to $150 of educational goods and services for each child.

Who is eligible: Students enrolled and attending a Northern Territory (NT) school. This includes students registered for home-schooling.

How to apply: You need to contact the school your child is enrolled in and you can ‘purchase’ the items from them using your entitlement.

Queensland

Electricity and Gas Rebates up to $452.97 a year

Queensland seniors and pensioners may be eligible for rebates on gas and electricity.

How much is on offer: Up to $372.20 per year as an electricity rebate and the reticulated natural gas rebate is worth $80.77 per year.

Who is eligible: You need to have one of the following:

• Queensland Seniors Card
• Services Australia or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
• Services Australia Health Care Card including holders of a Low Income Health Care Card and Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card. (Electricity Rebate only)
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card (and receive the War Widow/er Pension or special rate TPI Pension)
• Asylum seeker status—residents will need to provide their ImmiCard details (Electricity Rebate only).

How to apply: You need to contact your gas and/or electricity retailer and you may be able to apply over the phone. If you are eligible rebates are automatically deducted from your bill.

Textbook and Resource Allowance up to $317 a year per student

This is a payment to help parents of secondary school age children to contribute towards the cost of textbooks and learning resources.

How much is on offer: Students in years 7-10 could get $146 a year while students in years 11-12 could get $317 a year.

Who is eligible: Students attending state and approved non-state schools in Queensland and students in registered home schooling.

How to apply: The payment will be made to your child’s school and it will be passed on as a reduction in participation fees for the school’s ‘Student Resource Scheme’. If the school doesn’t operate a Student Resource Scheme, or you choose not to participate in the scheme, the school will pay the allowance directly to you.

Find out what else is on offer in Queensland

You can check out the Queensland government’s concessions and rebates website page to explore what else is on offer for Queenslanders.

South Australia

Cost of Living Concession up to $224.50 a year

The Cost of Living Concession helps those on low or fixed incomes with general living expenses such as council rates, energy and medical bills.

How much is on offer: The 2023-24 concession amount is not available at the time of writing. For the 2022–23 financial year, the concession amount (including a once-off doubling) per eligible household was:

• homeowner-occupiers:  $449 (standard rate $224.50)
• homeowner-occupiers who are self-funded retirees with a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card: $224.60 (standard rate $112.30)
• tenants: $224.60 (standard rate $112.30).

Who is eligible: You may be eligible if on 1 July of the relevant financial year, you either hold an eligible card, receive an eligible Centrelink payment or meet low income provisions. A list of the eligible cards, payments and income limits can be found on the government website.

How to apply: You can apply online or download and complete the form and submit via email.

Sports Voucher up to $100 a year per child

The program provides primary school-aged children to receive a discount on sports, dance or learn to swim membership/registration fees.

How much is on offer: Up to $100 a year per child.

Who is eligible: All primary school-aged children from Reception to Year 9.

How to apply: There are two possible ways to claim. Talk to the provider as some have online registrations and claiming the voucher has been integrated into their systems. If not you can download the voucher and fill everything in. You can then take the voucher to an approved provider to receive a discount.

Find out what else is on offer in South Australia

Check out the SA government website for a list of some of the concessions available to residents.

Tasmania

Annual Electricity Concession

The Annual Electricity Concession provides a discount on electricity to eligible customers.

How much is on offer: The current concession is 157.460 cents per day.

Who is eligible: You must have one of the following: Pensioner Concession Card (Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs); Health Care Card or ImmiCard (Bridging Visa E). The name on the concession card must match the name of the account holder of the electricity account.

How to apply: You can contact your electricity retailer or download and complete the application form and send it to your electricity provider.

Ticket to Play up to $200 a year per child

Ticket to Play provides vouchers to help with the cost of sporting club registration.

How much is on offer: You can get two vouchers worth up to $100 each a year.

Who is eligible: Applicants must be aged between 5 and 18, Services Australia Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card (either their own or their parent, guardian or carer’s) or be in Out of Home Care.

How to apply: You can apply online. You will be sent an email with two voucher codes for each eligible child which you can give to the provider when you register your child. They will reduce membership fees by up to $100 per voucher. Vouchers can be used at two different activity providers or both can be used at one activity provider.

Find out what else is on offer in Tasmania

The Tasmanian government has a special website that you can use to find out about the discounts and concessions available. It lets you browse by category or search by concession card or eligibility.

Victoria

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund up to $225 a year

This fund helps with paying for eligible students to attend school camps, sports and excursions.

How much is on offer: You can get $125 per year for eligible primary school students or $225 per year for eligible secondary school students.

Who is eligible: Students whose parent/carer has a Centrelink Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.

How to apply: Contact your child’s school to get a form that you will need to complete and submit.

Annual Electricity Concession of up to 17.5%

This is a discount on electricity usage and service costs for eligible customers.

How much is on offer: The concession is 17.5% of electricity usage and service costs. It is calculated after retailer discounts and solar credits have been deducted and doesn’t apply to the first $171.60 of the annual bill.

Who is eligible: You may be eligible if you have a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card. The energy account must be in your name.

How to apply: Call your electricity retailer and give your concession card details or you may be able to apply via your retailer’s website.

Find out what else is on offer in Victoria

For more information on the range of concessions and benefits available to Victorian residents check out this page for details.

Western Australia

Secondary Assistance Scheme up to $345 a year per student

This scheme aims to assist low-income families with secondary schooling costs.

How much is on offer: It consists of two allowances – an Educational Program Allowance of $235 and a Clothing Allowance of $115.

Who is eligible: Your child may be eligible if you have a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card. It’s only available if your child is in Year 7 to 12.

How to apply: You can get the application form from your child’s school. You will need to provide proof of eligibility and a school officer needs to witness the application form. Applications must be completed in term one each school year. The Education Program Allowance will be paid directly to the school and in the first instance, will be applied towards the voluntary contribution or course charges depending on what year your child is in. If the voluntary contribution or course charges are less than $235 you can talk to the school about how the remainder is allocated.

Energy Concession Extension scheme from $318 a year

This scheme provides an annual payment to assist with electricity costs.

How much is on offer: The scheme consists of three payments – an Energy Assistance Payment of $318.37 a year, a Dependent Child Rebate of $334.77 for one child and $87.72 for each additional child and an Air Conditioning Rebate of $66.68 per month.

Who is eligible: You may be eligible if you hold a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, Veterans’ Affairs Gold card (TPI, War Widow and Dependent Child) or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. To be eligible for the Air Conditioning Rebate you must live in an area of high heat discomfort which is identified as locations north of the 26th Parallel of South Latitude and/or north of the 50-day Relative Strain Index line.

How to apply: You can apply online using this form. If you are directly billed by Synergy or Horizon Power you should contact them directly to discuss eligibility.

Find out what else is on offer in Western Australia

You can use the ConcessionsWA website to find details on the rebates, concessions and subsidy schemes provided by the government of Western Australia. You can search by category, concession card type or people group.

Find ‘lost’ money

Another way you may be able to score ‘free money’ is to see if any ‘lost’ money belongs to you. Sure, it may technically not be free as it was yours to start with but it is money you might not know you have. There are a few different types of lost money. Here’s a guide.

Lost shares, bank accounts and life insurance

According to Moneysmart there is around $1.5 billion in lost shares, bank accounts and life insurance. “This money becomes lost when you move house and forget to update your details with a financial institution or company,” explains the website. You can search for unclaimed money on the Moneysmart website.

Unpaid wages

Sometimes an employer owes wages to an employee who has left their business and can’t be contacted. You can search the Fair Work Ombudsman website to see if you are entitled to any unpaid wages.

Money held by state governments

State governments may also hold some unclaimed money including lost share dividends, salaries and wages, cheques, over-payments and more.

ACT: Public Trustee and Guardian

NSW: Revenue NSW

Northern Territory: Department of Treasury and Finance

Queensland: The Public Trustee

South Australia: The Department of Treasury and Finance

Tasmania: The Department of Treasury and Finance or phone (03) 6166 4188

Victoria: State Revenue Office

Western Australia: Department of Treasury

Cover image source: hidesy/Shutterstock.com