Why Your Electricity Bill Jumped in 2026 and What Help Is Left

The EBRF was a joint Commonwealth and state scheme that applied rebates directly to electricity accounts, without households needing to hold a concession card. According to the scheme's payment schedule, households received up to $300 in rebates during the 2024–25 financial year, with eligible small businesses receiving up to $325. A further extension paid up to $150 to both households and small businesses in instalments from 1 July 2025 through to the end of December 2025.

The final quarterly instalment of that extension was applied to electricity accounts on 31 December 2025. From 1 January 2026, there are no new universal federal energy credits being applied. Any bill you receive covering usage from the January 2026 quarter onward reflects the full retail price for your plan, without a federal top-up sitting underneath it.

This is the single biggest reason many households have seen their "bill shock" moment in the first part of 2026 — not necessarily because wholesale prices rose sharply, but because a $150-per-quarter cushion disappeared.

Nothing at the federal level has directly replaced the EBRF's universal payments. What remains are:

• State and territory energy concessions, which existed before and alongside the EBRF and are still running. These are generally only available to concession card holders, pensioners, or people on qualifying Centrelink payments — they were never universal.
• Retailer hardship programs, which are triggered by financial difficulty rather than being automatic, and which every retailer is required to offer under their AER-approved hardship policy.
• Consumer protections around disconnection, which continue to apply regardless of whether a household is receiving any rebate.

In practical terms, if you were relying on the EBRF credit and don't hold a concession card, there is no equivalent automatic payment to replace it in 2026. If you do hold a concession card, your state-based rebate should still be applying — but it's worth checking your latest bill to confirm the concession line item is still there, since retailer errors around removing or failing to apply concessions are common.

Eligibility for state energy concessions typically depends on holding one of the following:

• A Pensioner Concession Card
• A Health Care Card
• A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
• A Veterans' Affairs entitlement card, in some states

Because these programs are run by state and territory governments rather than the Commonwealth, the name of the scheme, the amount, and the application process differ by jurisdiction. Queensland, for example, runs its energy concessions through the Queensland Government's cost-of-living support pages, covering both electricity and gas rebates for eligible concession card holders. If you have moved states recently, do not assume your previous concession has carried over automatically — most schemes require you to either link your concession card to your electricity account directly with your retailer, or submit a fresh application with the state department.

If you don't qualify for a state concession and the end of the EBRF has genuinely made your bill unaffordable, the next layer of support is your retailer's hardship program, not a government payment. Every electricity and gas retailer operating under an AER-approved hardship policy is required to offer at least:

• Flexible payment plans
• Advice on switching to a more suitable plan for your usage
• Information on energy-efficient appliances and available rebates
• A clear path to escalate a complaint to your state or territory's energy ombudsman if the retailer isn't complying

Contacting your retailer's hardship team before you fall behind — rather than after — generally gets you more options, including the ability to spread a bill over a longer period.

Two related reforms are moving through the system in 2026, and it's worth understanding that neither is finalised yet:

• The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has flagged a significant overhaul of hardship rules that would require retailers to proactively identify customers falling behind and offer help, rather than waiting for the customer to ask. Under the proposed changes, retailers would also be banned from demanding evidence of hardship from vulnerable customers before offering assistance.
• The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has a draft rule underway titled "Streamlining payment difficulty protections," with submissions on that draft closing on 30 July 2026. Because this is still at the consultation stage, the exact final protections are not yet locked in, and residents in payment difficulty should rely on the hardship rules currently in force rather than anticipated future rules.

Regardless of whether you're getting a concession, you are protected from disconnection in a number of specific circumstances, including:

• If the amount you owe is below a set minimum threshold and you've agreed to a payment plan for it
• If life-support equipment is in use at the property
• If you're affected by family violence
• If you have an unresolved complaint with your state's energy ombudsman about the disconnection
• If you're waiting on a decision about a rebate, concession, or hardship application
• During certain protected periods, including weekends, public holidays, evenings, and the period between 20 and 31 December

Consumer group reporting indicates the minimum debt threshold before disconnection can occur — currently around $300 in several jurisdictions — is expected to rise to $500 from 1 July 2026, though the exact scope and timing should be confirmed with your state's energy ombudsman or retailer, since implementation can vary. Separately, in Victoria, the state's own consumer protection framework already prevents disconnection where a customer owes less than $300 or is on an active payment plan, and requires retailers to offer both "standard assistance" (such as smaller, more frequent payments) and more comprehensive "tailored assistance" plans, which can run for up to two years, once a customer has missed a bill and owes more than $55.

The practical takeaway for 2026 is straightforward: don't expect a federal credit to appear on your account automatically anymore. If your bill has increased and you're not on a concession card, check first whether you're eligible for a state concession, then contact your retailer directly about a hardship arrangement if the bill is still unmanageable — waiting for a government payment that isn't coming will only let the debt grow. If your retailer refuses reasonable assistance, your state or territory's energy ombudsman is the next step, and lodging that complaint also gives you additional protection against disconnection while it's being resolved.

Is the Energy Bill Relief Fund coming back later in 2026? Based on the current program timeline, the scheme concluded with the final instalment applied on 31 December 2025, and no new universal federal credit has been introduced for 2026. Any change would need to be announced separately by the Commonwealth government.

Do I need to apply for the EBRF credit I missed? No — the EBRF was applied automatically to eligible accounts and has now finished. There is no retroactive application process for missed instalments.

Will state concessions increase now that the EBRF has ended? The research available does not indicate that state governments have increased their existing concessions specifically to offset the end of the EBRF. Check your state energy department's website directly for the current concession amount, as these are reviewed periodically and can change.