Your solar feed-in tariff depends on your electricity plan and location, not one Australian rate. As checked on 19 October 2026, NSW's 2026–27 benchmark is 3.4–6.5 c/kWh, but retailers need not match it. Compare export credits alongside import prices and daily charges; the highest advertised export rate need not produce the lowest bill.
At a glance
- NSW's 3.4–6.5 c/kWh benchmark is guidance, not a mandatory minimum.
- Victoria allows retailer-set rates down to zero; the change began on 1 July 2025.
- Regional Queensland's 2026–27 flat rate is 6.006 c/kWh, not a statewide Queensland offer.
- Synergy's WA buyback rate is unchanged for 2026–27: 10 c/kWh for exports from 3pm to 9pm and 2 c/kWh at other times.
What is a solar feed-in tariff paying you for?
A solar feed-in tariff pays for eligible electricity exported to the grid, rather than every kilowatt-hour your panels generate.
The Australian Government's feed-in tariff guide explains that payments concern excess generation and vary between retailers. Electricity used directly in your home is a separate part of the solar calculation: it is not also available for export.
Ask an installer to separate estimated generation, household use and exports in the proposal. A forecast that multiplies all solar production by an export rate does not describe a household that also uses some of that electricity.
What are the feed-in tariff arrangements in each state?
There is no single comparable national rate: some entries below are regulated payments, while others are benchmarks or retailer arrangements.
This table was checked on 19 October 2026. It is a guide to which rules to check, not a ranking of every available electricity plan or a fully verified numerical schedule for every jurisdiction.
The regulators cited are the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), Essential Services Commission (ESC) and Queensland Competition Authority (QCA). Western Australia's rates come from the Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme (DEBS).
| State or territory | Rate or arrangement | What the figure actually means |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | IPART benchmark: 3.4–6.5 c/kWh for 2026–27 | Non-binding all-day guidance. Retailers choose whether to offer a tariff and need not price within this range. |
| Victoria | Retailer-set rates, no lower than 0 c/kWh | Zero is the floor, not the rate every customer receives. The ESC no longer sets a minimum tariff. |
| Queensland | Regional flat rate: 6.006 c/kWh for 2026–27 | Applies from 1 July 2026 to eligible regional customers. South-east Queensland retailer offers are separate. |
| South Australia | Check retailer feed-in payments | Eligible-system retailer payments are separate from legacy distributor entitlements for qualifying older installations. |
| Western Australia | Synergy DEBS: 10 c/kWh 3pm–9pm, 2 c/kWh other times | Time-of-export rates for eligible Synergy customers; Synergy reports no change for 2026–27. Horizon Power's regional rates depend on the town. |
| ACT | Voluntary retailer tariffs; rates are not regulated | Arrange the payment with your retailer; do not assume every arrangement includes one. |
| Tasmania | Eligible-customer minimum: 9.276 c/kWh, 1 July 2026–30 June 2027 | Mainland Tasmania including Bruny Island, subject to the regulator's system and metering requirements below. |
| Northern Territory | Check Jacana Energy's residential tariff page | Retailer-specific information, not a territory-wide benchmark. Numerical rates are omitted here because independent corroboration was not obtained. |
Tasmania's minimum covers qualifying grid-connected systems with import/export metering, compliant with AS4777, and no more than 10 kVA single-phase or 30 kVA three-phase, as specified by the regulator. Do not apply that minimum to every island or system size.
For WA, the government's buyback page lists Synergy's DEBS rates as of 1 July 2024, and Synergy's 2026 price update states there is no change to the DEBS buyback rate. In regional WA, Horizon Power's 2026–27 schedule pays 3–16.80 c/kWh for exports between 9pm and 3pm and 10–55.99 c/kWh between 3pm and 9pm, depending on the town's cost-of-supply classification. Its DEBS applies only to eligible solar systems of 5 kW or less.
Why is the highest export rate not necessarily the best plan?
A higher export payment can be outweighed by higher charges for the electricity you buy.
IPART explicitly warns about this trade-off. Compare the import tariff, daily supply charge and any conditions attached to the export payment, using the same household usage assumptions for each offer.
Ask whether the advertised rate applies to all exports, a limited quantity or particular times. Also check the plan's eligibility and when its prices can change; do not treat a headline offer as a permanent input to a long-term solar forecast.
Keep your bill comparison separate from the installation decision. Our guide to checking solar payback assumptions explains why the inputs matter as much as the quoted result.
How would two plans compare for an illustrative Sydney household?
Under the hypothetical inputs below, the plan with the higher feed-in tariff still produces the higher bill.
Assume a Sydney household imports 10 kWh and exports 8 kWh each day for 30 days. These are chosen teaching assumptions, not measured customer usage, current market offers or an expected saving.
Assume Plan A charges 30 c/kWh, pays 5 c/kWh for exports and has a $1 daily charge. Plan B charges 34 c/kWh, pays 8 c/kWh and has the same daily charge; assume no other charges, credits, time bands or export caps.
| Illustrative monthly calculation | Plan A | Plan B |
|---|---|---|
| Grid imports: 10 × 30 = 300 kWh | 300 × $0.30 = $90 | 300 × $0.34 = $102 |
| Daily charges: 30 × $1 | $30 | $30 |
| Export credit: 8 × 30 = 240 kWh | 240 × $0.05 = $12 | 240 × $0.08 = $19.20 |
| Total: imports + daily charges − credits | $108 | $112.80 |
Plan B adds $7.20 of export income but $12 of import costs, leaving the household $4.80 worse off in this example. Change the household's imports, exports or timing and the outcome can change too.
For a real comparison, replace every assumed input with your usage and the actual offer terms. Do not multiply this illustrative month into an annual savings promise.
Should you choose a larger solar system just to export more?
Do not choose system size from a feed-in tariff alone; ask what the additional generation would actually earn or replace.
Request separate estimates for electricity used at home and electricity exported, with the applicable rates identified. Ask the installer to show a lower-export-value scenario as well, so you can see how dependent the proposal is on that income.
Our solar system sizing guide starts with household electricity demand rather than a promised export cheque. If you are also considering storage, use our solar battery guide as a separate decision checklist rather than assuming a low feed-in tariff automatically justifies buying a battery.
What should you check on your solar quote?
The quote should make its tariff assumptions visible enough for you to reproduce the calculation.
- Name the electricity plan. Ask which retailer, offer and checking date support the assumed import and export prices.
- Separate the energy flows. Request generation, self-consumption and exports, rather than one unexplained savings total.
- Show payment conditions. Ask how any export caps, time windows or eligibility restrictions are handled in the forecast.
- Compare like with like. Give each installer the same usage information and ask for the same tariff assumptions.
- Identify uncertainty. Ask what happens if your export payment falls or your household uses electricity at different times.
Keep the retailer's written offer beside the installation proposal. If the two use different rates, have the installer explain the mismatch before relying on the payback estimate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current feed-in tariff for solar panels?
There is no single Australian feed-in tariff. Your location, retailer and plan determine the applicable payment. For example, NSW's 2026–27 benchmark is 3.4–6.5 c/kWh, but retailers need not match it. Check your current offer rather than treating a benchmark or another state's regulated rate as your entitlement.
Which energy provider has the best solar feed-in tariff?
The best provider for your bill cannot be identified from the export rate alone. IPART advises checking electricity charges as well, because higher feed-in payments can accompany higher prices. Compare offers available to your address using your imports, exports, daily charges and relevant plan conditions.
Are solar feed-in tariffs worth it?
Export credits can contribute to the solar calculation, but do not assess the installation on those credits alone. The government describes feed-in payments as payment for excess generation. Ask your installer to separate export income from the value of electricity used at home, using your actual plan.
Which provider offers the best solar feed-in tariff in South Australia?
There is no provider ranked best here for every South Australian household. Compare current offers against your own usage and read their conditions. The SA Government distinguishes retailer payments from legacy distributor entitlements, so an older household's combined payment is not a reliable guide for a new installation.
Compare before you commit
Use the same electricity assumptions when comparing installation proposals, and ask each installer to explain how exports affect the estimate. Compare three free solar quotes through Your Solar Quotes, then review the equipment, proposed system size and tariff assumptions together before choosing an installation.
Sources
All checked 19 October 2026; the NT corroboration limitation is disclosed above.
- Australian Government: Solar feed-in tariff.
- IPART: Solar feed-in tariffs.
- Essential Services Commission: Minimum feed-in tariff.
- QCA: Regional Queensland 2026–27 final fact sheet and regional versus south-east Queensland arrangements.
- SA Government: Solar feed-in payments.
- ACT Government: Solar feed-in tariff.
- Tasmanian Economic Regulator: Feed-in Tariffs.
- Energy Policy WA: Energy Buyback Schemes.
- Synergy: Changes to your electricity prices (2026).
- Horizon Power: Buyback pricing schedule and factsheet, 1 July 2026.
- Jacana Energy: Residential pricing, linked for checking your offer, not used for independently corroborated numerical rates.
