NSW Solar Feed In Tariff Information
Last Updated: 8th Jul 2026
In NSW, solar feed-in tariffs are what’s called Voluntary Retailer Contributions. This means electricity retailers don’t have to offer any if they don’t want to. But most do pay — and so they should! While there’s a lot more of it than there used to be, solar energy is still valuable!
While electricity retailers don’t have to pay a feed-in tariff in NSW, the Independent Pricing And Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) publishes a recommended range for them. For the past few financial years, their guidance for a flat “all-day” feed-in tariff has been:
- 2022-23 financial year 6.2-10.4c/kWh
- 2023-24 financial year 7.7 to 9.4c/kWh
- 2024-25 financial year 4.9 to 6.3c/kWh
- 2025-26 financial year 4.8 to 7.2c/kWh
For the 2026-27 financial year it’s 3.4 to 6.5c/kWh, which is down from the previous financial year. Note these are just benchmark ranges. Some electricity retailers may offer a rate higher than this, and have done in recent years.
To find current feed-in tariff rates, use our electricity retailer comparison tool.
Daytime Solar & Evening Battery Feed-in Tariffs
In the past, the purpose of feed-in tariffs was to reward households for supplying solar energy to the grid. But now home batteries are popular, electricity plans can have high feed-in tariffs in the late afternoon and evening when rooftop solar output is either low or zero. If you have solar without a battery, or aren’t interested in exporting battery power to the grid, it’s important not to mistake high evening battery feed-in tariffs for what you’ll receive for the surplus solar generation you send into the grid during the day.
Available Daytime Feed-in Tariffs
As of early July 2026, the residential electricity plan with the highest daytime feed-in tariff I’ve found is Origin Solar Partner Plus. However, this plan comes with some conditions…
- Origin Solar Partner Plus: 12c/kWh until reach your export cap which is 8 kWh per day of the billing period. After that, solar exports receive Origin’s standard retailer feed in-tariff rate; which is currently 3c/kWh. Inverter capacity must be 10 kW or less. This is a 12 month plan that is only available if you’ve purchased a solar system through SolarQuotes. For transparency’s sake, I’ll mention that SolarQuotes is an Origin Group company.
Some other options with high daytime feed-in tariffs are:
- Globird SOLARPLUS Residential: 10c per kWh exported for the first 8 kWh per day in a billing period, then 3c/kWh after that.
- AGL Residential Solar Savers: 8c per kWh exported first 8kWh per day in a billing period, then 3c/kWh after that.
Note that when retailers say they’ll pay a higher feed-in tariff for a set number of kWh per day, they don’t actually look at the amount exported each day. Instead, they multiply the set number of kWh per day by the number of days in the billing period, and then pay the higher feed-in tariff for that amount. This is an advantage because solar exports can vary considerably from day to day.
Evening Battery Feed-in Tariffs
Here are some examples of residential electricity plans with high evening feed-in tariffs that may suit people with batteries who are happy with providing battery power to the grid:
- Flow Home Battery + Solar: 45c/kWh evening feed-in tariff from 5:30pm-7:30pm and 0c at all other times. So, despite the name, it’s not a good plan for those exporting a significant amount of solar energy.
- Covau Solarmax NSW: 15c/kWh evening feed-in tariff from 6pm-9pm for first 30 kWh and 5c/kWh for exports over 30kWh. 5c/kWh at all other times.
- GloBird FOUR4FREE Residential: 8c/kWh evening feed-in tariff from 4pm-11pm and 0c/kWh at all other times. So not a good plan for anyone exporting a significant amount of solar energy during the day.
Battery households also have the option of joining a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). These may have their own evening battery feed-in tariff and possibly a daytime tariff. With the right battery you can also join Amber Electric. This lets you sell energy from your battery at the current wholesale price of electricity, which can range from a negative price when too much power is supplied to the grid to over $19 per kWh when demand is especially high.
Be Sure To Shop Around
If you only have solar, or you have a battery but aren’t interested in discharging it to the grid in the evening, then normally you’ll want an electricity plan with a high daytime feed-in tariff. But the plan with the highest feed-in tariff won’t always be the best. It’s important to check the electricity rates and daily supply charge to make sure it is the best plan for you.
The easiest way to find a local retailer with a good solar buyback rate is to compare them using this tool I made.
Old Generous Feed-in Tariffs Are Over
NSW used to have a generous high feed-in tariff to encourage solar uptake. Because it was paid for every kWh of solar electricity generated rather than just exported, it was a gross tariff. From the 1st of January to the 27 of October 2010, NSW households could lock in a gross feed-in tariff of 60 cents a kilowatt-hour. After that, from the 28th of October 2010 to the 28th of April 2011, a gross feed-in tariff of 20 cents could be locked in.
Both of these ended on the 31st of December 2016.
If you were on one of these tariffs, you almost certainly had your old meter replaced years ago. But if you’re not certain this occurred, you can check your electricity bill to see if you’re receiving a solar feed-in tariff. If you aren’t and your electricity plan says you should be getting one, it’s possible you don’t have an electricity meter that can record your solar exports.
You can request a meter change from your electricity retailer. Any charges should be minimal, but it’s important to check exactly what they will be before going ahead. Any new meter installed these days will be a smart meter. Alternatively, you can simply wait, and your old meter will eventually be replaced with a smart meter for free.
Options Now The Gross Feed-in Tariff Has Ended
Most solar power systems that received the high gross feed-in tariff incentive in New South Wales were quite small and usually around 3 kilowatts or less, with most being just 1.5 kilowatts. If you still have one of these, I can almost guarantee you’ll be much better off with a larger system and, very likely, a battery.