Frequently Asked Questions

Banana Shire Council issue rate notices twice a year – in August and February. Water usage charges are also included on these notices. From the date of the notice, property owners have 35 days to pay or enter into a payment arrangement.

Banana Shire Council has introduced EzyBill which is an easy and convenient way to receive your rate notices direct to your email inbox. To register find the EzyBill logo on your rate notice for your EzyBill Reference Number and sign up at banana.ezybill.com.au.

EzyBill allows you to easily access, print and reprint notices at any time, store notices electronically, self-manage all your properties, send notices to multiple email addresses, and receive your notice faster than standard mail.

Registered owners must notify Council each time their postal address changes to ensure records are up to date. Council has no power to change an address of its own accord without receiving written advice from an owner to do so. If you have changed your email address and are using EzyBill log on to your account using your existing login details and update your email address. Alternatively you can email Counil to advise of your new postal address or complete a change of address form(PDF, 58KB).

Yes. Council will still email your notice/s if registered for eNotices, however, in the case of your email bouncing back to Council, a hard copy will then be posted out to the last known postal address on our records

This cannot be done through council. You will need to contact the Queensland Titles Office and lodge the necessary forms and payment. Council will then be notified of the changes and be able to update our records accordingly.

Yes, you can set up or make regular payments towards your rates via any of Council’s preferred payment options. Pre-payment ensures that payment of your rates is made much easier by not being burdened with a lump sum payment. All payments received prior to the rates billing will appear on the notice as a balance brought forward and will be deducted off the total rates for that period.

Pensioner concessions on rates and charges are available to eligible applicants. If you are the holder of a Queensland “Pension Concession Card” or DVA Gold Card and the property is your principal place of residence, you may apply for a concession on your rates and charges. A pension concession application(PDF, 92KB) (available from Banana Shire Council offices and website) must be submitted to Council with a copy of your Pension Card.

Sign up using our SMS notifications registration form(PDF, 40KB) to receive a text message reminder 5 days before rates and charges are due for payment. Council also posts reminder messages on our Banana Shire Council Facebook page.

Council offers a 10% discount on eligible rates and charges if full payment is received by the due date. In order to take advantage of the discount Council offer for early payment – the full amount, including any rate arrears and interest must be paid on or before the due date. Electronic payments processed after the nominated payment cut-off time on the due date by your financial institution or bill payment service will not be eligible to receive a discount.

Council is prepared to accept reasonable payment arrangements from property owners who are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot pay their rates by the due date. If you are having difficulties please submit a rates payment commitment application(PDF, 55KB) or contact Council’s Rates Department before the due date shown on the notice. All payment plans will be confirmed in writing and interest will still apply on outstanding rates and charges.

In accordance with section 133 of the Local Government Regulation 2012 interest charges will be applied to all overdue rates or charges. From 1 July 2024 Interest will accrue at a rate of 12.35% per annum, compounding daily. To avoid interest charges you must pay your rates in full by the due date.

Unpaid rates are considered overdue and recoverable by Council once the due date has passed. If you have overdue rates and do not have an approved payment arrangement with Council or fail to maintain your payment commitment your debt could be referred to an external debt collection agency.

If your debt has been referred to the external debt collection agent and remains unpaid you could face legal (Court) action that could cost (depending on the size of your rates debt) hundreds or even thousands of dollars in legal fees.

When rates remain unpaid for in excess of three (3) years Council has the ability to instigate sale proceedings in accordance with the Local Government Regulation 2012.

Before contacting Council it is recommended that you refer to the back of your Water Consumption Advice and follow the instructions on detecting leaks and reading your water meter. It is also important to note if your meter has recently been replaced you may notice an increased water consumption due to the meter now recording correctly. Further enquiries can be directed to Council’s Water Services Section.