Solar feed-in tariff calculator
By Sithum Imarsha Last reviewed
Exports earn kWh exported × your feed-in tariff. A 10.5 kW system in Sydney exports about 12,479 kWh a year, which earns $624 at the 5c/kWh NSW default. Each kWh used at home instead saves 33.1c/kWh, about 6.6 times more, so using 7.9 kWh a day directly instead of exporting it is worth $810 a year. Stored in a battery, it saves a little less.
Your result
Your exports earn
$624a year
12,479 kWh × 5c/kWh (New South Wales default)
- Solar makes a year
- 14,511kWh
- Exported
- 86% (Ausgrid median, Official source)
- Ceiling if you used it all
- $4,131 a year at 33.1c/kWh (New South Wales average)
- A kWh used at home is worth
- 6.6× an exported one (28.1c/kWh more)
- Use it instead
- 7.9 kWh a day saves $810 a year more than exporting it (Ausgrid median, Official source)
- Solar yield
- Sydney, zone 3: 1,382 kWh per kW a year (CER)
—
Fix the highlighted field to update.
New South WalesIPART’s benchmark for 2026-27 is 3.4 to 6.5c/kWh. It is a guide for retailers, not a minimum.
Old premium scheme?—
Keep more of itAdd a battery to your solar or see what size battery you need.
How we calculated this
What the panels make
kWh a year = kW × the CER zone rating (MWh per kW a year × 1,000). The CER uses this deemed yield to count solar STCs. It is an average, not a forecast for your roof.
14,511 kWh a year. Sydney, zone 3: 1,382 kWh per kW a year
What goes to the grid
Exports = kWh made × share exported. With no battery, the median Sydney home in Ausgrid’s data exported 45% of a 1.5 kW system, 81% at 6.6 kW and 86% at 10 kW (derived, Official source). Your meter data or bill gives the real figure.
86% = 12,479 kWh, 34.19 kWh a day
What the exports earn
Earnings = kWh exported × feed-in tariff ÷ 100.
$624 a year at 5c/kWh
The same kWh at the import rate
Every kWh you use yourself is one you do not buy. So a kWh used at home is worth the import rate, and an exported one is worth the feed-in. You can only save on power you would have bought, so the full figure is a ceiling, not a saving.
$4,131 at 33.1c/kWh
Use it instead of exporting
Gain = kWh a day moved × 365 × (import − feed-in) ÷ 100. In Ausgrid’s data the median home could move 7.2 kWh a day into its own use with 6.6 kW of solar and 7.9 kWh with 10 kW (derived, Official source). The default follows your system size on a straight line between those, flat outside them. Evening use is the limit, so more panels hardly raise it. We count each kWh as used directly, with no loss. Stored in a battery first, a kWh saves a little less: the round-trip loss.
7.9 kWh × 365 × 28.1c/kWh = $810Your feed-in beats your import rate
| State | Feed-in | Status | Rule behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 5c | Estimate | IPART’s benchmark for 2026-27 is 3.4 to 6.5c/kWh. It is a guide for retailers, not a minimum. (Dated third-party source) |
| Victoria | 3c | Estimate | No minimum since 1 July 2025. The Essential Services Commission stopped setting one, so retailers set their own, and it can be 0c. (Official source) |
| Queensland | 5c | Estimate | Regional Queensland (Ergon area) has a regulated feed-in of 6.006c/kWh from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. The default here is our pick for south-east Queensland. (Official source) |
| South Australia | 5c | Estimate | No rule in our sources. |
| Western Australia | 3c | Estimate | The WA Government page lists two rates for Synergy’s Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme as of 1 July 2024: 10c/kWh for exports from 3pm to 9pm and 2c/kWh from 9pm to 3pm. We could not confirm them for 2026-27. Our default is one rate for the whole day. (Official source) |
| Tasmania | 9.276c | Official source | A regulated minimum of 9.276c/kWh from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (8.782c in 2025-26). (Official source) |
| Australian Capital Territory | 5c | Estimate | No rule in our sources. |
The defaults are our own rounded picks from July 2026 market rates (EnergyPlans), except Tasmania, which is the regulated minimum. Retailers set their own rates, so your plan can pay more or less. Type the rate on your bill.
Old premium feed-in schemes
| Scheme | Rate | Paid | Rule | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme (44c) | 44c | until its expiry date on 1 July 2028 | You lose it if a battery runs while the solar system on the 44c is operating, unless the battery has a separate connection to the network. Check with your distributor before adding a battery. | Official source |
| South Australia Solar Feed-in Scheme (44c) | 44c | until 30 June 2028 | You stop receiving the 44c distributor feed-in tariff if you install an energy storage device. | Official source |
| ACT renewable energy premium feed-in tariff | Set by connection year | for 20 years from connection | Paid on total generation for 20 years from connection. The Act has no battery clause, and we have not found an official answer on adding one. Ask Evoenergy. | Official source |
| Victoria Premium Feed-in Tariff | Closed | Ended 1 November 2024 | energy.vic.gov.au (archived copy 7 May 2026) | Official source |
| NSW Solar Bonus Scheme | Closed | Ended 31 December 2016 | NSW Resources and Energy (archived copy) | Official source |
Sources
- EnergyPlans: solar feed-in tariffs July 2026
- OTTER: Tasmanian feed-in tariffs
- Essential Services Commission: Minimum feed-in tariff (archived)
- QCA: regional Queensland feed-in tariff gazette, 5 June 2026
- WA Government: Energy buyback schemes
- Clean Energy Regulator: Postcode zone ratings for solar panel systems
- Ausgrid: Solar home electricity data 2012-13 (archived copy)
- Queensland Government: Solar Bonus Scheme 44c
- Government of South Australia: Solar feed-in payments (archived)
- ACT Legislation Register: Electricity Feed-in (Renewable Energy Premium) Act 2008
- Victorian Government: Solar premium feed-in tariff (archived)
What a feed-in tariff is
A feed-in tariff is what your retailer pays for each kWh your solar sends to the grid. It shows on your bill as a credit. The meter counts exports on their own, so only the solar you do not use at the time earns it.
Why exporting is the worst use of solar
A kWh you export earns the feed-in rate. A kWh you use yourself saves the import rate, which is several times higher in every state. So each kWh you move from the grid into your home is worth the gap between the two.
Ways to move it:
- Run timers on the dishwasher, washing machine, pool pump or hot water in the middle of the day.
- Charge an EV while the sun is up.
- Store it in a battery and use it in the evening. The calculator counts each kWh as used directly, so a stored kWh saves a little less after the battery’s round-trip loss.
You can only save on power you would have bought. A home that exports 30 kWh a day cannot use all of it, so the calculator asks how much you could really shift.
State rules in 2026
- Victoria: no minimum feed-in since 1 July 2025. Retailers set their own, and it can be 0c.
- Tasmania: a regulated minimum, 9.276c/kWh from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (OTTER).
- Regional Queensland: a regulated 6.006c/kWh in the Ergon area for 2026-27 (QCA).
- New South Wales: IPART publishes a benchmark range each year. It is a guide, not a minimum.
Old premium schemes
A few homes still get a premium rate from schemes that closed to new customers:
- Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme: 44c, until its expiry on 1 July 2028. A battery that runs while the solar is operating can end it, unless it has a separate connection.
- South Australia: a 44c distributor feed-in on the first 45 kWh a day, on top of the retailer rate, until 30 June 2028, for systems connected before 30 September 2011. Installing a battery ends it.
- ACT: a premium paid on total generation for 20 years from connection.
Victoria’s premium feed-in ended on 1 November 2024, and the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme on 31 December 2016.
Questions
What is the solar feed-in tariff in 2026?
Our state defaults run from 3 to 5c/kWh (our rounded picks from July 2026 market rates: Estimate). Tasmania has a regulated minimum of 9.276c/kWh from 1 July 2026, and regional Queensland a regulated 6.006c/kWh. Your retailer’s rate is on your bill.
Is there a minimum feed-in tariff in Victoria?
No. The Essential Services Commission stopped setting a minimum from 1 July 2025. Retailers now set their own feed-in rate, and it can be 0c.
Is it better to use my solar or export it?
Almost always use it. A kWh you use saves the import rate (32c on our Australian average), while an exported one earns the feed-in (5c). Running the dishwasher, pool pump or EV charger in the day, or storing it in a battery, is worth several times more. The exception is an old premium scheme that pays more than you pay for power.
Are the 44c feed-in tariffs still paid?
Yes, for homes still on them. The Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme pays 44c until its expiry date on 1 July 2028. The South Australian 44c distributor feed-in pays on the first 45 kWh a day, until 30 June 2028, for systems connected before 30 September 2011. Adding a battery ends the SA premium and can end the QLD one: check with your distributor.
How much do solar exports earn a year?
Exports × feed-in rate. A 6.6 kW system in Sydney makes about 9,121 kWh a year on the CER zone rating. If it exports 81% at 5c/kWh, that is about $369 a year. The same kWh bought at 33.1c/kWh would cost $2,445.