$500 cost of living payment coming for thousands of Aussie households

Thousands of households across New South Wales are set to get some cost of living relief to help with their power bills. Electricity prices have risen by 30-40 per cent over the past two years, despite wholesale prices dropping in the meantime by 44-64 per cent.

But help is on the way. A $500 lump sum payment from the government as well as an energy rebate of nearly $200 is available for eligible people on the Family Tax Benefit.

Time is running out to apply and the state government will only accept applications up until June 16 this year.

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The Family Energy Rebate was introduced to help certain households pay their electricity bills if they have dependent children and received the Family Tax Benefit payment from Services Australia.

If you're eligible, you'll be able to claim a $180 energy rebate for the 2023-24 financial year.

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You will also be able to access a one-off $500 National Energy Bill Relief Household Payment, which will come as a lump sum.

That extra payment will only be accessible if your application for the NSW Family Energy Rebate is successful and if your household has not already received the National Energy Bill Relief Household Payment.

How do I know if I'm eligible for the rebate?

You'll be eligible for the rebate if you live in New South Wales and:

• Have an electricity account for your home in NSW

• You're the account holder (the account and bill must be in your name)

• You received the Family Tax Benefit in the previous financial year and you have:

  • lodged your tax return for the last financial year with the Australian Tax Office (ATO), and

  • finalised your entitlement to the Family Tax Benefit payments with Centrelink

You'll need to have a confirmation letter from Services Australia stating that your Family Tax Benefit has been finalised for the last financial year, as well as your Services Australia Customer Reference Number and your energy account details when you lodge your application.

The NSW government said it can take between four to six weeks for applications to be processed.

You can apply here.

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