Federal Government Solar Battery Rebate 2026: How Much You Get and How to Claim in NSW
Thinking about a home battery? The federal government solar battery rebate takes around $250 off every kWh of storage you install, up to 14kWh at the full rate. On a typical 10kWh battery, that’s roughly $2,500 off your quote.
Even better, you don’t have to fill in a single form. Your installer simply takes the discount off your price.
Here’s how it all works, who can get it, and what it looks like for a real Macarthur family.
What Is the Federal Government Solar Battery Rebate?
The rebate’s official name is the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. It kicked off on 1 July 2025 and runs until the end of 2030.
If you’ve had solar panels installed before, it’ll feel familiar. Your new battery creates Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs). Your installer sells those certificates and passes the value straight back to you as a discount.
How Much Is the Government Battery Rebate Worth?
It comes down to two things: how big your battery is, and when it’s installed.
From 1 May to 31 December 2026, each kWh of usable battery capacity creates 6.8 STCs. With STCs trading at around $37 each, that works out to about $250 per kWh. Since May, the rebate has also been tiered by battery size:
- First 14kWh: the full rebate, around $250 per kWh
- 14kWh to 28kWh: 60% of the rebate
- 28kWh to 50kWh: 15% of the rebate
So a 10kWh battery gets about $2,500 off, and a 20kWh battery gets around $4,400. Just keep in mind the rate drops every six months, and the next cut is on 1 January 2027. That means installing sooner gets you a bigger discount.
Solar Battery Rebate Eligibility
The good news is that most homes, small businesses and community groups can claim the government rebate on solar batteries. To tick the solar battery rebate eligibility boxes, your battery needs to:
- Be new, with 5kWh to 100kWh of usable capacity (the discount applies to the first 50kWh)
- Be on the approved product list
- Be installed by a Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited installer
- Be able to join a virtual power plant (VPP), unless you’re off grid
It doesn’t matter whether you already have solar or you’re installing panels and a battery together. The only catch is that the discount can be claimed once per property.
A Real Example for a Macarthur Home
Let’s look at a family of four in Harrington Park. They already had a 6.6kW solar system, but with both parents at work and the kids at school, the house sat empty most of the day. Most of their solar was going back to the grid for around 5c per kWh.
Here’s what adding a 10kWh battery looked like for them:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 10kWh battery, installed | $6,900 |
| Federal battery rebate | –$2,500 |
| What they pay | $4,400 |
Now their battery stores about 9.5kWh of solar a day, which covers their evenings. That’s power they’d otherwise buy at their peak rate of around 48c per kWh. It adds up to roughly $1,500 a year in savings, so the battery pays for itself in under 3 years.
Not every home gets there this quickly. Most households land somewhere between 4 and 7 years. This family’s payback is faster because they already had solar, they use a lot of power at night, and they’re on a time-of-use plan.
NSW homes may also be able to earn a bit extra through the NSW solar battery rebate by joining a VPP.
How to Claim the Government Battery Rebate
- Get a quote: we look at your power bills and recommend the right battery size for your home.
- See your discount upfront: your quote shows the rebate already taken off.
- Book your install: our solar battery installation team fits and sets up your battery.
- Sign one form: we handle the certificates on your behalf.
How Does the Rebate Work?
This is one of the questions we hear most. The rebate is a discount at the point of sale, not a cash payment. The government won’t send you money after your install. Instead, the value of the certificates comes straight off the price you pay. Your discount is locked in on the day your battery is installed.
Get Your Free Battery Quote
Curious how much rebate your home could get? Get a free battery quote from our local team, and we’ll walk you through your rebate, your price and your payback time before you decide anything.