Is there a mandatory feed-in tariff in NSW?

No. IPART sets a benchmark range as a guide only — retailers set their own rate and are not required to match it. If your retailer pays below the benchmark floor, you are being paid less than IPART reckons your exported power is worth.

Does my network — Ausgrid, Endeavour or Essential — change my feed-in tariff?

Your feed-in tariff is set by your retailer, not your network. But your network does shape the rest of the plan (the charges built into it), so the best-value retailer can differ across NSW. Comparing on your actual postcode sorts that out.

Is a higher feed-in tariff always better?

No. A plan with a headline feed-in tariff often carries higher usage or supply charges that wipe out the benefit. Because most homes use a large share of their solar directly, self-consumption usually saves far more than export earns. Compare the total plan cost for your usage, not the feed-in tariff on its own.

New South Wales solar feed-in tariffs

New South Wales does not set a mandatory feed-in tariff. IPART publishes a benchmark each year as a guide, but your retailer picks the rate it actually pays — and the biggest advertised number is rarely the cheapest plan once the usage rate is counted in.

Source data last verified 21 June 2026.

New South Wales — how it works

Benchmark (not mandatory)

3.4–6.5 c/kWh

all-day benchmark range · 2026-27

Not mandatory — IPART publishes a guide range; retailers set their own rate and many sit above or below it. Down from 4.8–7.3 c/kWh in 2025-26. IPART also publishes time-of-day benchmarks with much higher evening-peak ranges (e.g. Ausgrid 17.2–18.7 c/kWh 4–9pm), but only a few retailers offer time-varying FiTs.

Regulator: IPART · IPART solar feed-in tariff benchmarks 2026-27

How New South Wales sets its feed-in tariff

NSW sits in the "benchmark, not mandate" camp. IPART works out what exported solar is roughly worth and publishes a fair-value range, but no retailer has to pay it — some pay under it, a few pay over it to win solar customers. Today's rates are a long way from the old Solar Bonus Scheme (closed to new customers back in 2016), because so much rooftop solar now floods the grid at midday that wholesale power is cheap exactly when your panels export.

If you are working out which plan to be on, your distribution network here is Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy. Your retailer sets the feed-in tariff; the network shapes the charges around it, so the best-value plan is the one that wins on the whole bill for your postcode.

The number that matters more than the feed-in tariff

For almost every solar home, the usage rate — what you pay for grid power, mostly after the sun goes down — moves your yearly bill more than the feed-in tariff does. You buy more than you export, so a cheap usage rate beats a flashy export rate. The highest-value habit is not hunting for a unicorn feed-in tariff; it is using more of your own solar, and being on a plan that is cheap on the power you still have to buy.

Compare New South Wales plans on total cost for your usage →

See how all states govern feed-in tariffs or read the July 2026 rate changes.

Common questions — New South Wales

Is there a mandatory feed-in tariff in NSW?: No. IPART sets a benchmark range as a guide only — retailers set their own rate and are not required to match it. If your retailer pays below the benchmark floor, you are being paid less than IPART reckons your exported power is worth.
Does my network — Ausgrid, Endeavour or Essential — change my feed-in tariff?: Your feed-in tariff is set by your retailer, not your network. But your network does shape the rest of the plan (the charges built into it), so the best-value retailer can differ across NSW. Comparing on your actual postcode sorts that out.
Is a higher feed-in tariff always better?: No. A plan with a headline feed-in tariff often carries higher usage or supply charges that wipe out the benefit. Because most homes use a large share of their solar directly, self-consumption usually saves far more than export earns. Compare the total plan cost for your usage, not the feed-in tariff on its own.

Compare another state

Feed-in tariffs vary by retailer and plan and change frequently. Regulated/benchmark figures below are from each state's regulator; market ranges are indicative of retailer offers and should be checked against current plans. Self-consumption typically saves far more than export earns.

Reviewed by James Baker, Founder, EnergyPlans.com.au. Data last verified 21 June 2026. Methodology.