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COVID-19: Important information for industry and consumers from the Authority.

Fees for apparatus licences

We charge fees for apparatus licences. These fees cover our costs and give people a reason to use spectrum efficiently.

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Fees for apparatus licences

We charge a yearly fee for apparatus licences.

Licence fees include:

  • fees for services
  • a licence tax.

We adjust our taxes each year for inflation.

Different fees apply to commercial broadcasters.

The apparatus licence fee schedule (updated 5 April 2021) sets out the current fees for apparatus licences.

You should only use the schedule as a guide. You may want to ask an accredited person to help you or get legal advice.

You can also check if you are eligible for a licence fee exemption or concession.

Changes to taxes – April 2021

In January 2021, the ACMA made the Radiocommunications (Receiver Licence Tax) Amendment Determination 2021 (No. 1) and Radiocommunications (Transmitter Licence Tax) Amendment Determination 2021 (No. 1).

These determinations adjust licence taxes by inflation for the 2019–20 financial year.  Taxes decreased by 0.3%. The new tax rates apply from 5 April 2021.

Help us test our new fee calculator

We have developed a new fee calculator. This will help licensees see how apparatus licence taxes are calculated and show the taxes and charges due.

If you would like to help test the new apparatus licence fee calculator, please email spectrumpricing@acma.gov.au. Your feedback will be used to improve the calculator so we can better support you.

 

Important information

If you’re unable to pay your licence renewal because you or your business have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, the ACMA would like to help.

You can:

  • defer your renewal fee by up to 12 months from the expiry of your licence
  • pay by instalments

The ACMA will waive any interest charges normally associated with this.

Please contact us before your licence expires. Our Customer Service Centre is open and staff are available to help. Call us on 1300 850 115 or email info@acma.gov.au.

For further information on government assistance in relation to the coronavirus, please visit the Treasury website.

How we calculate taxes for apparatus licences

Apparatus licences may be for a transmitter or receiver.

We charge a licence tax for all transmitters. We only charge a tax for a receiver if you haven't licensed the transmitter. 

The amount we charge depends on if the licence is an:

  • assigned licence
  • non-assigned licence
  • new licence
  • renewal

The amount you need to pay for an assigned licence depends on:

  • how many frequencies you need
  • the amount of bandwidth
  • the frequency
  • location of the site
  • transmitter power

We base the licence tax on the population density of an area. 

Apparatus licence fee density area maps

The boundaries for density areas are available in:

We also use these to determine some taxes:

More information is in the licence fee schedule.

Pay your invoice

You have 45 days to pay your invoice.

If you don’t pay on time, we may refuse your application or renewal. We may also give your frequency to someone else.

You can appeal our decision.

If you give up your licence, we may refund part of your licence fee. We do this automatically.

As stated above, If you’re unable to pay for your licence renewal because you or your business have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, contact the ACMA for possible alternate arrangements.

Rules for licence fees

This legislation helps us determine how we charge for apparatus licences:

Get help with licence fees

If you have questions about licence fees, call our customer service centre on 1300 850 115 or email us.

Last updated: 01 April 2021
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