Emergency Services Levy Concession SA

What the ESL Concession Is Worth

The Emergency Services Levy (ESL) remission for eligible pensioners in South Australia is worth up to $46 per year for the 2026/27 financial year. It's not a huge amount on its own, but it stacks with the Cost of Living Concession ($270.60), water concession (up to $484.80) and sewerage concession (up to $228.12) — and it's applied automatically once you're in the ConcessionsSA system.

The ESL is levied under the Emergency Services Funding Act 1998 and funds the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service, Country Fire Service and State Emergency Service. RevenueSA administers it and sends a separate annual assessment notice to every property owner. The pensioner remission reduces that assessment for qualifying owner-occupiers.

Who Qualifies

You're eligible for the ESL remission if you meet all three conditions:

1. You own your principal place of residence — the property must be in your name (or jointly with your spouse) and you must live there
2. You hold an eligible concession card — Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card (TPI, EDA or War Widow), Low Income Health Care Card, or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
3. Your circumstances are confirmed as of 1 July — eligibility is assessed on the snapshot date at the start of the financial year

The ESL remission does not extend to the SA Seniors Card on its own. The Seniors Card qualifies you for the rates postponement under Section 182A of the Local Government Act, but not for the ESL, water, sewerage or COLC concessions — those require a Centrelink or DVA card, or meeting the low-income threshold ($24,926.20 single / $46,295.60 partnered for 2026/27).

How to Apply

You don't apply for the ESL remission separately. When you submit the single Household Concessions Application through ConcessionsSA — online at sa.gov.au/concessions or by paper form — the system automatically screens you for all four household concessions: COLC, water, sewerage and ESL.

If you've already applied for the Cost of Living Concession, you're likely already receiving the ESL remission. Check your most recent ESL assessment notice from RevenueSA — the remission appears as a credit line reducing the total amount payable.

If you've never applied for household concessions, the application process takes about 15 minutes online. You'll need your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) or DVA File Number, your latest ESL notice, and your bank account details for the COLC cash transfer.

ESL on Your Rates Notice vs. the Separate ESL Notice

One source of confusion: some SA councils show the ESL as a line item on the council rates notice, while RevenueSA also sends a separate annual ESL assessment. These are the same levy, not a double charge. The council is collecting it on behalf of RevenueSA under the Emergency Services Funding Act 1998.

The pensioner remission applies to the total ESL liability regardless of how it appears on your paperwork. If the credit isn't showing, contact ConcessionsSA on 1800 307 758 — the issue is usually that your concession card details haven't been linked to your property address in the system.

Stacking With Other Concessions

The ESL remission is one piece of a broader package. For a homeowner-occupier pensioner in South Australia claiming everything available, the total annual concession value for 2026/27 looks like this:

• Cost of Living Concession: $270.60
• Water concession: $304.12–$484.80
• Sewerage concession: up to $228.12
• ESL remission: up to $46.00

That's between $848.84 and $1,029.52 in total annual relief — before any council-specific discretionary rebates or the seniors rates postponement.

Our Council Rates Help for Pensioners in South Australia guide covers every one of these concessions in detail, including the exact documents you need, the deadlines that matter, and a worked example showing how they all fit together on a single household's bills.

See more South Australia guides →