WA Rates Concession and Joint Ownership

Spousal Joint Ownership: Full Concession

When a property is co-owned solely by a married or de facto couple living together in the home as their primary residence, and at least one partner holds a qualifying concession card, the full applicable concession applies. You do not lose any percentage for having two names on the title.

This applies to both Tier 1 (50% rebate, $750 cap) and Tier 2 (25% rebate, $100 cap) concessions. If one spouse holds a Pensioner Concession Card and the other has no card at all, the household still receives the full Tier 1 rebate on council rates, ESL, and water charges.

Deferral is also available to spousal co-owners at Tier 1, provided the property is freehold.

Non-Spousal Co-Ownership: Proportional Rebate

When a property is co-owned by someone other than your spouse or de facto partner — typically an adult child, sibling, or business partner — the rebate is proportional to the eligible cardholder's ownership share as recorded on the Landgate Certificate of Title.

If a pensioner owns 50% of the property with their adult child (who has no concession card), the rebate applies to only 50% of the eligible charges. On $1,800 in general rates, the calculation would be: 50% (card rebate) × 50% (ownership share) × $1,800 = $450. Since $450 is under the $750 cap, the full $450 applies.

If the ownership split is 25/75 with the pensioner holding the smaller share, the rebate drops to 50% × 25% × $1,800 = $225.

Non-Spousal Co-Owners Cannot Defer

This is an important restriction. Non-spousal joint ownership disqualifies the property from rate deferral entirely, regardless of which cards are held. Even if the pensioner co-owner holds a Pensioner Concession Card and the property is freehold, the presence of a non-spousal co-owner on the title blocks deferral under the Rates and Charges (Rebates and Deferments) Act 1992.

This affects families where an adult child has been added to the title for estate planning or care coordination purposes. The title change may save on future probate costs but eliminates the deferral option and reduces the rebate to a proportional share.

What Landgate Records Say

The Water Corporation and your council verify ownership shares against the Landgate title register. If you believe the recorded shares are incorrect — or if you have recently changed your title structure — contact Landgate to confirm what is on record before applying or updating your concession.

Title changes (adding or removing an owner) trigger a mandatory reporting obligation. You must notify the Water Corporation within 30 days of any change to your property's ownership structure.

For detailed worked examples of co-ownership concession calculations, see our WA Rates Concessions Guide.

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