The federal STC discount in Victoria: who qualifies
Everyone with a new rooftop system up to 100 kW qualifies, because the Clean Energy Regulator calculates the entitlement from the system alone: kilowatts times the zone rating times the deeming period, rounded down. There is no income test, no property value cap and no application by the household; the installer takes the certificates and the discount comes off the quote. Melbourne is in Zone 4 (rating 1.185), so a 6.6 kW system installed in 2026 earns 39 certificates, $1,521 at $39 each, which is already off the $6,218 to $7,234 installer offers on this site. From 1 January 2027 the deeming period drops from 5 to 4 years and the same system earns 31 certificates, $1,209, a cut of $312; the January 2027 guide has every capital.
The Victorian schemes: who qualifies, who does not
Victoria is the one state with an open rebate on panels for owner-occupiers. The Solar Homes rebate of up to $1,400 (half the cost after STCs, so the full amount on any 6.6 kW quote) goes to owner-occupiers of an existing home or a home under construction with combined household taxable income under $150,000 and a property under $3 million, where the address has not had a Solar Homes rebate before or a PV system in the last 10 years, through an authorised retailer. A matching interest-free loan must be chosen in the same application. Rental providers get the same amount for a rented property where the renters are under the income cap; owners corporations get the Solar for Apartments rebate. The battery loan is closed.
| Scheme | Status | Who | Income test | Property value | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Homes Program solar panel (PV) rebate | open | owner-occupiers, homes under construction | Combined household taxable income of all owners less than $150,000 per year (reduced from $210,000 on 1 July 2026) | Property value under $3 million | Up to $1,400 (up to 50 per cent of the purchase cost, calculated after STCs and other discounts) |
| Solar Homes Program solar panel (PV) interest-free loan | open | owner-occupiers, homes under construction, landlords | As for PV rebate: combined household taxable income less than $150,000 | Property value under $3 million | Up to $1,400 interest-free, matching the rebate |
| Solar Homes Program solar rebates for rental properties | open | renters | Renters' combined household taxable income less than $150,000 per year (no landlord income test stated) | Property value under $3 million | Up to $1,400 per property plus optional interest-free loan to match (repaid over 4 years, $29.17 per month if the renter contributes nothing) |
| Solar Homes Program hot water rebate | open | owner-occupiers | Combined household taxable income of all owners less than $150,000 per year | Property value under $3 million | Up to $1,000 for eligible heat pump and solar hot water products |
| Solar Homes Program solar battery interest-free loan | closed | owner-occupiers | none stated | none stated | Was an interest-free loan with repayments of up to $183.34 per month over 4 years |
| Solar for Apartments Program | open | owner-occupiers, renters, owners corporations | none stated | None (property value cap removed, September 2026 changes) | Up to $2,800 per household (up to $140,000 per property) |
| Commercial and industrial solar panel (PV) discount (delivered under Victorian Energy Upgrades) | open | businesses | none stated | none stated | none stated |
| Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) household discounts (hot water heat pumps, heating and cooling and other products) | not stated | owner-occupiers, renters, businesses | none stated | none stated | none stated |
The federal battery discount in Victoria: who qualifies
Any household, small business or community facility with one new battery per premises: it must be on the CEC approved list, between 5 and 100 kWh nominal, installed by an SAA-accredited installer with battery endorsement on a VPP-capable inverter, with a new or existing solar system of no more than 100 kW. There is no income test and no property value cap. The discount is 6.8 certificates per usable kWh for the first 14 kWh, 68 certificates and $2,652 on 10 kWh at $39, taken off the quote by the installer; from 1 January 2027 the factor drops to 5.7 and 10 kWh earns $2,223. Whether the battery is worth it in Victoria at that discount is worked through on the battery guide.
What an eligible household gets in Melbourne
$6,218 to $7,234 is the 6.6 kW price range in Melbourne after the $1,521 STC discount, standard and premium installer offers. The $1,400 Solar Homes rebate takes that to $4,818 to $5,834 for an eligible household, and the matching loan can defer another $1,400 of it. The Melbourne solar cost page has every size and the quote check scores a quote against it.
If you are not eligible
Over the $150,000 income cap, over the $3 million property value, a second rebate at the same address, or a PV system there in the last 10 years: no Solar Homes rebate, but the STC discount and the federal battery discount still apply in full, and the Victorian Energy Upgrades discounts on hot water and other products stay open.
Closed schemes still asked about: Solar Homes Program solar battery interest-free loan (No longer accepting applications. Solar Victoria points households to the Commonwealth Cheaper Home Batteries Program (opened 1 July 2025)).
Victoria eligibility questions
Who is eligible for the solar rebate in Victoria?
$1,521 in federal STCs on a 6.6 kW system in Melbourne goes to any household installing a new system up to 100 kW, with no income test. The $1,400 Solar Homes rebate adds to it for owner-occupiers under $150,000 household income with a property under $3 million, and for rental properties.
Is there an income test for the solar rebate in Victoria?
$150,000 is the combined household taxable income cap for the Solar Homes panel rebate, the rental rebate and the hot water rebate, down from $210,000 on 1 July 2026, with a $3 million property value cap beside it. The federal STC and battery discounts have no income test.
Can renters get the solar rebate in Victoria?
$1,400 is available on a rented home through the rental rebate: the rental provider applies and installs, the renters must have combined household taxable income under $150,000, and the same authorised retailer rules apply. Renters in apartments can be covered by the owners corporation under Solar for Apartments.
How much is the solar rebate in Victoria in 2026?
$1,521 on 6.6 kW in Melbourne from the federal STC discount (39 certificates at $39), plus $1,400 from Solar Homes for an eligible household, $2,921 in all; a 10 kWh battery earns another $2,652. On 1 January 2027 the STC part falls by $312.
Do pensioners get a solar rebate in Victoria?
$1,400 is open to pensioners on the same terms as everyone else: the test is combined household taxable income under $150,000 and the property value, not pension status, so most pensioner households pass it. There is no extra pensioner amount in Victoria.
Do I apply for the solar rebate in Victoria or does the installer?
39 certificates on a 6.6 kW system are assigned to the installer, who applies the discount on the quote; the household signs the assignment form and does not deal with the Clean Energy Regulator. The Solar Homes rebate is the household's own application on the Solar Victoria portal before installation, with the loan chosen in the same application; the retailer is paid the rebate directly.