The NSW Government has introduced measures to provide relief to commercial and residential landowners, who provide a reduction in rent to a tenant who is experiencing financial distress as a result of COVID-19.

The 2020 land tax COVID-19 relief is intended to reduce a landowner’s land tax payable for 2020, by up to 25 per cent, for a taxable parcel of land where rent relief has been given to the tenant who occupies that land.

Landowners eligible for the reduction may also defer their land tax payments by up to three months.

Reduction in land tax payable

You’ll receive a reduction in your land tax payable for the 2020 land tax year, subject to the terms of these guidelines.

The reduction will be the lesser of:

• the amount of rent reduction provided to a tenant for any period between 1 April 2020 and 30 September 2020,
• 25 per cent of the land tax attributable to the parcel of land leased to that tenant.

Land tax attributable to a parcel of land is calculated as follows:

Taxable value of the parcel of land divided by aggregate taxable value of all parcels of land, multiplied by landowner’s 2020 land tax liability.

If you haven’t completed payment of you land tax for 2020, the relief will reduce or offset the amount you have left payable. If you have already paid your land tax for 2020, the reduction can be refunded to you.

Three month deferral of outstanding land tax

If you receive a reduction under this program, you’ll also be able to have your outstanding land tax payments deferred for up to three months.

You’ll be eligible if:

• you’re leasing a parcel of land to:
  • a commercial tenant, who has an annual turnover of up to $50 million, or
  • a residential tenant,
• the tenant is in financial distress as a result of COVID-19,
• you reduce the rent of the affected tenant for any period between 1 April 2020 and 30 September 2020, and
• for 2020, you have land tax attributable to the parcel of land leased to that tenant.

Financial distress

A tenant is considered to be in financial distress where:

• for commercial tenants – there is a reduction in turnover compared to a previous comparable period of 30 per cent (or more),
• for residential tenants – there is a reduction in household income of 25 per cent (or more).

You’re responsible for verifying that your tenant is in financial distress.

Rent reduction

To be eligible, the rent reduction must not be required to be paid back at a later date. If a reduction in rent is provided but is required to be paid back at a later date, this is considered to be a deferral of rent and won’t be considered as a reduction of rent under this program.

If you’re not eligible for a reduction in land tax or a deferral in land tax payments under this program but you’re having difficulty paying, you can still apply for a payment plan to extend your payment dates.

2020 land tax COVID-19 relief is available via Service NSW.

Access the application.

You’ll need the following to complete an application:

• MyServiceNSW Account
• Land Tax Client ID
• Land Tax Correspondence ID
• Land details for parcel of land the relief is being applied for
• Supporting documentation to demonstrate eligibility.

Examples of supporting documents include, but are not limited to:

• To demonstrate that you are providing a rent reduction – copies of tenancy agreements, rental ledgers, a letter from the property manager, etc.
• To demonstrate that your tenant is in financial distress as defined in these guidelines – your tenant’s financial statements, a letter from their accountant or property manager, etc. (you must obtain your tenant’s permission to share their information with us).

Should further evidence be required to determine the eligibility or validity of an application, we’ll contact you.

We’ll endeavour to process your application within 30 days.

Once an application is submitted, you must notify us by submitting an amended application as soon as practicable if there is a change in your circumstances or eligibility for the program. This includes a change in tenant or a change in rent during the period for which an application has been submitted.

An amended application may result in a change to the amount of reduction in land tax previously provided to you under this program.

Any reassessment of a 2020 land tax liability that occurs after a reduction has been allowed under this program, may result in a recalculation of the reduction.

Applications submitted for this program will be subject to potential compliance review for legitimacy.

Eligibility of both landowners and tenants can be reviewed to confirm that relief under this program has been correctly requested and applied.

Providing false or misleading information in an application for 2020 land tax COVID-19 relief, or not notifying us of a change in your circumstances, may result in a land tax reduction under this program being revoked. It’s also an offence to provide false or misleading information and penalties may apply.

Commercial

Used for business

Landowner

Has the same meaning as ‘owner’, as defined in the Land Tax Management Act 1956

Land tax year

Has the same meaning as defined in the Land Tax Management Act 1956

Residential

Used for a private place of residence

Taxable value

Has the same meaning as prescribed in section 9 of the Land Tax Management Act 1956

How much of a reduction will I get?

The amount of reduction will be the lesser of:

• the amount of rent reduction provided to an eligible tenant at any point between 1 April 2020 and 30 September 2020, or
• 25 per cent of the land tax attributable to the parcel of land leased to that tenant.

If I get the land tax reduction can I defer my payments?

If your application is successful, any payments remaining that need to be made will be automatically deferred for 3 months without interest.

Can I resubmit my application if my circumstances change?

Yes. In fact, it's a requirement to notify us by submitting a new application if there has been a change in circumstances from when an initial application is submitted.

I lodged an application, but I now have additional information/documents that I want to provide. What should I do?

Submit a new application with the additional information/documentation.

Can I apply for relief for more than one property at a time? ​

Yes, you can apply for multiple properties at the same time in the one application.

I act on behalf of different clients (e.g. accountant or solicitor). Can I apply for relief for more than one client?

Yes, you can lodge applications for multiple clients. However, you must complete an application before you can commence another one.

I do not pay land tax. Am I eligible for the relief? 

If you're a landowner and you don’t have a 2020 land tax liability, refer to the Service NSW website, which provides other NSW Government support options you may be eligible for.

Who will let me know the outcome of my application?

Revenue NSW will review your application and advise you of the decision.

Can I still apply for the land tax relief if I have already paid or set up an instalment plan?

Yes. Once your application has been processed, you will receive notification of the balance you have left payable. If your account is in credit once the relief has been applied, the credit balance will be refunded.

I own land in a trust. Can I still apply for the land tax relief?

Yes. Landowners that are trusts can apply for relief under this program.

If I have lost income due to my tenant moving out, am I still eligible for land tax relief?

No. The relief only applies where the reduction can be passed on to an eligible tenant.

If I get a new tenant, am I still eligible for land tax relief?

Yes, provided that the new tenant meets the eligibility requirement for this program and a rent reduction is being given to the new tenant.

If I have multiple tenants on a parcel of land, am I still eligible for land tax relief? What if only one of several of these tenants is eligible?

Yes. When completing your application, simply add up the total rent amounts and rent reductions relating to only the eligible tenants on that parcel of land and provide supporting documents for each of these tenancies.

I don't have a Service NSW account. How do I apply?

The application is currently only available through Service NSW. Contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 if you need assistance setting up an account.

I am a lessee of land owned by Crown or local government. Am I eligible for land tax relief?

The lessee of Crown or local government land is deemed to be the owner for land tax purposes. Therefore, a lessee under these arrangements can only apply for relief if they are subleasing the land to an eligible tenant under this program.

How does the requirement for commercial tenants to have less than $50 million in annual turnover apply if their commercial activities extend beyond the property where the rent relief is being given?

The requirement for commercial tenants to have less than $50 million in annual turnover to be eligible for relief under this program refers to the tenant’s annual turnover considering their total commercial activities, not just the commercial activities being conducted at the property where the rent reduction is being given.

How does the requirement for commercial tenants to have less than $50 million in annual turnover apply if they are part of a group of companies?

Where the commercial tenant who is being given a rent reduction is part of a group of companies (i.e. there is one or more companies that are related to the commercial tenant) the annual turnover of the group of companies must be less than $50 million to be eligible for relief under this program.

If my commercial tenant is a franchisee, am I eligible for land tax relief?

Where a commercial tenant is a franchisee, the franchisor must meet the requirement to have less than $50 million in annual turnover to be eligible for relief under this program.

Can I pay by instalments?

In addition to these measures, there are several options available, such as extending deadlines for payments and getting leniency for late payment.

Apply for an instalment plan

If the instalment plan can’t be approved online, we’ll contact you.