Victoria's solar rebate now has a $150,000 income cap. Here is who can still apply

If you live in Victoria and have been meaning to get solar, the state rebate now comes with a tighter income test. Solar Victoria has lowered the cap, although the rebate itself has not changed. Here is who can still apply, what happened to battery loans, and what to look at if you are over the line.

Victorian households with a combined taxable income of $150,000 or more can no longer get the state's solar panel rebate. Solar Victoria lowered the cap from $210,000 for applications submitted after 30 June 2026. The rebate is still up to $1,400, with an optional interest-free loan of up to the same amount, so for households under the new cap the support is the same as before.

What changed

Solar Victoria made the change public on 29 May 2026. Applications that were submitted in full by 5pm on Tuesday 30 June 2026 were assessed against the old $210,000 cap. Anything submitted after that is assessed against the new $150,000 cap.

The same cap now applies to Solar Victoria's hot water rebates. Rebate amounts did not change:

• solar panels: up to $1,400, plus an optional interest-free loan of up to $1,400
• locally made hot water products: up to $1,400
• other eligible hot water products: up to $1,000.

Solar Victoria's stated aim is to target support to people most affected by cost of living pressures, including renters and lower income households. It says more than half of past solar panel rebates (55%) had gone to homes earning under $100,000.

There is one exception. Solstice Energy customers affected by their network's closure are exempt from the $150,000 income cap.

Who can still apply

To get the solar panel rebate, you must meet all of these conditions:

• the combined household taxable income of all owners is under $150,000 a year
• the property is valued at under $3 million
• you are the owner-occupier of an existing home, or the owner of a home under construction
• the address has not already received a Solar Victoria solar panel or battery rebate
• no solar panel system has been installed at the address in the last 10 years
• you use an authorised solar retailer and choose products from the eligible product lists.

Once approved, you receive a QR code. For an existing home, the system must be installed within 120 days of receiving it. For a home under construction, the limit is 270 days.

The optional interest-free loan is repaid monthly over four years. A $1,400 loan works out at $29.17 a month, with repayments starting 30 days after the installation is approved.

Battery loans remain closed

Solar Victoria is no longer taking applications for interest-free loans for solar batteries. It closed them after its target was exceeded: when the loans launched in July 2023, the commitment was 4,500 loans.

For batteries, Solar Victoria now points households to the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program. That discount is due to fall on 1 January 2027; see what the step-down is worth and try the battery rebate calculator.

What it means for you

• Check before you pay anything. Solar Victoria advises not to pay a deposit until your eligibility is confirmed, and to make sure any deposit is fully refundable.
• Near the line? Check what counts. The test is the combined taxable income of all owners. If you are close to $150,000, confirm your eligibility through the Solar Victoria process rather than relying on a salesperson's word.
• Over the cap? Look at the federal discount. New solar panels can still earn the federal STC discount, which is separate from the Victorian rebate. Our guide to solar STCs explains how it works, and how much solar costs gives a sense of current prices.
• Watch for eligibility claims. The ACCC found in July that salespeople often misrepresent whether buyers qualify for government programs. See our story on the ACCC's review of unsolicited selling.
• Plan for your own use. Feed-in tariffs are generally far lower than what you pay for grid power, so how much of your solar you use at home matters. Read our guide to solar feed-in tariffs.

For the full picture of what is available in Victoria, see our Victoria rebates page. When you are ready, you can request quotes from installers.

Our take

The new cap itself is simple enough. The detail that matters is that it counts the combined taxable income of all owners, not just one person's pay. If you are anywhere near $150,000, we would confirm eligibility through Solar Victoria before paying anything, and make sure any deposit is fully refundable. If you are over the cap, it is worth remembering that the federal STC discount on new panels is separate and still applies, so losing the state rebate is not the whole story. And given what the ACCC found about eligibility claims, we would treat a salesperson's word on whether you qualify as a starting point, not an answer.