Solar feed-in tariffs in 2026: what you will be paid

In 2026-27, most households will be paid a few cents for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of solar they send to the grid. Where rates are regulated or benchmarked, they range from 2 c to just over 9 c per kWh for most of the day, with higher rates in WA and the NT for exports between 3pm and 9pm. That is far less than you pay to buy power, so using your solar yourself is usually worth more than selling it.

What a feed-in tariff is

A feed-in tariff (FiT) is what your electricity retailer pays you for solar power you don't use and instead send (export) to the grid. It shows up as a credit on your bill, in cents per kWh. Your meter records exports separately from the power you buy.

You only earn a FiT on exports. Solar you use in your home as it is generated never reaches the grid, so it earns no FiT. Instead, it saves you buying that power at the full retail price, which is usually the bigger benefit.

Why rates have fallen

The first state solar schemes paid generous fixed rates to get rooftop solar started. Those schemes have closed to new customers. Today, FiTs are mostly based on what exported solar is worth in the wholesale electricity market at the times it is exported.

On sunny days, a huge number of rooftop systems export at the same time, so midday wholesale prices are often very low. That pulls down the value of exports. In NSW, for example, the pricing regulator IPART lowered its all-day benchmark from 4.8 to 7.3 c/kWh in 2025-26 to 3.4 to 6.5 c/kWh for 2026-27.

Feed-in tariffs by state for 2026-27

These are the published rates for 2026-27 (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027). Where rates are retailer-set, offers vary and can change during the year, so check your own plan.

Time-of-use feed-in tariffs

Some FiTs pay different rates at different times of day. The idea is to reward exports when the grid needs power most, usually late afternoon and evening, when solar output drops and demand climbs. WA's Synergy and the NT's Jacana Energy both pay much more for exports between 3pm and 9pm, and some retailers in other states offer time-varying rates too.

A time-of-use FiT can look attractive, but think about when your system actually exports:

• North-facing panels export mostly around the middle of the day, when these rates are lowest.
• West-facing panels produce more in the late afternoon, so they may earn a little more.
• A battery can export stored solar in the evening, depending on its settings and your retailer's rules.

You usually need a smart meter to be paid a time-varying FiT.

The Solar Sharer Offer: free power in the middle of the day

The Default Market Offer (DMO) is the maximum price the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) sets for default electricity plans in parts of NSW, south-east Queensland and South Australia. Victoria has its own default offer. The 2026-27 DMO, which started on 1 July 2026, includes a new Solar Sharer Offer.

How it works:

• You get three free hours of electricity in the middle of the day: 11am to 2pm in NSW and south-east Queensland, and 12pm to 3pm in South Australia.
• Use above 24 kWh in that window is charged.
• It is opt-in, and you need a smart meter.

The AER describes it as a way for more households, including those without rooftop solar, to make use of plentiful midday solar. If you don't have panels, you may be able to shift washing, hot water or EV charging into the free window. If you already have solar, your panels may already cover much of your use during those hours, so compare the plan's other rates with your current plan before switching.

The offer also sends a clear signal: midday electricity is now so plentiful that some of it is being given away. That is the same reason midday exports earn so little.

Why using your solar matters more than the FiT

Compare what you are paid with what you pay. Under the 2026-27 DMO, the maximum flat usage rate in the Ausgrid network area of NSW is about 33.1 c/kWh including GST. IPART's benchmark for exported solar in NSW is 3.4 to 6.5 c/kWh. So each kWh of solar you use yourself, instead of exporting it, avoids buying power that can cost several times what the export would earn. Market offers may have lower usage rates than the DMO, but the gap is usually still large.

Ways to use more of your own solar:

• Run the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer in the middle of the day, using delay-start timers if you are out.
• Ask an electrician whether your hot water system can be set to heat during the day.
• Pre-cool or pre-heat your home in the early afternoon.
• Charge an electric vehicle at home while the sun is out.
• Consider a battery to store surplus solar for the evening. See is a home battery worth it? and the battery rebate calculator. Battery owners may also be able to join a virtual power plant, which may pay for power exported at busy times.

If you are still choosing a system, sizing it around your own daytime use matters more than the FiT. Our guide on what size solar system you need explains how.

How to compare retailer offers

A high FiT doesn't make a plan the cheapest. A retailer can offset a generous FiT with higher usage or supply charges. When comparing offers:

• Look at the whole bill. Estimate a year's cost using your own usage and export figures from past bills.
• Read the conditions. Some FiTs apply only to the first few kWh exported each day, need a particular battery or smart meter, or change after an introductory period.
• Check the time windows. For time-varying FiTs, work out how much you actually export in the higher-paying hours.
• Check your export limit. If your network caps how much you can export, a high FiT is worth less to you.
• Use the government comparison sites. Energy Made Easy (run by the AER) and Victorian Energy Compare (in Victoria) let you compare plans using your own data.
• Review each year. Regulated rates and benchmarks are usually reset from 1 July, and retailers can change their rates too.

To see how the FiT affects the value of a new system, try the solar payback calculator.

The short version

• A FiT is the credit you get for solar you export. In 2026-27 it is a few cents per kWh in most places.
• Rates have fallen because midday solar is plentiful and cheap in the wholesale market.
• WA and the NT pay more for exports from 3pm to 9pm. Check whether you actually export then.
• Using your own solar, or storing it in a battery, is usually worth far more than exporting it.
• Compare whole plans, not just the FiT, and review your plan each year.