Solar · 1 November 2026 · 5 min read
Solar Victoria's solar panel rebate in late 2026: what's left
The Solar Victoria rebate is still open in monthly releases, at up to $1,400, with a lower income cap since July 2026. Here is who qualifies and how it stacks with the federal certificates.
Two discounts can come off the price of a home solar system in Victoria: the state's Solar Homes rebate and the federal small-scale certificates. Both have changed this year, and one of them is about to change again. Here is where things stand as of 1 November 2026, taken from Solar Victoria's and the Clean Energy Regulator's own pages.
Is the rebate still open?
Yes. Solar Victoria's solar panel rebate page, last updated in late October 2026, is still taking applications. Rebates are released each month, and the page shows how many are left in the current release, so check it before you count on one.
The bigger change is ahead. Solar Victoria says that from 1 July 2027, support for household solar panels moves into the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. Until then, eligible households can keep applying for the remaining rebates under the current rules. How the new arrangement will work is not set out on the rebate page yet, so treat anything you read about it as early.
How much is it?
The rebate is up to $1,400. It covers up to 50% of the purchase cost, capped at $1,400, and it is worked out after other discounts, including the federal certificates, have come off.
There is also an optional interest-free loan of up to the same amount, $1,400, repaid over four years. For a $1,400 loan that is $29.17 a month by direct debit, starting 30 days after your installation is approved. No collateral is needed. Since 1 May 2026, if you want the loan you must choose it when you apply.
There is no limit on the size of system you install. The limit is only on the rebate.
Who is eligible?
For an owner-occupied home, Solar Victoria's criteria are:
- you are the owner-occupier of an existing home, or the owner of a home under construction;
- the combined taxable income of all owners of the property is under $150,000 a year;
- the property is valued at under $3 million;
- the address has not already received a solar panel or solar battery rebate under the program; and
- no solar panel system has been installed at the address in the last 10 years.
The income cap dropped from $210,000 to $150,000 on 1 July 2026. Households affected by Solstice Energy closing its compressed natural gas network are exempt from the income cap.
Rentals
Landlords can also apply, under a separate set of rules:
- up to $1,400 per property, for at most two properties per financial year;
- the renters' combined household taxable income must be under $150,000;
- the property must be valued under $3 million and be tenanted under a rental agreement;
- properties held by a trust, super fund or business on the rates notice are not eligible; and
- the landlord and renters sign a Solar Homes Program agreement.
The same optional loan applies. Renters can choose to contribute up to half the monthly repayment, which is at most $14.58 a month, for the loan term or until they move out.
How to apply, and the order that matters
The order of steps is what catches people out. In short:
- Check your eligibility.
- Choose an authorised solar retailer and a system from Solar Victoria's approved product list.
- The retailer gives you a written quote and uploads it to the Solar Victoria portal.
- Your network pre-approves the system to connect and export.
- You upload proof of identity, income and ownership.
- Once approved, Solar Victoria emails you a QR code.
- The system must be installed within 120 days of the QR code being issued (270 days for a home under construction), and the installer scans the code on site before starting.
Installing before approval means no rebate. That is the single most important rule on the page.
How it combines with the federal certificates
The federal discount comes from the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. A new solar system earns small-scale technology certificates, or STCs. Usually your retailer takes the certificates and takes their value off your price.
How many certificates a system earns depends on its size, its postcode zone and the year it is installed. The Clean Energy Regulator rates each Victorian postcode at either 1.185 or 1.382, and multiplies by a deeming period that shrinks every year until the scheme ends in 2030:
- installed in 2026: 5 years
- installed in 2027: 4 years
- then 3, 2 and 1 years for 2028 to 2030.
So the same system installed on 1 January 2027 earns fewer certificates than one installed in December 2026. Certificate prices move with the market, so the dollar value also moves.
The state rebate is then calculated on what is left after the certificates. Both can apply to the same system, but the rebate is worked out second.
Solar Victoria's solar panel page does not currently offer a separate state battery rebate. Batteries do earn their own federal certificates, at a rate the Clean Energy Regulator sets per kWh of usable capacity; see our home batteries page for what a battery adds.
What to do now
If you are eligible and thinking about solar this year, the order is: check eligibility, get a written quote from an authorised retailer, get approval, then install. Nothing should go on the roof before the QR code arrives.
To see what a system on your house would look like first, put your address in and lay the panels out on your own roof. The price shows the certificates and any rebate as separate lines, so you can see what each one does.
