Concession Card Benefits in the ACT 2026: Every Discount You Can Claim

The ACT recognises the Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), Health Care Card (HCC), and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) for territory concessions. The ACT also issues its own ACT Seniors Card for residents aged 60 and over, which provides discounts at participating businesses and access to some government concessions.

The PCC provides the most comprehensive access to ACT concessions. The HCC qualifies for energy concessions and transport discounts. The CSHC provides energy concessions and transport benefits. The ACT Concessions Program is the central scheme that bundles most territory concessions together.

One advantage of the ACT is its relatively straightforward concessions system — most concessions are administered centrally rather than through multiple different agencies and councils.

The ACT Utilities Concession provides a rebate of $750.94 per year for eligible PCC and DVA card holders. This is one of the more generous energy concessions in Australia, applied quarterly as a credit of approximately $187.74 to your electricity account.

HCC holders receive a reduced Utilities Concession of approximately $250 per year. CSHC holders also qualify for the concession, typically at the HCC rate.

The Energy Concession is separate from the Utilities Concession and provides an additional $250 per year for eligible concession card holders, reflecting the ACT's cold winters and heating costs.

If you use mains gas, the concession also applies to your gas account. You can choose to split the concession between your electricity and gas retailers. The total combined energy saving for a PCC holder can exceed $1,000 per year.

Icon Water provides water and sewerage concessions for PCC holders in the ACT. The Water and Sewerage Concession provides a rebate of approximately $200 per year on combined water and sewerage charges.

The rebate is applied to your Icon Water account quarterly. You need to register your PCC with Icon Water — contact their customer service team or register online.

The Fire and Emergency Services Levy concession provides a further reduction of approximately $52 per year on the levy that appears on your rates notice.

Transport Canberra provides concession fares for PCC, HCC, and CSHC holders on all bus and light rail services. The concession fare is approximately half the adult fare — around $2.50 per trip using a MyWay card (compared to $5.00 for adults).

The daily concession cap is $5.00, meaning unlimited travel after two paid trips. The weekly cap is further discounted compared to adult fares.

ACT Seniors Card holders receive free off-peak travel on Transport Canberra services — specifically between 9:00am and 4:30pm on weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays.

The ACT Taxi Subsidy Scheme provides a 50% subsidy on taxi fares (up to $24 per trip) for people with severe disabilities who cannot use conventional public transport. Application is through Access Canberra.

PCC holders in the ACT receive a 100% concession on the motor vehicle registration fee — meaning free registration for one vehicle. This is the most generous rego concession in Australia. For a standard passenger vehicle, this saves approximately $330 to $400 per year.

The concession applies to one vehicle registered in the card holder's name. The CTP insurance component and road rescue fee are not included in the concession.

To claim, register your concession card details with Access Canberra. The concession is applied when you renew your registration online, in person, or by phone. Make sure your concession card is linked to your vehicle registration record before renewal date.

The PBS concession rate of $7.70 per script applies in the ACT, with free scripts after the $262.80 Safety Net threshold. Canberra has good access to bulk-billing GPs compared to many regional areas, and concession card holders are more likely to access bulk-billed services.

ACT Health provides public dental services for PCC and HCC holders through the Civic and Belconnen dental clinics. Services include emergency care, check-ups, fillings, extractions, and dentures. Waiting times for general dental care are typically 4 to 12 months.

The ACT Government Spectacles Subsidy provides assistance with the cost of spectacles for eligible concession card holders, covering basic lenses and frames. Access this through participating optometrists.

The ACT does not have local councils — rates are levied by the ACT Government directly. PCC holders receive a General Rates rebate through the ACT Concessions Program. The rebate provides a deferral or reduction in general rates, with eligible pensioners saving approximately $300 to $500 per year depending on the unimproved value of their property.

PCC holders can choose to defer rates until the property is sold, with a government-set interest rate applied to deferred amounts. Alternatively, they can receive the annual concession as a direct reduction on their rates notice.

The concession is applied automatically if you're registered with the ACT Concessions Program. Apply through Access Canberra with your PCC details — once registered, all applicable ACT concessions are linked together.

ACT Ambulance Service is free for PCC holders — both emergency and clinically necessary non-emergency transport. This is a significant benefit given the cost of ambulance services in other jurisdictions.

The ACT Spectacles Scheme provides subsidised spectacles for PCC holders. The Companion Card program allows carers of people with significant disabilities to attend venues for free.

The Seniors Card in the ACT provides access to hundreds of discounts at local businesses, as well as reciprocal arrangements with other states and territories. The ACT also offers discounted dog registration and free green waste disposal for concession card holders.

The Sustainable Household Scheme provides zero-interest loans for energy-efficient upgrades (solar panels, insulation, double glazing), and concession card holders are prioritised. This can further reduce ongoing energy costs on top of the direct concessions.