About Rates
Charging rates on properties is the main way Masterton District Council pays for the services it delivers to the community. The amount of rates you pay depends on where your property is, and how much it is worth. Each year the Council reviews how much revenue it needs to deliver services, and recalculates what it needs to charge for rates. This new recalculation comes into effect on the 1 July every year and is based on the Council’s plan for the year ahead. You can have your say about what the Council should be spending money on and, therefore, how much is charged in rates, through the Annual Plan or Long-Term Plan process.
You can find a breakdown of what your rates pay for by searching for your property in using our Property Search tool.
We have an agreement to collect rates for Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) so you’ll also see that on your rates bill. You can find out more about the regional council and what their rates fund on the reverse of their annual assessment. You can also contact them on 04 384 5708 or [email protected]
If your address has changed or your property has changed ownership, let us know so we can update your account.
The video below provides a simple explanation of Council rates, what they pay for and how they are calculated.
You can read the council rates resolution (PDF, 175KB) adopted on 30 June 2021.
Rates and revaluation
Each year the Council sets its budget, and the amount of rates needed to fund services is part of that budget. Rates increase when the cost of doing work increases due to inflation, and new pieces of work are added to the Council’s work programme. The work planned, and budget, is set out in the Long-Term Plan (the next draft Long-Term Plan will be publicly consulted on in April).
Our rating system uses valuations as one of a number of tools to divide up the rates between properties. Revaluations are carried out by Quotable Value, which is entirely separate to the Council. When a revaluation occurs, the Council recalculates the rates-per-dollar of value required to collect the total rates income that is needed in the budget. The valuations are used to determine each property’s share of the rates – rates do not simply increase by the percentage increase of valuations.
If all valuations in the district increased by the same percentage, every property’s rates would only change by the percentage of the Council’s budget increase. Where a property’s valuation increases by less than the average increase, they can expect to pay a lower share of the total rates the Council needs.
Where a property’s valuation increases by more than the average increase for the district, the property owner can expect to pay a higher share of the total rates the Council needs. New valuations will not be used for rates calculation until the new financial year, which starts on 1 July 2021.
Get Reminders by Email
Save paper by signing up to get your rates notice via email. If you don’t know your valuation number you can do a property search.
Sale of Property & Subdivisions
If you have sold your property you are responsible for all rates due at the time notice of sale is given. If you get an invoice in your name after you have sold your property, it might mean that we haven’t received a notification of sale. You will need to ask your solicitor to issue the appropriate notification and return this assessment to the Council. If you are selling and you pay your rates by direct debit, automatic payment, Internet or telephone banking, get in touch with us on 06 370 6300 so we can cancel your current authority or to change it to your new property.
Subdivision
If your property is subdivided and any of the new lots have been sold, you need to pay rates until the end of the rating year (30 June) for the whole property. The new owner won’t receive an annual assessment or invoice in their name until after 1st July (the next rating year).