Solar Victoria's rebate.

01What it is

Solar Victoria is the state government's program. For solar panels it offers a rebate, and alongside it an interest-free loan of up to the same amount, repaid over four years. You can take the rebate alone or the two together.

It's separate from the federal incentive, and you can have both. The federal one comes off first, and the state rebate can't be more than half of what remains.

02Who is eligible

The federal incentive asks only about the system. Solar Victoria asks about the household. For the solar panel rebate, all of these have to be true.

You own and live in the home

Owner-occupiers of an existing home, or of a home under construction. Rental providers have a stream of their own, with its own rules.

Household income

The combined taxable income of all the owners is under $150,000 a year.

Property value

The home is valued under $3 million.

First rebate at the address

The property hasn't already had a rebate under the program.

No recent solar

No solar panels have been installed at the address in the last ten years. Replacing a system older than that can qualify.

An authorised retailer

The system is sold by a retailer Solar Victoria has authorised, using approved products. Primero is an authorised retailer.

The federal incentive asks about the system. Victoria's asks about the household.

03How you apply

The application starts with a quote. Your retailer uploads your written quote to Solar Victoria's portal, and you receive a link to continue it yourself.

You then upload your own documents there: identification, proof of income for each owner, and a council rates notice. They go to Solar Victoria, not to us, and we never see them. Solar Victoria decides whether you're eligible. Nobody else can.

04Approval comes before installation

This is the rule people fall foul of. The rebate has to be approved before the system goes on the roof. Install first and apply afterwards, and the rebate is lost.

So the order is: quote, application, approval, then installation. Allow for it when you're thinking about dates. Once it's approved, the rebate is paid to your retailer and comes off what you pay.

05Batteries

Solar Victoria doesn't currently offer a rebate for batteries. The help for a battery is the federal incentive, which every household can receive.

06How long it lasts

It's a state program funded year by year, so its amounts and rules are reviewed more often than the federal scheme's, and nothing about it is promised beyond the current year.

In our project brief, Victorian owner-occupiers get three quick yes or no questions about the criteria above. From your answers we can say whether you look eligible. That's as far as anyone but Solar Victoria can go.

The schedules and rules here were checked against the Clean Energy Regulator and Solar Victoria in October 2026. Both change from time to time, so read them at the source before you rely on them.