Electronic payment surcharges
From 1 October 2026, the Australian Government changed the rules for electronic payment surcharges. States and Territories can still set surcharge rates for specific industries.
Under the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport (Miscellaneous) Regulations, drivers of commercial passenger vehicles, including taxis, must not charge more than 5% of the fare when payment is made electronically.
An electronic or non-cash payment surcharge is a fee charged when a passenger pays a taxi fare using:
- a credit, debit or charge card
- a manual voucher
- an e-ticket
- a smartphone app.
How is the surcharge calculated
The 5% surcharge is the maximum amount that can be charged on top of the fare and is inclusive of GST. The below example demonstrates how the electronic surcharge fee is applied.
Previous surcharge of 10% plus GST | New maximum surcharge of 5% including GST (01/10/2016) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Fare | $100 | Fare | $100 |
Surcharge 10%(GST exclusive) | $10 | Surcharge 5% (GST inclusive) | $5 |
GST on surcharge | $1 | - | - |
Total fare | $111 | Total fare | $105 |
Contact
If you experience a problem, contact the Compliance Unit of the Commercial Passenger Vehicles Branch:
- Email: cpv.compliance@nt.gov.au
- Call: 08 8924 7580
- Online: Website feedback form
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