Important Changes to Levy Payment

Changes are coming from 1 October 2026.

Please read the information below and check your next levy notice for the payment options available for your property.

From 1 October 2026, debit and credit card transaction fees can no longer be charged directly to owners, and the way you can make payments may change.

Credit and debit card payments will also no longer be available through deft.com.au. Existing scheduled card payments from that date will be cancelled. Payment methods available may vary between bodies corporate.

How can I pay my levies?

The payment methods available to you will be shown on your StrataLiving levy notice. Depending on the arrangements for your body corporate, you may do the following:

Use your DEFT reference number

Use the Biller Code and Customer Reference Number

Pay directly from a nominated Australian bank account

Pay at the post office using the printed barcode

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are levy payment options changing?

The RBA conducted a Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging (the Review) from 2024-26. It decided that removing surcharging on designated card networks (eftpos, Mastercard and Visa) would be in the public interest. This is to take place on 1 October 2026.

You can read more about the decision to remove surcharging in the Conclusions Paper published as part of the Review.

If my Body Corporate chooses to no longer accept Card payments, how can I pay my levies?

Payment options may vary between bodies corporate. Always refer to your latest levy notice for the payment menthods and payment details applicable to your property.

1. For levy notices that have DEFT facility listed – Owners can choose to use Pay ID, BPay and Post Pay
2. For levy notices that have StrataPay facility listed – Owners can choose to pay their levies via direct debit, eft transfer, BPay and PostPay
3. Note that some levy notices may show both DEFT and StrataPay facilities – your payment methods will be clearly shown

If my Body Corporate chooses to continue to allow Card payments, what effect will this have?

Where a Body Corporate elects to continue allowing owners to pay their levies by debit or credit card, the associated card payment fees will be absorbed by the Body Corporate through the Administrative Fund.

This additional expense may result in an increase to the Administrative Fund budget and corresponding levy contributions in the following financial year. Based on a survey conducted by the banks, approximately 10% of Lot Owners use, or have used, a card to pay for their levies over the past 12 months. On average, the associated surcharge would be 2% of the levies that those owners paid.