The cost to administer the Product Emissions Standards are recovered under the Australian Government Charging Framework. Costs are recovered through annual importation charges and local manufacture charges, and there are also fees associated with applications for exemptions.
Annual importation or manufacturing charges
Importers or local manufacturers of Emissions Controlled Products (ECP), that have a combined value higher than $44,000 per financial year, are required to pay an annual charge. This charge rate is 0.33% of the value of the product and is due 30 November each year. There is also an individual product value cap of $10,000 per product.
We will notify you of your obligation to pay the charge when ECPs are imported into or manufactured in Australia. We will send a notice of liability to you after the financial year ends. The notice is your opportunity to review your importation or manufacturing data and address any discrepancies. This must be done before 1 October and before your invoice is issued. Payment of the invoice is due on 30 November (for example, charges for the FY2025/26 period are due and payable on 30 November 2026).
Calculation of charges
The combined value of the products imported or manufactured in the financial year is used to calculate the importation or manufacturing charge. The formula to determine the charge is the same for importation and manufacturing, however the ‘value’ of the product is determined differently.
- The product value for the importation charge is the total declared value, plus the amount paid, or payable, for overseas freight and insurance.
- The product value for the manufacturing charge is the first supplied (sale) price of the product excluding GST.
There is an individual product value cap of $10,000 per product. If the value of a product is $12,000, we will calculate the charge on the product value cap amount of $10,000. This limits the importation or manufacturing charge that can be imposed per product. Please note that the charge applies to ECPs covered under an exemption.
Example of charge rate
Charge rate is 0.33% of the value of products imported or locally manufactured.
Charge = product value × 0.0033
For example, if you import $50,000 worth of products, the charge would then be $165 ($50,000 × 0.0033).
A charge is only issued if the total value of products imported or locally manufactured in a financial year is higher than $44,000.
Example of product value cap
The product value cap is $10,000 per product. This means no more than $33 ($10,000 × 0.0033 = $33) is payable for the manufacture or import of any one item. This is even if the total value of the product is more than $10,000. For example:
- If you import or manufacture 6 products worth $20,000 each, the charge is calculated by valuing each product at only $10,000 each. That is 6 × $10,000 (product value cap applied for each product), with the charge liability being $198 ($60,000 × 0.0033).
Example of the charge threshold
The charge threshold is $44,000 of the combined product value in a financial year.
- If you import or manufacture $30,000 worth of products in a financial year, you will not incur the charge. This is because the total product value of the ECPs in a financial year is less than $44,000.
- If you import or manufacture $50,000 worth of products in a financial year, you will incur the charge. This is because the total product value of the ECPs in a financial year is greater than $44,000.
Example of the combined product value cap and charge threshold
If you import or manufacture one $60,000 product in a financial year, the product is valued at only $10,000 when calculating the charge. No charges are imposed because $10,000 is under the charge threshold of $44,000.
Application fees
Individuals or organisations can apply for Australian certification or exemption. Upon submission of an application through our application portal, an invoice will be issued. We will assess the application once the fee is paid in full.
The prescribed application fees in the Product Emissions Standards Rules 2017 (the Rules) for Australian certification and exemptions are as follows:
| Item | Application | Fees ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
An application for which the testing required to meet Australian emissions standards was carried out by an International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) test facility body in accordance with the international standard governing the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, as follows:
This is in accordance with Section 13(1)(a) of the Rules. |
1,330 |
| 2 |
An application for which the testing required to meet Australian emissions standards was carried out by a test facility that is not accredited by an ILAC accreditation body. The facility must be able to test to the requirements of the Australian emissions standard and have systems in place to provide a demonstrated level of assurance that it can test to the equivalent level and standard provided by an ILAC accreditation facility body. This is in accordance with Section 13(1)(b) of the Rules. |
2,850 |
| Paragraph | Exemption category | Fees ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 30(1)(a) | Product or products will be exported from Australia but not used in Australia. | 1,470 |
| 30(1)(b) |
Product or products that will be:
|
390 |
| 30(1)(c) |
Product or products will be used only for national security purposes and have no suitable alternative, and will only be used by:
|
550 |
| 30(1)(d) | Product or products will be used only for rescue or emergency services purposes and only by emergency services organisations (as prescribed in the Rules) and have no suitable alternative. | 1,470 |
| 30(1)(e) | Product or products will be used only in organised competition (as prescribed in the Rules) and have no suitable alternative. | 1,470 |
| 30(1)(f) | Product or products are engines and will be used only as replacements of uncertified, unserviceable engines (as prescribed in the Rules), and have no suitable alternative. | 1,470 |
See Product Emissions Standards Exemptions
Cost-recovery implementation statement
The Cost-Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS) tells you how we recover the cost of administering the Product Emissions Standards.
We reviewed the cost-recovery arrangements in 2021 to ensure the continued financial sustainability of the scheme. Changes to the importation and manufacturing charge settings took effect for the FY2021/22 period. This reduced the importation and manufacturing charge rate from 0.45% to 0.33% and the product-value cap from $20,000 to $10,000.
We released a draft 2021-22 CRIS for public consultation between 24 September to 25 October 2021. We invited feedback on the proposed CRIS from stakeholders and industry groups.
2021-22 CRIS:
2017-18 CRIS:
Contact us
For more information on how the product emissions standards may apply:
- Email: ProductEmissions.Environment@dcceew.gov.au
- Phone: 1800 976 422