Liquor licence fees are a standard business cost for all licensees, and as such all licensees should factor this fee into their business planning.
Timeline for reducing your renewal fee
You will receive your renewal notice in November. If the fee is too high you have until:
- 31 December to apply to change your liquor licence to reduce your renewal fee
- 31 March to apply for a waiver or reduction of your total renewal fee
If you have lodged a reduction or waiver application prior to the deadline, we may still make a decision after this date.
Options for reducing your renewal fee
If you wish to reduce your licence renewal fee, there are a number of options that you should consider.
Changing your licence category
You should consider whether a licence category with a lower renewal fee would better suit your business. For example, if you are a restaurant with an on-premises licence, you may wish to consider varying your licence category to a restaurant and cafe licence. Please refer to the Variation to category of licence application kit.
Reducing your trading hours
You may consider reducing your trading hours to avoid the operating hours risk fee if you hold a:
- Restaurant and cafe licence trading after 1am
- Remote sellers licence trading outside ordinary hours
- Packaged liquor licence trading outside ordinary hours
- Late night (general) licence
- Late night (on-premises) licence
- Late night (packaged liquor) licence.
You must lodge this application before 31 December for it to reduce your renewal fee.
To change or remove any special conditions on your licence, you will need to lodge a variation application. This includes if you want to remove security or crowd controller conditions after reducing your trading hours.
Tell LCV if you’re a prescribed venue type
If you hold a licence that has a patron capacity risk fee component in the renewal fee, you may want to check if you are a prescribed venue type.
If your business meets the requirements of a prescribed venue type, you can tell us quickly and easily with your Liquor Portal account.
If you do not have a Liquor Portal account, follow our step by step registration guide.
You must tell us this before 31 December for it to reduce your renewal fee.
For more information on what prescribed venue types are and how to notify us, please visit prescribed venue types.
Reducing your venue capacity
If you hold a licence that has a venue capacity risk fee component in the renewal fee, you may consider reducing your total number of patrons to reduce or remove the venue capacity risk fee.
You must lodge this application before 31 December for it to reduce your renewal fee.
Reducing your producer’s licence floor space
If you hold a producer’s licence you may be paying a licensed premises floor space risk fee. Reducing your licensed premises area to less than 150 square meters removes this risk fee component.
To reduce your floor space, you will need to submit a new red line plan with the reduced licensed area by email to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au. Red line plan requirements can be found at red line plans for licensed premises.
You must lodge this request with us before 31 December for it to change your renewal fee.
Reducing your packaged liquor licence (including late night) or remote seller's licence floor space
If you hold a packaged liquor licence (including late night) or remote sellers licence you may be paying a licensed premises floor space risk fee. Reducing your licensed premises area to less than 750 square meters for packaged liquor (including late night) or remote sellers licences may remove this risk fee component.
To reduce your floor space, you will need to submit a new red line plan with the reduced licensed area by email to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au. Red line plan requirements can be found at red line plans for licensed premises.
You must lodge this request with us before 31 December for it to change your renewal fee.
Business support
If your business is facing difficulties, you may consider investigating the range of business supports available in Victoria, including:
- Business Victoria: assists business owners to make decisions about their future. If business owners have any questions about re-establishing their business, or alternatively using their existing business skills to establish a new business, contact Victoria Business Line 13 22 15 or visit Business Victoria.
- Small Business Mentoring Service: is an independent, not-for-profit organisation providing experienced business mentors to Victorian businesses, including those facing challenging times. You can contact the service on 1300 816 817 or visit Small Business Mentoring Service.
Factors for decision to waive or reduce fees
As a last resort, LCV has the power to waive or reduce the total renewal fee in some circumstances. If you wish to apply for a waiver or reduction of your licence renewal fee, you must complete the Waiver or reduction of a renewal fee application form and return it to LCV before 31 March. Email us at contact@liquor.vic.gov.au.
If you apply for a fee reduction, LCV will take a range of factors into account in deciding to grant a waiver or reduction, including (but not limited to):
- Whether you have taken the opportunity to reduce your patron numbers, trading hours or licensed area to reduce your renewal fee.
- Your compliance history - if one or more non-compliance incidents have been recorded against your licence for the previous 24-month period, LCV is unable to grant you a waiver or reduction of your renewal fee.
- Whether you have applied for a waiver or reduction of your total renewal fee before.
- Whether the renewal fee is likely to cause you serious financial hardship.
Fee reduction or waivers are designed to provide licensees with once-off assistance in exceptional or difficult circumstances.
You must apply for a reduction or waiver of your renewal as early as possible. The last date is 31 March of every year, however you will be required to stop supplying liquor on 1 April if you have not paid your renewal fee. This is regardless of any waiver or reduction application you may have made.
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