Reduce or waive renewal fee

Options for consideration

If you wish to reduce your licence renewal fee, there are a number of options that you should consider:

• Do you have the right category of licence? You should consider whether a licence category with a lower renewal fee would better suit your business. Please refer to the Variation to category of licence application kit.
• Should you reduce your venue capacity? If you hold a late night (general) or late night (on-premises) licence, you can consider reducing your patron numbers to reduce or remove the venue capacity multiplier.
• Should you reduce your trading hours? You could consider reducing your trading hours to avoid the operating hours risk fee if you hold a:
  • late night (general)
  • late night (on-premises)
  • general
  • on-premises
  • packaged liquor or
  • late night (packaged liquor) licence.

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, the VCGLR has the power to waive or reduce licence fees in some circumstances. If you wish to apply for a waiver or reduction of your licence renewal fee, you will need to complete the Waiver or reduction of a renewal fee application form (PDF, 418.76 KB) and return it to the VCGLR.

You should note that the VCGLR will take a range of factors into account in deciding whether to grant a waiver or reduction, including (but not limited to):

• whether you have taken the opportunity to reduce your patron numbers or trading hours to reduce your fee
• your compliance history - if one or more non-compliance incidents have been recorded against your licence for the previous period, the VCGLR is unable to grant you a waiver or reduction of your renewal fee.

Fee reduction or waiver is designed to provide licensees with once-off assistance in exceptional circumstances. If you have previously been granted a fee waiver or reduction, this will be taken into account if you make another application for a fee waiver or reduction.