Risk-based loadings and exemptions

* Venues whose licensees and managers have not incurred any demerit points in the last three years will be given a 5% discount on annual liquor licence fees on base fee and trading hours risk loading.​

Premises exempt from trading hours risk loading fee

Trading hours risk loading does not apply to these licences:

• producer/wholesaler licence - unless it has a drink-on premises authorisation
• on-premises licence relating to a restaurant - unless it has a primary service authorisation
• on-premises licence relating to accommodation premises, an airport or catering service
• small bar licence
• limited licence (multi-function)
• hotel licence that was formerly a community liquor licence
• a hotel or club licence that meets the criteria for a tourist accommodation exemption
• licensed premises that meets the criteria for a remote population exemption.

• If you are a licensee permitted to trade after midnight (including vessels), you can reduce your annual liquor licence fee by applying for an occasional extended trading condition (OETC) for your licence. This condition means you can trade past midnight or 1.30am on up to 12 occasions over any 12-month period.
• Licensees with an OETC who occasionally trade after midnight do not pay trading hours risk loading.
• Licensees with an OETC that allows regular trading up until 1.30am, and occasional trading after 1.30am, are required to pay a $3,203 trading hours risk loading.

Compare loading with and without an OETC

Note: If you already have an OETC on your licence you must submit an occasional trading notification form to us at least 14 days before each late trading occasion.

Applications received after 28 February will not reduce your annual liquor licence fee this year but will reduce it in future years. You may apply for the OETC.

A hotel or club that provides tourist accommodation does not pay trading hours risk loading if the hotel or club meets all of the following criteria:

• provides accommodation in at least 20 rooms or self-contained suites – other than dormitory-style accommodation
• provides beverages, meals and other associated services to residents and guests
• bars only operate after midnight primarily to sell or supply liquor to residents and their guests
• persons attending a function or conference by invitation only – for example: weddings or work conferences.

Hotels and clubs eligible for the tourist accommodation trading hours risks loading exemption (TAE) can apply to reduce their trading hours risk loading.

If the hotel or club is authorised to sell or supply liquor to the broader general public after midnight on a regular basis, trading hours risk loading will apply.

Applications received after 28 February will not reduce your annual liquor licence fee this year but will reduce it in future years. You may apply for the TAE.

Liquor licensees in remote or regional locations do not pay trading hours risk loading if the licensed premises meets all of the following criteria:

• in a regional locality of less than 1,000 people, with no large transient population
• more than 5km for a town of 1,000 to 5,000 people
• more than 20 km from a larger town or city (over 5,000 people).

Your compliance history risk loading will be based on the Incentives and Demerit System.

Licensees, managers and clubs will incur demerit points for committing demerit offences or via a prescribed complaint. Demerit points expire after 3 years.

A demerit offence is a serious breach of liquor legislation. Most demerit offences result in the automatic imposition of 1 demerit point against a licensee, manager or club. However, offences involving the sale or supply of liquor to minors result in 2 demerit points

For a list of demerit offences and further information in relation to prescribed complaints, please refer to the Incentives and Demerit Point System fact sheet PDF, 444 KB.

The compliance history risk loading element of a periodic licence fee for a licence is calculated at a rate of 47.98 fee units for each demerit point incurred or imposed against the licence, or a licensee or manager of the licensed premises, during the relevant compliance period for the assessment year.

The patron capacity risk loading only applies if you are also required to pay a compliance history risk loading.

Patron capacity risk loading is based on the number of people your premises is allowed to hold (excluding accommodation areas).

Accommodation areas of a venue do not need to be included in the patron capacity number for the risk loading.

If you are a producer/wholesaler with a drink on-premises authorisation you only need to provide the patron capacity for the area covered by the drink on-premises authorisation.

Determining the patron capacity of a premises

Where the loading applies to your liquor licence, you need to advise us of what the current patron capacity of the premises is. We use this number to calculate the correct patron capacity risk loading you need to pay.

• Premises exempt from the patron capacity risk loading:
• producer/wholesaler licence, unless a drink-on premises authorisation is held
• on-premises licence relating to accommodation premises, catering service or both packaged liquor licence
• limited licence (multi-function)
• hotel licence that was formerly a community liquor licence.