Risk-based loadings and exemptions

Trading hours risk loading is included in the calculation of your annual liquor licence fee if your premises is authorised to regularly trade after midnight. The loading must be paid whether the premises trades after midnight or not.

Licensees that are permitted to trade after midnight can reduce their annual liquor licence fee by applying for an occasional extended trading condition (OETC) to be included on their licence.

​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.

Occasional extended trading condition

• If you are a licensee permitted to trade after midnight (including vessels), you can reduce your annual liquor licence fee by applying for an OETC for your licence. This condition means you can only 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 $2,705 trading hours risk loading.

Compare loading with and without an OETC here:

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

If you already have an OETC you only need to reapply if your circumstances have changed.

How to apply

Apply online for an Occasional extended trading condition

What you need to know

• To have reduced your 2019 annual liquor licence fee you needed to have applied for an OETC by 28 February 2019.
• If you apply after 28 February 2019 your application will be assessed to reduce your fee for next year.
• You must have a google account and be logged in to use this application form. Don’t have a google account? Sign up here.

Tourist accommodation exemption

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 risk 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.

How to apply

Apply online for a Tourist accommodation exemption

What you need to know

• To have reduced your 2019 annual liquor licence fee you needed to have applied for a TAE by 28 February 2019.
• If you apply after 28 February 2019 your application will be assessed to reduce your fee for next year.
• You must have a google account and be logged in to use this application form. Don’t have a google account? Sign up here..

Remote population exemption

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 from a town of 1,000 to 5,000 people
• more than 20km from a larger town or city (over 5,000 people).

Your compliance history risk loading will be based on the number of prescribed offence events committed at your licensed premises, or if a premises was listed as a Level 1 or 2 declared premises under the violent venues scheme.

A prescribed offence event is when a licensee or manager is convicted in court, pays a penalty notice or an enforcement order is issued by the State Debt Recovery Office.

Learn more about prescribed offences visit: prescribed offences.

If more than one of the following loadings applies to your licence, you will only pay the highest amount.

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. Accommodation areas of a venue are not included in the patron capacity of a licensed premises.

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.

Location risk loading only applies if you are required to pay a compliance history risk loading and you are located in the Kings Cross and Sydney CBD. This risk loading attracts a $2,164 fee.

Location risk loading does not apply to a:

• producer/wholesaler licence, unless a drink on-premises authorisation is held
• limited licence - multi-function
• hotel licence that was formerly a community licence.