Fees for non-assigned amateur apparatus licences

Fees for non-assigned amateur apparatus licences.
We have received several queries from non-assigned apparatus-licensed amateurs whose licences are due to expire soon. They are asking if their licence can be renewed only up until the date of commencement of the new amateur class licence.

While we can renew amateur licences for a short period, this may not result in a substantially lower cost. This is because a minimum apparatus licence tax applies to apparatus licences.

The cost of renewing a non-assigned amateur apparatus licence has 2 components:
1. the renewal fee ($4)
2. the apparatus licence tax ($50.76 per year), with a minimum apparatus licence tax amount of $41.37.

Example:
If you renew your licence from 4 October 2023 to 1 February 2024 (120 days), the annual apparatus licence tax will be $16.69 (120/365 x $50.76).
However, the minimum apparatus licence tax amount will still be $41.37. That means the minimum renewal amount is $45 ($41.37 minimum tax and $4 renewal fee, rounded to the nearest dollar).

Commencement of class licence.
Once the class licence commences, it will minimise costs for both current non-assigned apparatus-licensed amateurs and new amateur licensees, who will not have to pay any licence taxes and charges under a class licence.

We expect the class licence to commence in February 2024 and plan to update you in mid-December 2023 about the exact timing of its commencement.

Requests for a shorter renewal period.
If you have received your renewal notice recently and would like to renew your non-assigned amateur licence for a shorter period, please email your request, including your licence number or client ID and the date you would like your licence to be valid until, to info@acma.gov.au.

Licence surrender.
On commencement of the class licence, amateur licensees may wish to surrender their non-assigned amateur apparatus licence, since they will no longer be required.
In some cases, amateur licensees will be entitled to a pro rata refund of tax paid.
Based on our refund policy, the minimum amount we can refund is $41, which excludes administrative fees and is calculated based on the amount of time left on the licence from when it was cancelled to when it was due for renewal.

Further details about licence surrender will be provided in our mid-December 2023 update.

Page Last Updated: Friday, 06 Oct 2023 at 10:12 hours by Lee Moyle

Click Here To Return To Previous Page