Mini vic.gov.au

This is a low bandwidth version of vic.gov.au. Contents may not be up to date. © Copyright State Government of Victoria

Reduce or waive liquor licence renewal fees

Lower your level of risk to reduce your annual renewal fees or apply to get them waived.

On this page

It’s time to renew your liquor licence.

Download your renewal notice from your Liquor Portal account(opens in a new window).

You must renew by 31 December.

Read more about renewing your licence.

We send your licence or permit renewal notice in November each year.

If you are concerned about the cost, you can apply to either:

Apply as soon as you get your renewal notice.

Lower your risk to reduce fees

Your fee is based on your licence type and risk factors linked to alcohol-related harm.

Venues with higher risks pay higher fees.

If you lower your risks you may pay a lower fee. Before you apply, check if your change will make a difference to your annual renewal fees.

Apply before 31 December if you want the change to take effect before your next renewal notice.

These are your options:

Open all

Apply to change your licence type (category) to one with a lower annual renewal fee.

For example, if you have a restaurant with an on-premises licence you might change to a restaurant and cafe licence.

Consider what the new licence type will allow and make sure it still fits your business needs.

An application to change your licence type may take 9 to 11 weeks to process.

You must pay a non-refundable application fee of $252.20.

Use this form to apply:

Variation to the category of licence PDF 1.41 MB (opens in a new window)

Consider reducing your trading hours to avoid the risk fee for operating late.

If you have one of these licence types and conditions, your fee will be lower if you close earlier:

Use this form to apply:

Reduce trading hours or patron numbers PDF 177.06 KB (opens in a new window)

If your venue holds 801 customers or more, you may meet the requirements for a prescribed venue type.

Prescribed venue types pay a lower risk fee.

Check if you meet the requirements and how to notify us.

If you have a risk fee for venue capacity (maximum patron capacity), consider reducing the total number of customers your venue is licensed to hold.

This may reduce or remove the fee for venue capacity risk.

Before you apply, check if your change will make a difference to your annual renewal fees.

There is no fee for this application.

Use this form to apply:

Reduce trading hours or patron numbers PDF 177.06 KB (opens in a new window)

You may be paying a risk fee based on the floor space of your licensed venue.

You can apply to reduce your floor space and pay a lower fee if you have a:

If you have a remote seller’s or packaged liquor licence, you can remove the risk fee if you reduce your licensed floor space to less than 750 square metres.

There is no fee for this application.

To apply:

  1. Update your red line plan to show your reduced floor space.
  2. Email the plan to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au.

You can tell us the maximum number of customers your function room holds.

This may reduce your renewal fees if:

How to apply

  1. Download the information kit, which includes the application form:

Vary a licence to identify patron numbers for a function room or accommodation area PDF 481.23 KB (opens in a new window)

  1. Complete and sign the form.

  2. Email the form to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au.

Apply for a fee waiver or reduction

If you cannot lower your renewal fee by changing your licence, you can apply for a waiver or reduction in exceptional or difficult circumstances.

This is one-off assistance to help you get through a difficult time.

We usually ask for evidence of financial hardship, such as a profit and loss statement.

Apply by 31 March to be considered for a fee waiver or reduction of the fee on your latest renewal notice.

What we consider

When we assess your application, we consider:

How to apply

To apply:

  1. Complete the form:

Waiver or reduction of a liquor licence renewal fee PDF 250.2 KB (opens in a new window)

  1. Email the form to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au.

After you apply

You must stop supplying alcohol on 1 April if you have not paid your renewal fee in full.

This is regardless of whether you have applied for a fee waiver or reduction.

We will email you with a decision on your application.

Support for your business

These organisations can offer extra support:

Jobs, work and business

Updated 2 December 2025

About the VIC Government

Grants and programs

Jobs and careers

Arts, culture and heritage

Business and the workplace

Communities

Education and training

Environment, water and energy

Finance and economy

Health and social support

Housing and property

Law and justice

Safety and emergencies

Science and technology

Sport and recreation

Traffic and transport

Working in the Victorian Government