Liquor licence fees are a standard business cost for all licensees, and as such all licensees should factor this fee into their business planning.
Options for reducing your renewal fee
If you wish to reduce your licence renewal fee, there are a number of options that you should consider.
Changing your licence category
You should consider whether a licence category with a lower renewal fee would better suit your business. For example, if you have a late night on-premises licence, you may wish to consider varying your licence category to an on-premises licence with ordinary trading hours. Please refer to the Variation to category of licence application kit.
Reducing your trading hours
You may consider reducing your trading hours to avoid the operating hours risk fee if you hold a:
- Restaurant and Cafe trading after 1am
- Remote Sellers trading outside ordinary hours
- Packaged Liquor trading outside ordinary hours
- Late night (General)
- Late night (On-premises)
- Late night (Packaged liquor) licence.
If you hold a late-night licence and wish to change your trading to close at 1am or earlier you will need to lodge a variation to category application.
Reducing your venue capacity
If you hold a licence that has a patron capacity risk fee component in the renewal fee, you may consider reducing your patron numbers to reduce or remove the venue capacity risk fee.
Reducing your producers licence floor space
If you hold a producers licence you may be paying a licensed premises floor space risk fee. Reducing your licensed premises area to less than 150 square meters removes this risk fee component.
To reduce your floor space you will need to submit a new red line plan with the reduced licensed area by email to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au. Red line plan requirements can be found at red line plans for licensed premises.
Reducing your packaged liquor licence (including late night) or remote sellers licence floor space
If you hold a packaged liquor licence (including late night) or remote sellers licence you may be paying a licensed premises floor space risk fee. Reducing your licensed premises area to less than 750 square meters for packaged liquor (including late night) or remote sellers licences may remove this risk fee component.
To reduce your floor space you will need to submit a new red line plan with the reduced licensed area by email to contact@liquor.vic.gov.au. Red line plan requirements can be found at red line plans for licensed premises.
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
Liquor Control Victoria (LCV) 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 and return it to LCV. Email us at contact@liquor.vic.gov.au.
The 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. LCV 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, where applicable, to reduce your patron numbers, trading hours or licensed area to reduce the risk fee component of your renewal fee
- your compliance history - if one or more non-compliance incidents have been recorded against your licence for the previous 12-month period, LCV is unable to grant you a waiver or reduction of your renewal fee.
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