Annual liquor licence fees
Your annual liquor licence fee is influenced by factors such as:
- opening hours
- compliance history
- amount of alcohol sold.
You can reduce your fee by up to 40% by adopting certain safety and community measures at your venue.
When the fee is due
Each year at the beginning of November, Licensing NT will send you an invoice.
You must pay it by the first business day in February of the following year.
If you don’t pay on time, your licence will be suspended immediately until the fee is paid.
Annual fee cost
The fee is calculated using the risk based licensing (RBL) framework.
The framework rewards businesses that follow their licence conditions, promote safety, support the community and serve alcohol responsibly, while penalising those who break the rules.
The calculation gives you a general idea of how much you can expect your licence to cost each year. The exact fee will be calculated by Licensing NT.
Calculation
Total annual fee = [(BF × V × H) × (1 − D)] × Br
- BF = base fee
- V = volume multiplier
- H = hours multiplier
- D = discount multiplier
- Br = breach multiplier.
Your base fee is your risk classification for the highest risk authority your venue is licenced for.
Base fees are in revenue units, check the current value of a revenue unit.
| Risk classification | Base fee |
|---|---|
| Very high | 1653 revenue units |
| High | 827 revenue units |
| Moderate | 414 revenue units |
| Low | 290 revenue units |
| Very low | 83 revenue units |
The tier volume multiplier is based on the volume of pure alcohol content (PAC) you have purchased from a wholesaler in the previous 12 months.
| Range | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Under 500L PAC | 0.50 |
| Between 501L and 7,500L PAC | 0.75 |
| Between 7,501L and 25,000L PAC | 1.00 |
| Between 25,001L and 50,000L PAC | 2.00 |
| Between 50,001L and 90,000L PAC | 3.00 |
| Over 90,000L PAC | 4.00 |
The hours multiplier is calculated based on how long your business was open in an average week over the past 12 months, compared to the average weekly hours of similar businesses in your region.
Each of the following actions lowers your fee by 5% (0.05 multiplier) to a maximum of a 40% discount:
- hosting live original local music or entertainment at least once a week
- installing and maintaining video surveillance
- hiring security or crowd control staff
- using an ID scanning system for patrons entering your premises
- being a member of a recognised liquor industry group with a code of conduct
- joining liquor accords in your area
- being part of the Good Sports program for clubs and community venues
- having a good compliance record.
Find out more about getting a discount on your annual liquor licence fee.
A breach happens if under the Liquor Act 2019:
- the licence holder or employee is found guilty of breaking the law
- the licence holder receives an infringement notice
- the licence holder faces disciplinary action.
| Breaches in the last 24 months | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| First breach | 1.1 |
| Second breach | 1.25 |
| Third breach | 1.5 |
| Fourth breach | 3 |
| Fifth breach | 4 |