How Whitehorse Recovered $5.7M in Council Rate Arrears
Whitehorse City Council faced $11.8 million in rate arrears, an arrears trap that forced struggling households to clear last year's debt before paying this year's rates, and an infringement process where a single referral fee wiped out 88% of a $99 parking fine.
By partnering with Payble, Whitehorse introduced automated, flexible payment options for both rates and infringements on one platform. In the first year the council recovered $5.7 million in arrears, hit a 95.63% collection rate, and cut external infringement referrals by 63% in three months.
This case study breaks down how a unified, community-first approach to revenue collection delivered better cash flow for the council and real relief for ratepayers at the same time.
What You Will Learn
What you will get
How Whitehorse fixed the arrears trap by combining past debt with current rates into one achievable schedule, how unifying rates and infringements on a single platform cut collection costs, and why early intervention and flexible payment options lift both collection rates and community satisfaction.
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$5.7 million in rate arrears recovered in one year
By combining arrears with current-year rates into one manageable payment schedule, Whitehorse reduced total arrears from $11.8 million to around $6 million and achieved a 95.63% collection rate, well above the 85-90% industry average.
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63% fewer external infringement referrals in three months
Payment arrangement referrals to Fines Victoria dropped from 111 in April to 41 by July. With fewer referrals incurring the $87.60 collection fee, the council saved more than $6,000 every month in direct costs.
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4.63/5 ratepayer satisfaction and 10,000+ active accounts
Satisfaction soared to 4.63 out of 5 against a local government average of 3.1. Over 10,000 accounts now use flexible plans, and 86% of missed payments resolve without any staff intervention.
Latest Webinars
6 weeks. 200,000 residents. One Payment Transformation: with Inner West Council
6 weeks. 200,000 residents. One Payment Transformation: with Inner West Council
A digital transformation that led to 15% adoption rate whilst 1/3 of the community paying their rates via personalised QR codes. This webinar offers practical insights from a CFOs perspective tying into the financial sustainability goals of a council.
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SMS and Email Strategies that Deliver Results
61% of consumers prefer SMS alerts or reminders than any other form of communication regarding payments. This webinar will help you understand how you can leverage SMS as a way of communication at your council to connect with your ratepayers.
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