Centre for Risk Analysis
Public finance tool Johannesburg Tariff Impact
2026/27 estimate
JohannesburgEffective 1 July 2026

What will the new Joburg tariffs cost you?

Enter your property value and monthly usage to compare your estimated municipal bill before and after the new tariffs.

Planning estimateBased on the City’s approved average increases and published 2025/26 tariff bands.

City-approved context

Approved average increases

Effective from 1 July 2026

Municipal serviceAverage increase
Electricity8.63%
Water12.5%
Sanitation11%
Refuse removal6.2%
Property rates3.6%
Household details

Build your estimate

All amounts update immediately. You can exclude services that do not appear on your municipal account.

01 · Property

Your property

Used for property rates and refuse.

Property category
ResidentialFixed

This calculator is configured for residential estimates. Commercial electricity, water, sanitation and refuse accounts use different tariff structures and require a separate calculation.

VAT: 0%Property rates are VAT-exempt.
02 · Electricity

Electricity

City Power residential prepaid categories.

Using prepaid electricity?

Your municipal bill may show R0 for electricity usage because you pay when buying tokens. This calculator still includes the cost of those prepaid units so that your total reflects your full monthly household spend.

Prepaid directly from Eskom?

This calculator is currently based on City Power tariff structures. Estimates may not accurately reflect Eskom Direct residential tariffs. You can continue, but treat the electricity result with caution.

Additional electricity costs: Your account or prepaid arrangement may include fixed, service, capacity or network charges. This calculator estimates usage only and excludes these charges.

03 · Municipal services

Water & sanitation

Calculated together with one combined 15% VAT total.

Water consumptionSliding scale · before VAT
Demand management levyOptional · before VAT

Enter the levy shown on your own account. Leave this blank if no levy appears. It is added to water and sanitation before the combined 15% VAT is calculated.

SanitationBased on ERF size · includes 15% VAT
Water & sanitation VAT calculationMonthly estimate
Before 1 JulyFrom 1 July Water usageR0.00R0.00 Demand levyR0.00R0.00 SanitationR0.00R0.00 Subtotal before VATR0.00R0.00 VAT at 15%R0.00R0.00 Total including VATR0.00R0.00
04 · Municipal services

Refuse removal

A separate residential charge with its own 15% VAT.

Enter your municipal property value above to determine the residential refuse band. Refuse is a fixed monthly charge by property-value band, with 15% VAT added.

Refuse VAT calculationMonthly estimate
Before 1 JulyFrom 1 July Charge before VATR0.00R0.00 VAT at 15%R0.00R0.00 Total including VATR0.00R0.00
Method and limitations

A useful planning estimate,
not a municipal invoice.

Why this is an estimateThe City approved average increases for 2026/27, but the indexed, consolidated line-by-line tariff schedule was not yet available when this calculator was produced.

The estimate applies the approved increases to the City’s published 2025/26 tariff bands. Water consumption, the demand levy and sanitation are combined before 15% VAT is calculated. Refuse is kept separate and receives its own 15% VAT calculation. Property rates are shown at 0% because they are VAT-exempt. One-off sundry items such as pretermination notices, debt, interest and account adjustments are excluded.

View calculation assumptions

Property rates are annualised and divided by 12. The residential value exclusion is R300,000. Electricity and water are charged progressively by usage band after any free units entered. For water, enter the exact Step 1 quantity charged at R0 on the account; this can be prorated for the billing period. Electricity fixed, service, capacity and network charges are excluded. Sanitation uses the exact ERF size to select the applicable tariff band. Refuse is a fixed monthly charge selected by municipal property-value band. An optional demand management levy is included only when the user enters the current before-VAT amount, then estimated forward using the approved 12.5% average water increase.