FlexiRates questions, answered.

FlexiRates is a council rates payment platform built for Australian local government and powered by Bill Buddy. It combines a self-service ratepayer portal — offering card and direct debit payments on flexible schedules — with a council admin portal that gives revenue teams visibility over payments, schedules, dishonours, and reconciliation.

FlexiRates lets ratepayers set up card or direct debit payments on weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, or custom schedules, which makes rates easier to pay and can improve on-time collection. Self-service reduces inbound calls and manual admin, while the admin portal gives the rates team live visibility over payment activity.

FlexiRates has partnered with Australian councils, including Cardinia Shire Council in Victoria, to give ratepayers modern self-service payment options. FlexiRates is designed for councils across Australia — request a demo to discuss a deployment for your council.

Ratepayers can pay by Visa or Mastercard (credit or debit) or by bank account direct debit. They can make one-off payments or set up scheduled recurring payments on a weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, or custom frequency. The available options are configurable to align with each council's rates policy.

Yes. FlexiRates provides PCI DSS compliant payment handling. Card numbers are never stored directly — a secure token is used for future payments — and data is encrypted in transit. The platform includes role-based admin access, secure ratepayer authentication, audit logs, and privacy-aware design suited to local government. Read more on our Security page.

During onboarding, FlexiRates is configured to align with your council's data, branding, payment rules, and schedule options. Integration and data exchange are set up as part of implementation so payment activity fits your existing rates and reconciliation processes. Specifics are scoped with your team during onboarding.

FlexiRates is powered by Bill Buddy, an Australian payment provider with more than 20 years of experience handling recurring and scheduled payments. Bill Buddy provides the underlying card processing, direct debit, and payment engine, while FlexiRates adds a platform and portals designed specifically for council rates.

Onboarding covers configuring branding, payment rules, data integration, and schedule options so FlexiRates aligns with your council's requirements. Timelines depend on your council's systems and internal processes and are scoped with your team. Request a demo to discuss an implementation plan for your council.

Ratepayers reach the portal through a link printed on their rates notice, from the council's website, or via an email link the council sends. Once in the portal, they can view their balance, choose a payment method and schedule, and manage their account from any device.

The platform flags failed payments, expiring or expired cards, and dishonours, and makes retry attempts. Ratepayers are notified so they can update their details or pay manually, and the council rates team sees failed and upcoming payments in the admin portal so they can follow up.

The admin portal gives revenue teams a consolidated view of ratepayer accounts, active schedules, and successful, failed, and upcoming payments. It supports reconciliation and compliance reporting and maintains audit-friendly activity records to reduce manual reporting effort.

FlexiRates pricing is tailored to each council based on scope and requirements. Request a demo and the FlexiRates team will discuss options and provide pricing for your council.

No. FlexiRates is a payment platform, not a notice generator. Councils continue to issue rates notices, and ratepayers use a link on the notice, the council website, or an email to reach FlexiRates and pay. FlexiRates focuses on flexible payments and payment management.