Biodiversity Offsets Payment Calculator Order changes and what they mean

The Biodiversity Offsets Payment Calculator Order 2026 has been made and will start on 1 October. 

The new Order introduces modest changes to the operation of the Biodiversity Offsets Payment Calculator (BOPC). 

The basic methods of calculating Biodiversity Conservation Fund (BCF) charges are not changing for most credit types. 

Changes to the Order include:

• quotes will be valid for 1 year, reduced from 3 years, and all quotes will be published weekly
• monthly indexation will be removed
• delivery fees have been adjusted to better reflect actual costs and now include: 
  • a fixed fee of $2,460 per payment
  • a per credit fee of $160
  • an external fee of $51 per credit
• the price estimate service will be discontinued
• for a transition period, we will maintain an option for proponents who have not yet lodged a development application to get an estimate of the cost to pay into the BCF and these will be published weekly
• a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement size category has been added to the cost structure model
• the econometric model has been removed. 

Following consultation, we did not progress a proposal to introduce a moving average model. This reflects stakeholder feedback and advice from commissioned experts. 

For development proponents with a quote issued prior to 1 October 2026, the price to pay into the BCF will remain as outlined in the quote. Existing quotes remain valid until the expiry date listed on the quote and indexation will continue to apply. 

Proponents with an existing quote may also request an updated quote to replace the existing quote. 

The new Order can be found on legislation.nsw.gov.au