Housing and productivity contribution

The housing and productivity contribution applies to development applications for new residential, commercial, and industrial development in the Greater Sydney, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Lower Hunter and Central Coast regions. This includes complying development and state significant development.

Contributions collected help to deliver essential state infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, major roads, public transport infrastructure and regional open space.

The housing and productivity contribution is separate to the contributions that developers pay to councils for local infrastructure, such as local roads, drainage and local open space.

Ministerial planning order

The housing and productivity contribution is administered via a Ministerial planning order. The Ministerial planning order was updated on 1 July 2024:

• Ministerial planning order for applications lodged between 1 October 2023 and 30 June 2024
• Ministerial planning order for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2024 (This order also applies to some applications made before 1 July 2024 for land within the Cumberland Plain Conservation Area that had been made but not yet approved on 1 July 2024).

The order also establishes a strategic biodiversity component to help fund conservation measures in the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) and the West Dapto Urban Release Area (WDURA). Further information can be found at Biodiversity contributions for the CPCP, and Wollongong City Council’s West Dapto Urban Release Area Biodiversity Certification Application.

The Ministerial planning order sets the base contribution charge, as well as a transport project component that has replaced the Pyrmont Peninsula Metro Special Infrastructure Contributions Area.

Find out more general information on the housing and productivity contribution by reading the Housing and Productivity Contribution Guide (PDF, 5.5 MB).

Standard conditions of consent should be used by councils and certifiers for all applications where a housing and productivity contribution is required. View the revised standard conditions of consent (PDF, 76 KB).

To assist applicants with determining the correct inputs required to successfully calculate a housing and productivity contribution for dual occupancy development specifically, an applicant guide to dual occupancies (PDF, 431 KB) has been developed and is available for viewing.

Under the housing and productivity contribution scheme, proponents of new developments can either make a monetary contribution or deliver infrastructure directly, known as works-in-kind.

Works-in-kind provide development proponents the opportunity to fast-track the delivery of essential state and regional infrastructure, helping to unlock more homes and drive economic growth.

We’ve released a draft Housing and Productivity Contribution Scheme Works-in-Kind Guideline that outlines how works-in-kind proposals will be assessed and prioritised under the housing and productivity contribution scheme. This includes a new competitive process to ensure the most impactful projects are delivered first.

The public exhibition period for the draft housing and productivity contribution scheme Works-in-Kind Guideline is now closed. Submissions were accepted from 19 June to 17 July 2025 via the NSW Planning Portal.

Thank you to everyone who contributed feedback. Your input is helping to shape a clear, accurate and practical final guideline, expected to be released later this year

If you have questions about the Works-in-Kind Guideline, email the team at [email protected]