Why did your .au domain renewal go up? What changed and what you can do

The wholesale price under every .au domain rose by 86 cents a year, the largest of the last three October rises. auDA's wholesale pricing update of 6 August 2026 moved it from AUD$8.64 to AUD$9.50 per licence per year, ex GST, from 1 October 2026 (checked November 2026). That is why your renewal invoice is higher.

Here is the working. 86 cents on the old AUD$8.64 price is roughly a 10% rise, by our estimate (checked November 2026). Domainer's article on the 86cent increase for .au domain registrations and renewals lists the two rises before it: $7.78 to $8.45 in October 2024, then $8.45 to $8.64 in October 2025 (checked November 2026). By our arithmetic that makes the sequence 67 cents, then 19 cents, then 86 cents.

Part of this year's rise is built to flow back out again. auDA's new Quality Performance Index (QPI) Program can pay registrars a rebate of up to AUD$0.45 per .au licence per year if they meet prescribed quality, compliance and security levels (checked November 2026). For a registrar that earns the full rebate, our estimate of its net wholesale cost is $9.05 ($9.50 less the $0.45 rebate), or 41 cents above the old price (checked November 2026). That rebate goes to the registrar, not to you.

Why did my domain renewal go up?

auDA says the new price "incorporates a CPI increase and the QPI rebate". The same statement says the price supports auDA as a self-funding, not-for-profit organisation, and that auDA reviews the wholesale price annually.

The figure applies across the board. auDA's wholesale .au domain pricing page sets AUD$9.50 per year, ex GST, for a licence in any .au namespace, whether your name ends in com.au, net.au or plain .au (checked November 2026).

Domainer, a domain news site published by a company that also runs a registrar, reproduces auDA's notice to registrars. According to that notice, the new price covers new registrations, renewals, Change of Registrant and .au direct application fees, while the registry lock fee stays at AUD$10 per domain per month including GST (checked November 2026). Domainer's own calculation, not auDA's, puts the wholesale price including GST at AUD$9.504 before and AUD$10.45 after, a rise of about 95 cents a year (checked November 2026).

Who sets the price on your invoice?

A common mix-up is that auDA sets the price on your invoice: it sets only the wholesale price, and each registrar or reseller sets its own retail price, as auDA's wholesale .au domain pricing page explains.

Registrars buy at the wholesale price offered by Identity Digital Australia. On top of that, auDA notes that retail pricing "can vary depending on other supporting services", such as web hosting and email hosting.

So if your renewal jumped by much more than a dollar, the wholesale change doesn't explain it on its own. The rest sits in your provider's own pricing: its margin, and anything bundled with the name.

Our suggestion at Good Web Designer is to read the invoice line by line. If the domain is folded into a hosting or email package, ask your provider what the domain costs on its own. Then you can compare like with like.

How to renew a .au domain

Renewing is simple once you know four things.

1. When it expires and who renews it. Your provider sends reminder emails, according to auDA's renew your .au domain name page. Keep your contact details current so those reminders actually reach you.
2. When you can act. Licences can be renewed up to 90 days before expiry.
3. Whether you still qualify. To renew, you must still meet the eligibility and allocation rules, or the licence can be cancelled. Our earlier piece on com.au domains named after what you sell covers the rule auDA has proposed changing.
4. How long to renew for. A licence can run for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years. Because auDA reviews the wholesale price every year, a longer term mainly means fewer renewal dates to watch. Whether it costs you less depends on your registrar's price.

auDA is also reviewing its Licensing Rules, but its update on .au Licensing Rules review of 19 October 2026 is about which names qualify for com.au and net.au, not about renewal timing. auDA proposes that existing com.au and net.au licences keep the current allocation rules, plans public consultation on draft rules later this year, and says no final decisions have been made.

Put the expiry date in the same diary as your other site upkeep, such as your WordPress update routine.

What happens if your .au domain expires?

A missed renewal costs more than a renewal fee. After expiry there is a 30 calendar day grace period, and you can renew during it through your existing provider or a new one.

During those 30 days you cannot use or update the domain. Your website and email stop working, and some providers charge a fee to restore the name.

After day 30, the name is removed and anyone eligible can register it, first come, first served. auDA is plain about it: getting it back is not guaranteed.

How to transfer a .au domain to another registrar

If your registrar's new price looks out of line with an 86-cent wholesale rise, moving is an option. auDA's transfer your .au domain name page says there is no fee for any transfer of a .au licence between registrars (checked November 2026).

You need the transfer authorisation code, also called the EPP authInfo or "domain password". Your current registrar sends it to the registrant contact email listed in the .au registry, or you can use auDA's password recovery tool. Check which email that is with auDA's WHOIS tool before you start, because if it belongs to someone who has left, the code goes to them.

Once approved, a transfer can take up to three days, so start well before your expiry date. A licence can't be transferred while it is subject to a complaint, an internal review, the auDRP or court proceedings.

Who holds your business's domain licence?

Two names matter. The first is the registrant, the person or entity that holds the licence. The second is the provider that renews and bills it. They are often not the same, especially where a former staff member or an old supplier set the domain up.

This matters most when a business changes hands. auDA's transfer your .au domain name page says buying a business does not automatically move the domain. A transfer under a sale contract must happen within 28 days of the contract, unless the contract says otherwise.

A change of registrant also passes on only the full years remaining, up to five, and some providers charge a fee for it.

The numbers in one place

These are the checked figures and time limits from this article in one place, each with its auDA source.

Check your domain this week

Open your latest renewal email or provider account and write down three things: the expiry date, the provider, and the registrant's name. Then check the invoice line items against the checklist above.

If any of the three is a mystery, or the registrant is someone who has left the business, tell Good Web Designer what you found through our contact page and we'll be in touch.

Sources

• https://www.auda.org.au/news-insights/statements/introduction-of-au-registrar-quality-initiative-and-wholesale-pricing-update
• https://www.auda.org.au/registrar-resources/wholesale-au-domain-pricing/
• https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/manage-your-au-domain-name/renew-your-au-domain-name/
• https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/manage-your-au-domain-name/transfer-your-au-domain-name/
• https://www.auda.org.au/news-insights/statements/update-on-au-licensing-rules-review
• https://www.domainer.com.au/86cent-increase-for-au-domain-registrations-and-renewals/ (Domainer, published by a company that also runs a registrar)