Smoking can lead to an early death. For help quitting • call Quitline 13 7848 • talk to your doctor or pharmacist • visit quit.org.au It is illegal to sell tobacco products to a person under 18. It is illegal to purchase a tobacco product for use by a person under 18.
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Tobacco excise in March 2027: what changes and when to expect it

By Smoke Mart Australia on

Smoke Mart Australia graphic: Excise in March 2027

Australian tobacco excise is not fixed — it is indexed to average weekly ordinary time earnings and adjusted on 1 March and 1 September each year. That makes the next change, on 1 March 2027, both predictable in date and uncertain in size.

Check What to expect
What changes How it is set
Date 1 March and 1 September each year
Size of increase Indexed to wage growth (AWOTE factor)
Current rates $1.55274 per stick; $2,587.90 per kg
Effect on a 20-pack Each dollar of per-stick excise adds $20 a pack

How the maths scales

Because duty is charged per stick, a small change in the rate moves the pack price disproportionately: each cent per stick is 20 cents per pack and $2 per carton. That is why shelf prices step up noticeably at each indexation.

What buyers can reasonably do

A modest purchase before 1 March is a legitimate way to smooth costs. Hoarding for months is not — tobacco dries out, and a wasted pouch is an expensive thing to throw away at $2,587.90 a kilogram in duty.

Before you order — four checks that never change

  1. Price against the excise floor. Duty is $1.55274 a stick from 1 September 2026 — about $31 in a 20-pack and $310 in a carton. Two dates a year, every year: 1 March and 1 September. Plan around them.
  2. The pack in the photo. Legal Australian stock is drab brown (Pantone 448C) with graphic warnings covering at least 75% of the front and 90% of the back — no logos, no brand artwork.
  3. Age and delivery. Distance sellers must verify you are 18 or over, and somebody who can sign and show ID has to be at the address. Lockers and unstaffed addresses can be refused.
  4. State rules. South Australia prohibits mail and online tobacco orders outright; everywhere else requires an age-verification system.

Related reading

This article is general information, not medical or legal advice. All tobacco products are harmful and state rules change — check your state or territory regulator before ordering. For help quitting call Quitline on 13 7848.