Australian Lending Right Schemes (ELR/PLR)

How to claim

Claim period: 1 April 2025 23:45 AEDT to 31 March 2026 23:45 AEDT.

• Lodge your claim now

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You will need to register, as a creator or publisher, through Lending Rights Online (LRO). As a new claimant, you must submit at least one title claim when you register. Once your registration and first title claim forms are submitted you will receive an email confirmation with your unique claimant number. Using this claimant number and your nominated password, you will be able to access LRO, view your records and submit new title claims, update your contact and bank details and, once you receive your first payment, view your payment history.

Already registered?—Please go to 'Existing Claimant—Sign In'*.

*If you do not know what your claimant number is, please contact Lending Rights.

If you cannot use Lending Rights Online, use the forms below and email or post your completed forms to us.

Creator forms

• Creator registration
• Title claim for creator
• Change of address and bank details
• Creator registration through literary agent

Publisher forms

• Publisher registration
• Title claim for publisher
• Change of address and bank details

These forms may not meet WCAG 2.0 requirements. For accessible copies, please email: lendingrights@arts.gov.au.

About the program

Public Lending Right (PLR) and Educational Lending Right (ELR) are Australian Government programs that compensate Australian creators and publishers in recognition of income lost through free multiple use of their books in public and educational lending libraries. These programs support the enrichment of Australian culture by encouraging the growth and development of Australian writing.

A creator or a publisher must register and submit title claims within five years from the year of publication. Books are surveyed in a sample of either public lending libraries (PLR) or school, TAFE and university libraries (ELR).

Is my book eligible?

Eligible books are printed books, ebooks, and their audiobook versions:

• with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
• which have been published and offered for sale within five years from the year of publication
• which have a catalogue record in a national bibliographic database, eg SCIS or Australian National Bibliographic Database
• whose creators are individuals (companies or organisations are not eligible creators)
• with no more than five eligible creators.

Ineligible items include:

• music and audio-visual material
• magazines and other serial publications
• games or cards
• books designed for a single-use, such as activity books, sticker books or workbooks
• any other item without an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

Eligible creators are:

• authors, editors, illustrators, translators and compilers
• Australian citizens, wherever they reside, or non-citizens who normally reside in Australia (eligibility ceases if residency in Australia ceases)
• those who receive on-going royalties from the sale of their book.

Eligible publishers are:

• companies whose business consists wholly or substantially of the publication of books and who regularly publish in Australia—'regularly publish' is defined as at least once in the preceding three-year period
• non-profit organisations that publish to further their aims or objectives
• self-publishing creators.

Payments are only made to eligible publishers if an eligible creator is receiving a payment.

PLR and ELR payments are calculated and paid separately.

If you are eligible, your payment will be based on the:

• estimated number of your books held in public and educational (schools, universities and TAFEs) lending libraries
• proportion of the royalties you receive for your books, and
• applicable rates for PLR payments and ELR payments.

This calculation must reach a minimum of $100 for you to receive a payment.

How Lending Rights works

• Lending Rights infographic

Introduction to Lending Rights

https://youtu.be/aeo6ZXxlJdw?si=7E88Cmcv0qJYE_bK

Background information

• Public Lending Right Committee
• Public Lending Right Committee Annual Reports
• Public Lending Right Act 1985
• Public Lending Right Scheme 2016
• Public Lending Right Scheme (Electronic Books and Audiobooks) Modification 2023
• ELR Policies and Procedures 2023
• Privacy Collection Notice

The Questions and answers page gives more information about the programs.