Two assessments for the same amount naturally raise concern, but matching totals do not prove double billing. Development applications move through revisions, referrals and renewed submissions that can create another charge under the applicable schedule.
Compare more than the amount
Place the notices side by side and mark the issue date, application reference, fee code, description and calculation basis. One may relate to initial scrutiny while the other covers advertising, circulation, building control or an amended area.
Check the sequence
Map each assessment to the submission history. Was a plan replaced? Did an approval lapse? Was the application category changed? The reason for the later notice may sit in planning correspondence rather than on the financial document itself.
Ask a testable question
Avoid sending a broad complaint that “we paid already.” Quote both notice numbers and ask which schedule provision created the second liability, how the previous receipt was allocated, and whether any credit was considered. A narrow factual question is easier to answer and produces a cleaner audit trail.
Where the authority’s explanation remains inconsistent with the records, a focused exception review can organise the evidence before professional or legal escalation.