Tim Bohm, Jamie Christie, and grouped candidates Anthony Pesec and Gary Kent are among 35 independents who've received initial payments of $10,080, under new rules that grant an automatic sum to candidates who claim 4 per cent of the formal first-preference votes.

Dr Christie was the territory's best performing independent candidate in recent memory, bringing in 8.3 per cent of first preference votes.

Mr Bohm brought in 4.7 per cent of first preference votes in the seat of Canberra while in the Senate, Mr Pesec and Mr Kent - on a joint ticket - brought in 8163 and 217 votes respectively.

The new rules limit the amount of public funding candidates and parties can claim to what they actually spent on advertising. The commission paid nearly $63 million to candidates and political parties in 2016.

However the automatic payments are not enough to cover the amount spent by those on the campaign trail.

Mr Pesec's tilt at the Senate cost $118,000 - $65,000 of his own money although he also secured $15,000 funding from Alex Turnbull.

Mr Bohm's campaign cost a more modest $20,000. The advertising agency director only had 12 corflutes that he moved around the city.

Dr Christie said he was still counting the cost of his campaign, but noted the high costs of running as a candidate meant many people were locked out from doing so.

The last time an independent was elected to represent the ACT was in 1949, when Lewis Nott was elected on the strength of Liberal preferences.