Search for a 2031 deeming period and you will find nothing, because the schedule stops. The last year in which a small-scale system can create STCs is 2030.
The end date
The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) is legislated to end on 31 December 2030. Under the deeming schedule the period for solar is 1 year in 2030, and there is no period for 2031. A solar system installed in 2031 will create no STCs under the current law. See when the STC scheme ends.
What stays after the end date
- STCs already created before the end can still be sold to buyers, and liable entities can still be required to surrender certificates for the relevant years. Check the CER for the final surrender timelines.
- Systems installed before the end keep working. The savings on power bills continue.
- Households with a certificate claim in progress should be lodged within the usual window.
What replaces STCs
At the time of writing there is no announced replacement. The federal government has extended the scheme’s reach in other ways, such as batteries from July 2025 and mid-scale solar from 1 October 2026 (mid-scale solar STCs), but those operate inside the same 2030 end date. A successor could be a new federal program, a state scheme, or the market on its own after prices fall. None is confirmed. We cover the politics in can the STC scheme be extended past 2030.
What this means for installers
Plan for a market with no certificate income after 2030. In the meantime, the value of a solar STC falls each year on a fixed schedule, so the commercial case shifts toward batteries, mid-scale solar and the customer’s own savings. Keep selling certificates well: read what a certificate trader does and what the STC scheme ending means.
See the deeming period pillar, rates at pricing, and start trading.