There are two clocks. One is the Clean Energy Regulator’s (CER) validation and registration of your certificates. The other is your trader’s settlement once the certificates are registered. Mixing them up is why so many installers feel they are being kept waiting.
Registration and validation time
The CER checks claims before registering them. It publishes guidance saying that validation will usually take four to six weeks, and may take longer if documentation is incomplete or incorrect or if it identifies a compliance issue. In practice:
- Low-risk, complete claims often register quickly, in days.
- Claims picked for a closer check sit in pending audit while the CER reviews photos and details.
- Claims with missing information wait until the CER receives it, or fail.
Exact timing is the CER’s call, so any quoted figure is a guide. At the time of writing, the CER’s 2026 attention on photos, attendance and battery labelling means more claims are getting a second look. See CER compliance priorities for 2026.
What slows pending review
- Photos that are missing, unclear or without location data.
- Serial number, address or installer data that does not match.
- An installer, retailer or agent with a prior audit history.
- Volume spikes, for example before a deeming period or factor change, when the CER receives more claims than usual.
- A system type or product that needs manual checking.
What you can do while you wait
- Keep the job file ready so you can answer a request the same day.
- Do not recreate a claim that is pending.
- Watch the status. See status meanings.
- Ask your trader whether they pay on pre-approval and under what terms.
- Plan cash flow around the slower end of the range.
Payment after registration
Once certificates are registered, settlement is up to your trader. At Energy Merchants, established partners are settled within 24 hours, and a first claim takes 48 to 72 hours while details are verified. Terms differ across traders, so compare using how long STC payment should take, and see the rate card.
What this means for installers
Build the validation window into your cash flow plan and choose a trader that does not make you wait twice. If a claim is well beyond the usual window, read STCs stuck at the CER and reasons for STC payment delay. Pillar: STC trading.
Reasons to start early
Claim volumes rise before known deadlines, such as a change to the deeming period or the battery factor. When the CER receives many claims at once, validation takes longer. If you know a deadline is coming, lodge complete claims early and avoid last-week pressure. The deeming period stays at five years for 2026 installs and drops to four for 2027, as covered in what changes in January.