Claiming is the easy part. The time is spent getting a claim into a state where it will not be sent back.
The claim, step by step
An STC claim is a package: the installation details, geotagged photos, the installer’s written statement, the customer’s signed assignment form, and the equipment serial numbers or product codes. Lodged in the REC Registry by you or by a registered agent on your behalf, it is a data entry job of minutes once everything is to hand.
When STCs get registered
Registration happens after the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) validates the claim. A clean claim usually registers within days. A claim that trips a check, such as a mismatch between the serial and the approved equipment list, an installation date problem or a flagged installer, can sit longer while the CER reviews it.
Once registered, the STCs sit in the account of whoever holds the right to create them, and they can be transferred. That transfer is what the buyer pays for. For the money side see how long it takes to get paid for STCs.
How to keep the timeline short
- Lodge as soon as the job is complete, ideally the same week. There is a 12-month window from install, and an old claim has more chance of a missing photo or an unreachable customer.
- Check photos before lodging against the photo requirements.
- Make sure the installation type is right: new, replacement or additional. See installation type.
- Have a second set of eyes on serial numbers. The most common bounce reason is a typo.
What this means for installers
If you lodge yourself, you own the validation risk and the wait. If you lodge through a registered agent or trader with a compliance check, the claim gets reviewed before it reaches the CER, which tends to cut the back and forth. Our compliance desk pre-checks every claim at Energy Merchants, so problems are caught before they cost days. Read how STC audits work to see why a flagged claim takes longer, and the top rejection reasons to avoid them.
Start with a pricing check or go straight to start trading. The general FAQ covers the rest.