Accreditation is not a one-time credential. SAA expects you to keep learning and to renew on time, and the Clean Energy Regulator expects you to be accredited on the date of installation.
Renewal basics
Your accreditation has an expiry date, shown on your SAA profile and in the register. Renewal needs a current electrical licence, evidence of CPD and payment of the renewal fee, reported at $759 for a three-year term at launch. Provisional accreditation moves to full accreditation under separate rules, so read SAA’s guidance if that is your position.
CPD points
SAA requires accredited installers and designers to earn CPD points to keep their accreditation. Reported settings are 100 points a year, with at least 60 from core training. Core courses were reported at 20 points each when SAA reset the structure from the Clean Energy Council’s scheme, which meant one extra core course a year compared with the old arrangement. SAA also recognised CEC-era CPD for the first 12 months after transition. Rules evolve, so treat the numbers here as a guide and confirm in your SAA account.
Practical ways to earn points:
- core courses on standards and compliance
- manufacturer and product training
- industry events and webinars that SAA approves
- battery and VPP training, which also supports endorsements; see battery accreditation
What a lapse costs
If your accreditation expires, jobs installed while you are not accredited are exposed. The claim can be rejected, and the cost lands on you. See why STC claims get rejected and what a CER audit looks at.
From the desk: set the reminder three months before expiry, not three weeks. CPD courses fill up, and an electrical licence renewal that slips can stall the whole application.
Business owners and crews
If you employ accredited installers, track every expiry date in one place and check before rostering. This also feeds compliance tooling; see compliance and job management software. You can check any installer’s status on the register with the steps in how to check an SAA accreditation number.
What this means for installers
Renewal is routine if you plan for it. Put the cost and the training days into your annual budget alongside insurance and your electrical licence. The SAA accreditation overview explains the connection to your claims, and the installers hub lists the rest. When the paperwork is in order, how it works shows the next step.