Searches for “submission steps” and “submission mistakes” are really one question: how do I get a claim through the first time? Here is the sequence, then the places it goes wrong.
The steps
- Close the job file. Signed assignment form, photos, electrical certificate, serials, accreditation numbers. Our document list has the full set.
- Check eligibility. Panels and inverter on the CEC approved lists on the install date, installer and designer accredited, system size and postcode confirmed. Use the STC calculator to confirm the expected number of certificates.
- Create the system record in the REC Registry. Enter owner, address, system details and install date. Upload the photos and supporting files.
- Assign the claim to your trader. You tell the trader which jobs you are submitting and agree the rate. At Energy Merchants the rate is locked when a complete claim is lodged, which removes the guessing about price movement.
- Trader review. A good trader checks documents before lodging. A poor one lodges and finds out later.
- CER validation. The Clean Energy Regulator checks the record. Certificates are registered if it passes.
- Transfer and settlement. The certificates move to the trader and you are paid under your terms. See STC payment terms.
The mistakes that cost the most
Mismatched serials
The serial entered in the registry does not match the label in the photo. It looks trivial and it is the most common reason a claim stalls.
Wrong install date or postcode
The deeming period depends on the year and the zone rating depends on the postcode. A date at the wrong side of 31 December or a postcode from the customer’s mailing address rather than the site changes the certificate count. See deeming period and zone ratings.
Unsigned or backdated forms
An assignment signed after the claim was lodged, or by someone who is not the system owner, is a standard audit finding.
Products off the approved list
Panels or inverters that left the CEC list before install can make the whole claim ineligible.
Weak photos
Cropped, dark or non-geotagged images, or labels you cannot read. Review the photo requirements before you leave site.
Lodging before the certificate is ready
No electrical certificate, no claim. See claiming without an electrical certificate.
Treating a rejection as a re-upload
A failed claim needs the actual problem fixed. Read the fix a failed STC claim answer before you resubmit.
What this means for installers
A rejected claim costs more than the time. It delays cash, uses up goodwill with your trader and, if the problem was a compliance one, can follow you into an audit. Tight closeout beats clever recovery.
For the broader picture of why claims fail, see top STC claim rejection reasons. To see where your trader fits into the sequence, look at how it works and the STC trading page.