Installers search for “same day”, “48 hours”, “72 hours”, “7 days” and “30 days” as if they were different questions. They are one question with different answers on the cash side. This page explains what each term usually means and what to check.
What starts the clock
Two traders can both say “paid in 48 hours” and mean different things. The clock can start at:
- Lodgement. The moment you submit a complete claim.
- Sign-off. After the trader’s compliance team has approved it.
- Registration. After the CER has validated and registered the certificates.
- Settlement. After the certificates have transferred to the trader in the registry.
The later the trigger, the longer the real wait. See registration versus settlement for how each stage affects the cash.
Same day
Same-day payment is typically offered to established partners with clean, pre-approved claims, with a daily cut-off time. It is the fastest available and normally depends on the trader taking on the validation risk itself. Ask what happens if a claim later fails: some traders recall the payment.
48 hours and 72 hours
These are common for first claims or for claims that need a manual check. A new partner often sits in this band while the trader verifies ABN, bank details and accreditation. At Energy Merchants, a new partner’s first claim clears in 48 to 72 hours, and established partners move to 24-hour settlement.
7 days
A week is the usual outer edge for “fast” in the industry. It often means payment after registration or after the trader’s weekly run. Workable if you plan for it, but it holds a week of cash.
30 days
Thirty-day terms are a standard commercial default, but they sit badly with a business that has bought the panels and paid the crew already. See 20 days versus 1 day for a worked comparison.
What a delay costs
An illustration, not a quote. A residential system might produce certificates worth a few thousand dollars at a spot price of roughly $38 to $40 at the time of writing. If you finance the gap on an overdraft at around 10 percent a year, waiting 30 days instead of 1 day on a $3,800 claim costs roughly $30 in interest. Across 50 jobs a month, the difference is meaningful, plus the stress of carrying it.
Terms to check in the agreement
- Trigger for payment and the cut-off time
- Whether the rate is locked at lodgement
- Recall or clawback terms if a claim fails later
- Fees, and the minimum volume if there is one
- How disputes are handled
Our trader contract checklist goes through each.
What this means for installers
Choose the term that matches your cash cycle, not the one with the biggest number on the banner. Check how long payment should take in practice in our STC payment timing guide and look at pricing alongside the terms. The STC trading page explains the claim flow.