Cut-off times are a small detail that matter more as volume grows. They decide which day’s rate you receive and which day’s payment run you land in.
What a cut-off controls
A trader’s cut-off typically affects three things:
- Processing day. A claim received before cut-off is checked and lodged that day. After, it waits for the next business day.
- Rate lock. Some traders lock the price when your complete claim is received, others when it is processed or validated. A day’s delay in a moving market is a day’s risk.
- Payment run. If settlement is on a schedule, missing it can add days or a full week.
Weekends and public holidays move all of this. A claim lodged Friday evening may not be touched until Monday or Tuesday.
Why “complete” is the word that matters
Almost every cut-off applies to a complete claim: signed assignment form, correct photos, serial numbers, matching system details. If something is missing, the clock does not start. This is why most cut-off pain is really a claim-quality problem. See photo requirements and the assignment form.
What to ask your trader
- What is the daily cut-off, in which time zone, and what happens on weekends and public holidays?
- Does the rate lock at receipt of a complete claim or at processing?
- Are payments daily or in scheduled runs?
- What counts as complete, and who tells me if it is not?
- Is there a different cut-off for batteries, hot water or bulk batches? See batch submission.
A simple routine that beats cut-offs
Submit as jobs finish rather than in an end-of-week pile. Use a checklist before upload. Ask your account manager to flag problems the same day. A claim that is right first time clears as fast as the process allows.
What this means for installers
Treat the cut-off as part of the price. A better rate with a cut-off that regularly pushes you to the next day may be worth less than a slightly lower rate that applies to everything you lodge. Our rate is published daily on pricing and locks when a complete claim is lodged; our compliance desk checks it first. See how it works, start trading and the STC trading pillar.
Public holidays and the CER
The CER registry is itself closed to some processes on weekends and holidays, so even a fast trader cannot lodge when the system is unavailable. Plan big installs around long weekends and tell your trader in advance.