A late payment is a symptom. The question is whether the delay sits with you, the registry or the trader, because each has a different fix.
Work out where the delay is
Start with the registry. If the certificates are still pending validation, or have been flagged, the trader may be waiting on the Clean Energy Regulator. Our guides on payment delay reasons and why a payment has not arrived list the common causes.
Next, look at your own paperwork. Missing assignment forms, unreadable photos, or an incomplete serial list can park a claim in a queue without anyone telling you.
If the claim is clean and the trader has simply not paid, you are in the territory covered by what to do when a trader owes you.
Questions to ask the trader
- Is the claim marked complete in your system, and since when?
- What is the exact reason for the hold, in writing?
- When will funds be sent, and on what basis?
- Was the rate locked at lodgement?
A good desk answers those in one message. A poor one answers with generalities.
Patterns that mean it is time to move
Two late payments in a quarter with no clear cause, rate changes after lodgement, or a new “processing fee” are all signals. Settlement within days of a complete claim is achievable; how long STC payment should take lays out what is realistic.
Putting a number on the cost
Late payment has a real price. If you pay your crew and suppliers weekly, a ten-day delay on a month of STCs means you are funding the trader’s cash flow from your own. Work out your monthly STC value, divide by thirty, and multiply by the days you were kept waiting. A crew lodging 300 STCs a month at around $39 is carrying roughly $11,700 each month, so every extra week of delay is thousands of dollars of working capital tied up. That figure is what you should weigh against any small difference in headline rate.
What this means for installers
Do not wait until cash flow hurts. If you are considering a move, the switching guide covers handling claims in flight, and start trading will get you a test claim with 48 to 72 hour first settlement and 24-hour settlement after that for established partners.