STC Clearing House

Written and checked by the Energy Merchants desk · Reviewed 2 October 2026

The STC Clearing House is a facility run through the Clean Energy Regulator where registered holders can list STCs for sale at a fixed price. The price is $40 per certificate. Buyers, usually liable entities, can purchase from the clearing house, and sellers are paid when their certificates are matched.

It was designed as a backstop. If the market price rose above $40, buyers would simply turn to the clearing house. That is why $40 is described as a ceiling on the spot price.

In practice

Most installers will never use it directly. It is a registry-level facility, and traders and registered agents work with it. What matters to you is its effect on pricing and timing.

On pricing, the ceiling explains why spot has been roughly $38 to $40 at the time of writing. Spot cannot go much higher. A trader offering you a rate below $40 is paying less than the clearing house price, because it carries the cost of holding certificates, processing claims and finding buyers.

On timing, the clearing house can be slow. Certificates are queued and sold when buyers purchase them, so the seller waits. If you sell to a trader instead, the trader buys from you up front and takes on that wait. That is a large part of what a trader’s rate pays for. Our guide on how long STC payment should take compares settlement timing.

Common confusion

The clearing house is not a guarantee of $40 in your bank account. The price is fixed, but the sale and payment are not immediate, and the amount is typically stated before GST. Check the Clean Energy Regulator’s guidance for the current conditions.

It is also not a trader. It does not assess your claim for you, give you a rate, or deal with your paperwork. It sells certificates that are already created and registered.

See STC spot price for how the market moves, pricing for today’s published rate, and the certificate trading glossary for related terms.