You can sell STCs four ways: to the Clean Energy Regulator’s clearing house at a fixed $40, through a trader or registered agent at a published rate, directly to an electricity retailer, or by holding certificates and waiting for a better price. For almost every installer, the trader route wins on a combination of speed, certainty and workload. The right answer for you depends on your volume, your cash position and how much of the registry work you want to do.
At the time of writing the spot market has been roughly $38 to $40, so the price differences between routes are small. The differences in time and risk are large. This guide compares the four routes honestly and ends with a six-step process for selling your first claim. For the mechanics inside a trader, see how STC trading works.
Route 1: the clearing house
The regulator’s clearing house buys registered STCs at a fixed $40 ex GST, first in, first served. You must hold registered certificates, which means you are a registered person in the REC Registry with verified details.
Pros: the highest nominal price, no trader margin, no negotiation. Cons: payment follows a queue and has no fixed date, you do all the registry work yourself, and any problem with the claim is yours alone.
Best for: operators with strong registry skills and cash to wait.
Route 2: a trader or registered agent
You send claims to a trader. They check them, create or lodge certificates, sell them and pay you at a rate they publish, usually a little below $40.
Pros: defined settlement timing, help with compliance, no registry workload and often better rates with volume. Cons: the rate is below $40, terms vary and you depend on the trader’s solvency and conduct.
Best for: most installers, especially those who value predictable cash. See choosing a certificate trader.
Route 3: sell direct to a retailer
Large installers or aggregators with substantial monthly volume may negotiate a contract with a liable entity directly.
Pros: potentially the best price at scale. Cons: needs volume, legal and credit management, and operational capacity. Retailers do not usually deal with small installers.
Best for: very large operators. Most others reach this market through a trader.
Route 4: hold and wait
Some people hold certificates hoping the price improves.
Pros: none structurally, since the clearing house caps the upside at $40. Cons: you carry price and timing risk, the money is tied up, and the scheme’s deeming schedule and sunset mean there is no long-term reason to wait. See selling STCs before the deeming period drops.
Comparing the routes in numbers
Take a 6.6 kW zone 3 job: 45 STCs.
| Route | Price per STC | Cash on 45 STCs | Time to cash | Admin load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearing house | $40.00 | $1,800 | Queue, uncertain | High |
| Trader at $38 | $38.00 | $1,710 | Defined, often days | Low |
| Hold | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Medium |
The clearing house pays $90 more per job on paper. Whether that is worth it depends on what your cash costs. If waiting an extra two weeks costs you more than $90 on $1,800 of working capital, the trader wins. At an overdraft rate of 12 per cent a year, two weeks on $1,800 costs about $8, so the clearing house wins on price alone, and the real question is whether you can predict when you will be paid and whether you want to do the registry work.
What you need before you sell
- An ABN, and a view on GST registration.
- A signed assignment form from the owner for every job.
- Accreditation for the work done.
- A complete claim: photos, serials, certificates, approvals.
- Bank details and a trading agreement if you use a trader.
Six steps to your first sale
- Choose your route. Most installers should start with a trader.
- Open an account and supply ABN, GST status, bank and accreditation details.
- Gather a complete claim for a recent job.
- Send it and respond quickly to any pre-check queries.
- Confirm the rate and the lock event in writing.
- Receive payment and the RCTI; reconcile against the job.
Tax and paperwork
Selling certificates is a taxable supply. The buyer usually issues an RCTI for you, so you do not raise your own invoice, but your ABN and GST registration have to be correct. The answers on charging GST on STCs and recipient-created tax invoices explain the details. Check with your accountant for your own position.
Red flags when you sell
- A rate far above the market. If a buyer quotes well over $40 ex GST, ask what the catch is. Nobody can sustainably pay more than the clearing house price for a certificate they can only sell at $40.
- Fees that appear after the rate. Per-claim, admin or “registry” charges can turn a good rate into an average one. Calculate the net.
- No written settlement time. “Fast” is not a term. Ask for a number of days and the event they count from.
- Pressure to sign over several months of future jobs. Exclusivity can be fair, but only if the terms are balanced and exit is simple.
- Silence about cancelled certificates. If a buyer will not tell you who bears the loss, assume it is you.
The answers on STC scams and what to check in a trader’s contract go through them in more detail.
Selling batteries and hot water certificates
The same four routes apply to battery STCs, heat pump and solar hot water STCs. Battery claims carry more value per job and tighter evidence rules, so the trader’s pre-check and settlement terms matter more. Hot water and heat pump claims follow the model’s regulator-listed data; the hot water and heat pump checklist lists the evidence. Selling VEECs in Victoria is a separate market with its own buyers and prices; see VEEC trading.
Questions worth asking before you commit
Whichever route you pick, put four questions to yourself. How many claims will I lodge a month, and can I carry the cash if payment slips by two weeks? Who in my business will own the registry and paperwork, and what happens when they are on leave? What does a rejected claim cost me in time and in money? And what would I do if my buyer stopped paying? A route that survives all four is one you can run through a busy December.
What to do next
Look at today’s rate on the pricing page, read how it works for our settlement path and visit the STC trading pillar for the overview. When you are ready to sell a claim, you can start trading or see how the Partner Program works as your volume grows.