Switching trader is a ten-minute decision and a four-week process. The decision is easy because the numbers show up quickly on a rate card. The process is where installers lose money, usually by leaving a batch of claims stranded, by missing a notice period or by pointing the paperwork at the wrong party. This guide is a plan for doing it cleanly.
A good reason to switch is a settlement time that is hurting your cash flow, a deduction you did not expect, or a trader that has stopped answering the phone. When the market had a trader suspended in 2024, the former Greenbot platform’s clients moved mainly to Formbay and One Stop Warehouse, and the ones who had their claims and records in order moved with the least pain. The aim is to be in that position on an ordinary Tuesday.
Step 1: know what you are leaving
Pull the agreement and answer these questions in writing:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is there a notice period? | You may need to give 30 days and keep lodging in that time |
| Is there exclusivity or a volume commitment? | You may owe a shortfall |
| What is the termination process? | Email, registered post or portal |
| How are rejected claims handled after you leave? | You may remain liable for clawback |
| Who holds your data and files? | You need copies of what was lodged |
| Are any amounts held back? | A reserve or retention you need back |
If the agreement is silent, ask your trader for the terms in writing before you act. See the contract terms checklist.
Step 2: list what is in flight
Make a sheet with every job from the last 90 days that has not been paid. For each, record the lodgement date, the number of STCs, the expected payment date and the status. Reconcile it against the old trader’s statement. A typical installer doing 50 solar jobs a month at 45 STCs has about 2,250 certificates a month in motion. At $38 that is $85,500 a month. With a 20 business day term, perhaps $85,000 is outstanding at any time, and that is the figure you must see arrive in full.
Do not move or re-lodge claims that are with the old trader. Duplicate claims for the same system are rejected and can attract scrutiny.
Step 3: compare on net cash
Rate comparisons mislead if they leave out fees and timing. Compute each offer as net dollars per STC after all deductions, and days until you hold the money. Then add a cost for the cash tied up. The trading guide has the worked method, and the checklist for choosing a trader lists the questions. Use the pricing page to see a published rate, and compare it with any other offer on the same basis.
Step 4: run a 30-day parallel trial
Do not move everything on day one. Send 10 to 20% of new claims to the new trader and keep the rest with the old one.
- Week 1: lodge the first batch. Note how long pre-checks take and how clear the feedback is.
- Week 2: check the first payment landed on the stated term, at the stated rate.
- Week 3: test an awkward claim, such as a retrofit battery or a job with a late assignment form, and see how the desk handles it.
- Week 4: compare net cash per STC and time to settlement across the two traders, then decide on volume.
A trial costs nothing and gives you real evidence. If a first claim takes 48 to 72 hours and later ones settle faster, that is a normal onboarding pattern for a new partner. If the new trader cannot explain when the clock starts, treat that as an answer.
Step 5: fix the paperwork before the next job
Check what you collect on site:
- Assignment forms. Make sure the form names the party that will lodge. Some traders require their own form, others accept a standard one. See the assignment form resource.
- Photos and evidence. Confirm the format and metadata the new trader needs. For batteries, labelling photos need geotags and timestamps. See the battery photo checklist.
- Invoice and RCTI set-up. Update your bank details, ABN and GST status on the new trader’s system. See RCTI, GST and ABN.
- Registry access. If you lodge yourself, confirm which accounts and permissions are in play.
Step 6: tell your crews and your office
A switch fails at the front line. Tell crews which forms to use from the effective date, tell the office which portal to lodge in, and put the old and new traders’ contacts on one page. Without that, forms signed in the first week still point to the old trader.
Step 7: close out the old account
When the last claim is paid:
- Reconcile every payment against your in-flight sheet.
- Chase any shortfall in writing, with job numbers.
- Check there are no held-back amounts or fees remaining.
- Confirm in writing that the account is closed.
- Keep the file for your records period.
If a payment is overdue or the trader is not answering, see what to do when a trader owes you money and what happens if a trader or installer goes under.
Common ways switches go wrong
- Stranding claims. Moving everything on day one and waiting for the old trader to settle slowly.
- Missing the notice period. Paying for a month of a service you no longer use.
- Wrong form. Collecting a week of assignment forms in the old format.
- Counting the headline rate. Choosing the highest rate with a longer term and a fee.
- Skipping the trial. Learning how a trader handles a hard claim on a $3,500 battery.
When to stay
Switching is not always right. If your trader pays on time, answers the phone and charges what it said, a rate that looks $0.20 better elsewhere is less than the cost of a month of disruption. On 2,250 STCs a month, $0.20 is $450. That is real, but it can disappear in one stranded claim.
What a good onboarding looks like
A decent trader makes the switch easy, and you can tell in the first week. Expect a named person to take your details, an explanation of how rates are published and locked, a clear statement of when the settlement clock starts, and a first-claim process that is honest about timing. At Energy Merchants, a new partner’s first claim clears in 48 to 72 hours while the desk verifies details, then moves to 24-hour settlement for established partners.
Whatever trader you choose, ask for the same four things in writing: the rate lock point, the deductions (there should be none beyond what the contract states), the settlement term and the process for queried claims. If you are told those four things in different ways by different people, ask again until the answer is the same.
What to do next
- Pull your contract and your in-flight list this week.
- Ask two traders for written terms and compare net cash and days to settlement.
- Read how Energy Merchants handles onboarding on the switch page and how it works.
- Run the 30-day trial through start trading, and see the Partner Program if you lodge at volume.