STC registered agents: what they do and how to become one

What a registered agent does

The owner of a system can create STCs themselves or assign the right to create them to an agent. The regulator says most owners choose an agent, and in return they usually get a discount on the system. The owner can assign the right to only one agent at a time.

The agent can accept or refuse the assignment. If it accepts, it checks the system is eligible, creates the certificates in the REC Registry and then trades them to liable entities for money. The regulator says registered agents:

• work with retailers to make sure the system meets every eligibility requirement
• facilitate the creation of STCs
• let the system owner get a discount without creating and trading the certificates

The regulator is clear that an STC is not a rebate and that it pays no money to owners or agents. It registers valid certificates, and the agent finds the buyer. What an STC is.

Duties and the fit and proper test

An agent must obey the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 and its regulations. The regulator also sets these duties:

• keep the evidence behind every STC for at least 5 years
• have documented procedures that stop improper creation, checking that panels are valid and components approved by the Clean Energy Council, that accredited people designed and installed the system, that it meets Australian standards, that it is at the listed address and that no one has claimed the same equipment twice
• have documented procedures to report improper creation within 72 hours

The regulator also expects you to keep your knowledge of the rules up to date, give customers clear information about assignment, use approved retailers and accredited designers and installers, and keep your payment practices fair and clear.

Every registered person must be fit and proper. The regulator expects necessary skills, capability, good business practices and good character. It lists matters it may weigh, such as a history of insolvency, unclear or unfair contract terms, failing to pay customers and false or misleading statements. It passes allegations of unfair practices to the ACCC and state fair trading bodies, and it can remove an agent who stops being fit and proper.

How to become one

SRES Smart covers being an agent, your legal obligations and best business practice. The regulator strongly encourages a yearly self-assessment, and says that if you skip it, it may delay your applications or look into whether you still meet your obligations.

To create certificates you must also be an Australian entity with an ABN or ACN and a physical address in Australia. The name on the account must match the legal entity on your assignment forms. If you want to sell through the clearing house, you add a clearing house account, which needs your bank details.

What it costs

Those are the regulator's fees only. They leave out your time, the staff to run the checks, and the cash tied up while the regulator audits a claim, which usually takes 4 to 6 weeks and can take longer.

Choosing or changing an agent

The regulator tells anyone dealing with an agent to do their due diligence and have a clear contract. It says the contract should settle:

• who bears the risk if the regulator does not approve the STCs
• the price and when it is paid
• a fair way to resolve disputes

It adds that STCs can be bought from the clearing house at a capped $40, and that caution should be exercised with payment prices above that cap.

Once you assign the right, your recourse for payment is the contract. The regulator is not a party to it and has no power to settle contract disputes or recover a bad debt. The usual first stop is your state's fair trading body. If an agent goes into administration, you contact the administrators. You can complain to the regulator if you think an agent is not fit and proper, and you can check any agent's registration in the registry's public register of registered persons. What to check in any trader.

On changing agent: the owner assigns to one agent at a time, and the right can be re-assigned if the first agent refuses or gives it up in writing. The regulator also points to a code of conduct published by an industry body, the REC Agents Association, which binds its own members.

Become one, or use a trader?

Neither route is wrong. An agent that finds its own buyer keeps the margin a trader would have taken, and a busy installer can justify the staff to run it. A smaller firm often finds a trader's price is worth not carrying the compliance work. You can also start with a trader and register later. If you cannot say who would own the checks, start with a trader.

Where we stand

GetSolar Pty Ltd is a registered agent, so we create the certificates for the jobs you send us. Being registered means we have met the regulator's requirements to create certificates. It is not an endorsement or a recommendation from the regulator, which is not a party to any agent's contracts. Check us the way you would check anyone: our ABN, the register of registered persons and our written terms.

Our price is $38.64 + GST per STC, as at 5 November 2026, paid within 1 business day of an approved claim, with no fees. Open a trader account.