What we pay
As at 3 November 2026, with no fees taken off, paid within 1 business day of an approved claim:
| Job | You receive |
|---|---|
| Home system, owner not registered for GST | $41 per STC |
| Business system, owner registered for GST | $37.27 + $3.73 GST = $41 per STC |
On a home system that is above the $40 clearing house price and the market prices below. The regulator advises caution with prices above that cap, so check us as you would any trader: what to check.
The $40 clearing house cap
The STC Clearing House is run by the Clean Energy Regulator. The price is set in law at $40 before GST, so $44 with GST. Any buyer can get certificates there at that price, so it acts as a ceiling on the market.
The catch for sellers is time. Your STCs join a list and sell when a buyer comes along, and the regulator gives no guarantee of how long that takes. Ecovantage reported a surplus of 2.38 million certificates in the clearing house in the week of 26 to 30 October 2026.
Since the battery program began in 2025, the Australian Government has also bought certificates there, at the $40 price, in volumes matching the STCs created for batteries.
The open market
Most certificates change hands here. Buyers and sellers agree a price themselves, it can move daily, and payment is arranged outside the REC Registry. The regulator does not set this price or step in if a buyer does not pay.
Two public reports for the last week of October 2026: Ecovantage reported STCs settling at $39.85 for the week, and Demand Manager listed a trade of 5,000 STCs at $39.65 on 30 October. Market prices like these are quoted before GST.
What traders pay, and why
On 3 November 2026 the buy prices we found published on other traders' websites ran from about $38.20 to $39.50. That gap below the market pays for:
- Registry fees. $0.47 per certificate for small generation units such as solar panel systems, once you pass the first 250 certificates, and then on all of them.
- Audit risk. The regulator can fail a claim. Someone has to carry that, so ask who.
- Paying early. A trader who pays you the next day has to wait for the certificates to be registered and sold.
- The work. Checking claims, software, and chasing what is missing.
Registered certificates usually fetch a little more than unregistered ones because the seller has already paid the fees and carried the audit. How STC trading works explains the difference.
Comparing prices with GST
This is where most confusion starts. "$39 plus GST" looks lower than "$42 incl GST", but it is worth more to a business that pays the GST on to the ATO: $42 with GST is only $38.18 before GST. Put both on the same basis first.
| Before GST | With GST |
|---|---|
| $38 | $41.80 |
| $38.50 | $42.35 |
| $39 | $42.90 |
| $39.50 | $43.45 |
| $40 | $44 |
On a home system the question does not arise in the same way: the ATO says no GST applies to the homeowner's assignment, so what the trader pays is simply what you receive. GST on STCs, in full.
What it means for a job
Installed in May to Dec 2026, at $41 per STC:
| Job | STCs | At $41 |
|---|---|---|
| 6.6 kW panels, Melbourne | 39 | $1,599 |
| 6.6 kW panels, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide | 45 | $1,845 |
| 13.5 kWh usable battery, anywhere | 91 | $3,731 |
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026. Rules and market prices change. General information only, not tax, legal or financial advice: check your own position with your accountant.
- Buy and sell STCs (Clean Energy Regulator, updated 14 September 2026)
- Create STCs: documents, audit and fees (Clean Energy Regulator, updated 2 November 2026)
- STCs for batteries, and government purchases (Australian Government, DCCEEW, updated 9 July 2026)
- Weekly market update, 26 to 30 October 2026 (Ecovantage)
- Certificate prices (Demand Manager)
- GST and the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (ATO, updated 11 December 2025)