Issuing certificates of compliance
Electrical contractors, and workers completing work on behalf of an electrical contractor, must provide their customers with either a:
- 'certificate of testing and safety' for work on electrical equipment
- 'certificate of testing and compliance' for electrical installation work.
You are required to do this under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 (the ES Regulation).
Electrical contractors must keep a copy of these certificates for five years.
Requirements of certificates
You must give a certificate to your customer as soon as possible after you complete the work.
Both types of certificates must state the following:
- the name and address of the person for whom the work was performed
- the details of the electrical equipment or electrical installation tested
- the day the electrical equipment or electrical installation was tested
- the electrical contractor licence number under which the electrical equipment or electrical installation was tested.
In addition to the above, a certificate must contain a suitable certification statement. For example:
- electrical equipment – a statement that certifies the electrical equipment (to the extent it is affected by the electrical work) has been tested to ensure it is electrically safe
- electrical installations – a statement that certifies the electrical installation (to the extent it is affected by the electrical work) has been tested to ensure it is electrically safe and is in accordance with the requirements of the wiring rules and any other standard applying under the ES Regulation to the electrical installation.
Example certificate
An example certificate is available to use. However you can create your own certificate, or use a commercially available version, provided all requirements of the ES Regulation are met.
- Example certificate (PDF, 0.03 MB)
- Example certificate (DOCX, 0.04 MB)
Note: the Word version is a protected document. You can only enter information into the text boxes or in the blank section at the top of the document.
The example certificate can be used for both types of certificate. Select the relevant check-box near the top of the certificate and fill out the other details in the spaces provided.
Frequently asked questions
The electrical contractor performing the electrical work issues the certificate of testing and compliance or a certificate of testing and safety.
- Electrical installations - the electrical contractor (who performed the work or had the work performed under their licence number) MUST provide the the person for whom the work was done with a copy of a 'certificate of testing and compliance' every time an electrical installation (on which electrical work was performed) is connected to a source of electricity. This certificate must comply with the ES Regulation.
- Electrical equipment - the electrical contractor (who performed the work or had the work performed under their licence number) MUST provide the person for whom the work was done with a copy of a 'certificate of testing and safety' every time electrical work is performed on electrical equipment. This certificate must comply with the ES Regulation.
Yes, as long as the invoice (inclusive of the additional information) meets the requirements of the ES Regulation and you hold onto a copy of the invoice for at least five years.
This is the person (or organisation) who engaged you (the licensed electrical contractor) to perform the work, and usually also the person (or organisation) that you would invoice for the work performed.
Unless you were engaged directly by the owner, you would give the certificate of testing and compliance to the builder.
The person who performed or the person responsible for the work can sign the certificate. A rubber stamp signature is acceptable.
A certificate of testing and compliance must state the following:
- the name and address of the person for whom the work was performed
- the details of the electrical installation or the electrical equipment tested
- the day the electrical installation or electrical equipment was tested
- the electrical contractor licence number under which the electrical installation or the electrical equipment was tested
and
- for electrical installations – a statement that certifies the electrical installation (to the extent it is affected by the electrical work) has been tested to ensure it is electrically safe and is in accordance with the requirements of the wiring rules and any other standard applying under the ES Regulation to the electrical installation
- for electrical equipment – a statement that certifies the electrical equipment (to the extent it is affected by the electrical work) has been tested to ensure it is electrically safe.
No, the ES Regulation requires that the licensed electrical contractor (under whose licence number the certificate was issued) must keep a copy of the certificate for at least five years after the certificate is given to the person for whom the work was performed.
As much as possible about the work that was done, for example the number and type of electrical equipment installed. As a copy of the certificate is kept by you it can serve as a good record of the details of the job. This may be useful if you ever need to prove what work was done and what testing was carried out.