Solar paperwork on a home solar or battery job runs in three stages: approvals before the install, evidence on the day, and certificates and connection after it. Most rejected claims trace back to the middle stage, because a missing selfie, photo or serial number can't be fixed from the office. The checklist below follows one job in Victoria; the federal steps are the same in every state.
The paperwork on one job, and who signs it
| Document | When | Who prepares it | Who signs or declares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distributor pre-approval | Before install | Retailer or installer, in the distributor portal | The applicant named in the portal |
| Written feed-in tariff, export limit and payback information | At sale | Retailer | Retailer, through its written statement |
| Onsite verification selfies and photos | On the day | The installer, on site | Only the accredited installer who attended can take them |
| Certificate of Electrical Safety (Victoria) | After the work, once inspected | Registered electrical contractor or licensed electrician | The electrician or contractor; solar also needs a licensed inspector |
| Electrical Works Request | After the work | Electrician | Electrician, lodged through the customer's retailer |
| STC assignment form | After the install | Retailer or agent | Owner assigns; designer and installer sign written statements; retailer signs the retailer statement |
| Certificate claim | Within 12 months | Registered agent or owner | Whoever creates the certificates |
Admin staff, in your office or outsourced, can prepare, chase and check everything in that table. They can't sign or declare any of it.
Before the install
- Approved equipment. Panels and inverters must be on the approved lists. A battery must be on the Clean Energy Council's approved list, meet AS/NZS 5139, be able to join a virtual power plant when grid-connected, and be installed by a Solar Accreditation Australia installer with a battery endorsement.
- Distributor pre-approval. In Victoria, distributors such as AusNet say you must complete the pre-approval application before starting the installation. Keep the reference and the approved export limit on the file.
- Inverter settings. From 1 November 2026, inverters installed in Victoria must comply with CSIP-AUS for emergency backstop. Check your distributor's current requirements.
- Rebate eligibility. Where a state program applies, get approval before the install. Solar Victoria's steps are in our Solar Victoria rebate paperwork guide.
On the day: the evidence the regulator checks
The accredited installer must attend job setup, a mid-installation check and commissioning, with a selfie at each stage. Since June 2026 the regulator has been monitoring those selfies: retailers must verify that they show the installer who attended, and registered agents must show they checked attendance and identity. Getting it wrong can lead to action against the installer, the retailer and the agent.
- Installer selfie at job setup
- Installer selfie at the mid-installation check
- Installer selfie at testing and commissioning
- Serial numbers of panels, inverter and battery, showing the number on the product
- Battery critical labelling, clear, geotagged and timestamped
- Each new battery module's serial number on stackable systems
- Time, date and location data kept on every photo
Every photo needs its time, date and location data, and serial-number photos must show the number on the product itself, per the CER's evidence rules. For batteries, clear, geotagged and timestamped photos of critical labelling have been required since 1 March 2026. On stackable batteries, record each new module's serial number.
After the install: safety, connection and certificates
In Victoria, solar is prescribed electrical work. A licensed electrical inspector inspects it, and the electrician must give the customer a copy of the Certificate of Electrical Safety within 4 days of completing the certificate once the inspection is done. The Electrical Works Request, the certificate and the distributor's post-install form then go to the customer's energy retailer, which arranges the meter work.
For the certificates, the STC assignment form carries three kinds of sign-off. The owner assigns the right to create the certificates. The designer and the installer each sign a written statement, including that the installer was on site. The retailer signs a statement that the system is complete and that the customer had the required information in writing. Certificates must be created within 12 months of installation, and the regulator can ask for the records for five years.
Check the pack before anyone signs
- Serial numbers match across photos, the assignment form and the registry entry
- Installation date matches the commissioning photos and the electrical certificate
- All three selfies are present and show the accredited installer named on the form
- Battery labels are legible in the photos
- Pre-approval reference and export limit match what was installed
- Retailer information on tariff, export limit and payback was given in writing
- Electrician's licence number is recorded
That check is where outsourcing helps most, because it is the same every time and the cost of skipping it is a rejected claim. SolarOps specialists run it on every job pack in your systems, then hand it to your installers, electricians and agent to sign. If you are pricing that help, our guide to outsourcing solar admin works out the cost per job.
