Getting paid for certificates is not only about the rate. The paperwork behind the payment has to be right so that your books, your BAS and our records all agree. This guide explains the tax invoice arrangement, how GST usually fits in, what we check on your ABN and bank details and how to read a remittance.
This is general information at the time of writing and not tax or legal advice. Talk to your accountant about your own position.
What an RCTI is
A recipient-created tax invoice (RCTI) is a tax invoice issued by the buyer on behalf of the seller. Instead of you raising an invoice for every certificate sale, we generate the invoice from the details of your claim, under an agreement between us.
In practice that means:
- you do not need to produce an invoice for each claim
- the invoice comes from our side, based on the claim and the agreed rate
- the amounts match the certificates assigned and the rate locked
- you keep the RCTI as the tax invoice for your records
RCTI arrangements generally depend on both parties being registered for GST and on an agreement being in place. Where those conditions are not met, a different process applies and the desk will explain it.
GST on certificate assignment
At the time of writing, GST treatment on the assignment of certificates depends on factors such as whether you are registered for GST, whether the sale is made in the course of your enterprise and the rules in force. Do not assume. Points to raise with your accountant:
- Are you registered for GST, and from when?
- How do you treat the point-of-sale discount you give customers and the certificates you sell?
- How should the RCTI be reflected in your BAS?
- Do any of your jobs fall under different treatment?
ABN: what we check
Your Australian Business Number (ABN) must be valid and match the entity that is being paid. We check:
- The ABN is active on the Australian Business Register
- The registered entity name is consistent with the name on your account
- GST registration status is consistent with what you told us
- The ABN matches the entity named on the claim and any accreditation details
Common ABN issues
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sole trader trading under a business name | Provide the ABN for the entity, and the trading name you use |
| Company ABN used for a sole trader’s work | Make sure the entity on the ABN is the one doing the work |
| Cancelled or inactive ABN | Reactivate it or provide the correct one before lodging |
| Typo in the number | Re-enter it from the ABR record |
Bank details
Payment goes to the account you set up. For the safety of both of us:
- the account name should match your business or entity name
- BSB and account numbers should be entered exactly
- changes to bank details are verified by the desk, usually by a call-back to a number we already hold
- never send bank detail changes by a message that does not come from your known contact
Fraudulent bank change requests are a real risk for the industry. If someone asks you to change where your certificate money goes, call the desk first on the number on our contact page.
What appears on your remittance
Your remittance is the summary of what we paid and why. It generally shows:
- the date of payment
- the claim or job references included
- the number of certificates for each job
- the rate applied, which is the one locked when the claim was lodged
- the total value and any GST component
- the account the money was paid to
Check the remittance against your job list. If a job is missing, it is probably still being checked or lacks a document. Ask the desk and we will tell you the status.
No fees on our side
Our rate card is the whole story. There are no processing, admin or registry fees taken out of your payment, so the amount on the remittance is the number of certificates multiplied by your locked rate. See pricing for today’s rate and how it is locked.
Timing
Once a claim is cleared, we settle within 24 hours for established partners. Your first claim as a new partner takes a little longer while we verify your ABN and bank details. The step-by-step flow is on how it works.
A quick setup checklist
- ABN active and matching your business name
- GST status confirmed
- Bank account name matches the entity
- RCTI agreement accepted
- Contact details current for call-backs
Set these up when you start trading and the money moves quickly from then on. For the paperwork that comes with each claim, see the STC assignment form guide, and for the solar process, the STC trading page.