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Yamate › For electricians › CCEW NSW guide

CCEW in NSW: when you need one, the 7 days, how to submit

By Tess Dewhirst, Yamate · Building Commission NSW pages read 19 October 2026 · job software, not the regulator

The Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work is now digital only, the clock is seven calendar days, and the like-for-like oven swap needs one. Here is the whole thing on one page, in the regulator's own words where it counts.

The rules at a glance

1 July 2026Every CCEW goes through the BCNSW eCert portal or an approved software connection. Paper and PDF forms are no longer accepted.
7 daysFrom the day you finished the safety and compliance test. Calendar days. As soon as practical, the rule says, seven is the limit.
Like-for-like countsInstalling, repairing, adding or altering electrical equipment on an installation needs a CCEW, and the September 2026 advisory names water heaters, ovens, stove tops and accessories.
Your name, your penaltyThe tester lodges it. Miss the seven days and it is 20 penalty units for an individual under s37A. False information is a Crimes Act offence.

Sources: NSW Government, BCNSW eCert portal (updated 1 July 2026), Electrical compliance requirements, and Advisory note 2/2026, When to submit a CCEW (updated 2 September 2026). All read 19 October 2026.

Do I need a CCEW for this job?

Tap the job.

Yes. CCEW through eCert, within 7 days of the test.This is the plain case, installing or adding to an electrical installation. From a job in Yamate it is a few taps, see below.
Yes. The September 2026 advisory settled this one.“This includes like-for-like replacement of electrical equipment such as water heaters, ovens, stove tops and electrical accessories.” Replacing a fixed appliance or an accessory is a CCEW job.

Advisory note 2/2026, updated 2 September 2026.

Yes. Repairing is on the list.The advisory's words are “installing, repairing, adding or altering electrical equipment to an electrical installation”. If you replaced or repaired a part of the installation, test it and lodge the CCEW.

Advisory note 2/2026, updated 2 September 2026.

Yes. Solar and battery CCEWs go through eCert too.“From 1 July 2026, all CCEWs must be submitted through the BCNSW eCert portal, including solar and battery installations.” Scheme paperwork for rebates and certificates is separate and stays wherever it was.

NSW Government, BCNSW eCert portal page, updated 1 July 2026.

Yes, within 7 days, and in Yamate it goes through the portal.The smart meter page carries the same seven-day rule. The portal's metering form asks different questions, so Yamate sends you to the portal for metering work rather than guess at it, and the seven days still count.

NSW Government, Smart meter safety and installation requirements, updated 1 July 2026.

Yes, and only through the portal, never through software.“Rectification CCEWs cannot be submitted on your behalf through an integrated business or software system.” Log in, pick rectification of work, and have the written direction notice handy.

NSW Government, Using work management software integrated with BCNSW eCert, updated 29 June 2026.

Probably not, and the moment you change anything the answer flips.The CCEW follows installing, repairing, adding or altering. Fault finding that touches nothing isn't on that list. Replaced a breaker while you were in there? That is a repair, test it, lodge it. Unsure, ask Building Commission NSW's electrical compliance team before the seven days run out, not after.

When is it due?

Seven calendar days from the day you finished the safety and compliance test. No weekend or public holiday extension is written anywhere.

 the last day to submit

Regulation s37A, quoted in the advisory note: “no later than 7 days after completing the test”. The date stays on your device, this page sends nothing anywhere.

The portal in five stages

This is the portal route. The software route skips the typing but ends at the same place, a certificate issued by Building Commission NSW.

  1. Log in with your individual licence. Licence number with no spaces or dashes, password, then the 6-digit code emailed to you. Company and partnership licences cannot register. The login page and every fix.
  2. Pick the electrical work tile, then new work or rectification. Rectification needs the written direction notice. “Some questions in the form may not apply to your work. You should only complete the sections that apply.”

    NSW Government, Creating a new CCEW, updated 2 September 2026.

  3. Installation, equipment, customer and site. Installation type, the work, exactly where on the site, each piece of equipment with its rating and count, then the customer and the street address (type it slowly, the search misses fast typing). Save and continue after every screen, “If you close or refresh your browser before selecting this button, your entries will be lost.”

    NSW Government, Installation details, Equipment details, Customer and site details, all updated 2 September 2026.

  4. Tests, the test date, NMI and network. Earthing continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, circuit connections, and every RCD you installed or replaced, those are the regulation's own list. If someone else tested it, they must hold a current licence and be registered in eCert, and they get 30 days to finish their part.

    NSW Government, Test details, updated 2 September 2026; regulation s36 as quoted in Advisory note 2/2026.

  5. Declaration, privacy notice, submit. Tick that the work complies, accept the privacy collection notice, review, submit. The PDF certificate is emailed to you, to the customer if you gave their email, and recorded by Building Commission NSW. After that it can be viewed but not edited.

    NSW Government, Reviewing declarations and submitting, updated 2 September 2026; Viewing and downloading submitted certificates, updated 31 August 2026.

Before you open the form, 13 things

Tick them off on the job. Nothing is saved, so a shared laptop keeps no history. Print it for the ute if you like.

CCEW preparation checklist0 of 13

Four jobs, what goes on the certificate

Made-up jobs, real field names. No test readings, because the CCEW doesn't ask for readings, it asks which tests you did.

Work
Like-for-like replacement of a fixed appliance
Installation
Residential
Where
Kitchen, oven cavity
Equipment
1 oven, hard wired
Tests
Earthing continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, circuit connections
Tester
You
The one tradies used to skip. The advisory names ovens outright. Software route: yes. Seven days from the test.
Work
Additions or alterations to a switchboard
Installation
Residential
Where
Meter box, garage wall
Equipment
1 switchboard 63 A, RCDs as fitted
Tests
Earthing continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, circuit connections, RCD operation on every device
Network
Your distributor (Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy)
The distributor gets a copy because supply is involved. Every RCD installed or replaced is tested, that is s36.
Work
Solar PV and battery installation
Installation
Residential
Where
Roof array, inverter on the garage wall, battery beside it
Equipment
Inverter, battery, isolators as fitted
Tests
Earthing continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, circuit connections, RCD operation
Network
Your distributor, NMI from the bill
CCEW through eCert since 1 July 2026. Scheme paperwork for rebates is separate and this certificate doesn't replace it.
Work
Metering work
Installation
Residential
Where
Meter box
Equipment
Smart meter as fitted
Tests
As the metering form asks
Network
Your distributor, NMI
Same seven days. The metering form asks its own questions, so this one goes through the portal, not through Yamate, and the app says so when you try.

Who gets the certificate

  • Building Commission NSW records it. The portal is the system of record, whichever way it was sent.
  • You get the PDF by email, to the address registered on your portal account.
  • The customer gets a copy if their email was on the form.
  • Your employer, if you said yes to sharing a copy, and the distributor where supply is involved.

NSW Government, Creating a new CCEW and BCNSW eCert API for the electrical industry (“Certificates are emailed to the electrician and distributed to the employer, customer, and distributor (if applicable).”), read 19 October 2026.

The six things that go wrong

I lost everything I typed

“Your form is only saved when you select Save and continue. If you close or refresh your browser before selecting this button, your entries will be lost.” Save after every screen, especially on a phone that sleeps.

NSW Government, Creating a new CCEW, updated 2 September 2026.

The tester I assigned can't see the job

The other electrician “must hold a current electrician's licence and be registered in BCNSW eCert”. Not registered, no job. Their notification comes from donotreply_BCNSW@customerservice.nsw.gov.au, so check junk.

NSW Government, Test details, updated 2 September 2026.

The assigned certificate vanished

“If there is no activity on the certificate for 30 days, it will be automatically removed from BCNSW eCert. Once removed, it cannot be recovered and the installing electrician will need to create a new certificate.” The tester has 30 days, and so does the certificate.

NSW Government, Accessing your assigned jobs, updated 2 September 2026.

I need to fix a submitted certificate

“Once submitted, a certificate can be viewed but cannot be edited.” Check the review screen like it is the last time you will see it, because it is. A wrong certificate means a conversation with Building Commission NSW, not an edit button.

NSW Government, Viewing and downloading submitted certificates, updated 31 August 2026.

The customer didn't get their copy

Their email has to be on the form. For a certificate sent by software, the electrician's copy goes to the email registered on the portal account, not the one the software has, if they differ.

NSW Government, Creating a new CCEW; Using work management software integrated with BCNSW eCert, updated 29 June 2026.

My software won't send a rectification CCEW

Correct, none can. “Rectification CCEWs cannot be submitted on your behalf through an integrated business or software system.” Portal, rectification of work, written direction notice in hand. The seven days still count.

NSW Government, Using work management software integrated with BCNSW eCert, updated 29 June 2026.

Or send it from the job

In Yamate the job already has you, your licence, the customer and the site. You tick the installation, the work, the equipment and the tests, check the sheet and send. Building Commission NSW checks your licence and issues the certificate, same as the portal. Included on every paid plan from $19/mo (founder price, until 30 Nov), no certificates add-on. Watch the real app do it, 52 seconds.

Try Yamate free for 30 days, no card →

Questions

Does a like-for-like replacement need a CCEW?

Yes. The September 2026 advisory names water heaters, ovens, stove tops and electrical accessories.

When does the seven days start?

When you finish the safety and compliance test, not when you invoice. Calendar days.

Can I still use the paper book or the PDF form?

No, not since 1 July 2026. Portal or an approved software connection.

Who lodges it, me or my boss?

The tester, in their own name, under s37A. The employer can get a copy. If software sends it, the regulator says “you remain legally responsible for the CCEW”.

Does a solar job need a CCEW through eCert?

Yes, solar and battery installations included, since 1 July 2026.

Do I need a portal account if my software sends it?

Not to send. Register with your individual licence to see and download your certificates, they are stored there either way.

What does a late CCEW cost?

Regulation s37A carries 20 penalty units for an individual, 40 otherwise. Giving false information is a Crimes Act offence on top.

Can I edit a certificate after submitting?

No. Viewed, not edited. Get it right on the review screen.

NSW eCert login, the portal and the fixes NSW eCert software, the send from the job Yamate for electricians

Every rule above is Building Commission NSW's, quoted from the page linked beside it and read 19 October 2026. The regulator's page wins if this one falls behind. Yamate is independent of Building Commission NSW and not endorsed by it. No licensed electrician has reviewed the job examples yet, when one does, their name goes here.