Check electrician licence NSW: what to look for before they touch the switchboard

Why it counts. Electrical work is specialist work in NSW. Unlike painting or tiling, there is no dollar amount below which an unlicensed person can do it.

How to check an electrician's licence in three steps

1. Ask for the licence number. Put it on the quote or ask for it on the phone. Ask which name the licence is held in too. It is often a company ending in Pty Ltd, not the trading name.
2. Search the NSW licence check. Open the Service NSW page "Check a builder or tradesperson licence" and select Check online (Service NSW). Search by the licence number first. You can also search by name, licence type, ABN, ACN or location.
3. Read the record. The status should be current, the classes should include Electrician, and the expiry date should be after your job. Check the conditions and the compliance record as well.

If you cannot find a contractor licence online, contact NSW Fair Trading. Our guide to checking a builder or tradie licence in NSW walks through every line of a record.

Any electrical wiring work needs a licence

In NSW you need an electrical licence or certificate before you can do any electrical wiring work. That applies regardless of the cost, and whether the work is residential, commercial or industrial (NSW Government, electrical licences).

• What counts as wiring work. Installing, repairing, altering, removing or adding to an electrical installation, or supervising that work. An installation includes fixed appliances, wires, fittings and meters.
• What does not. An electrical article plugged in beyond a power point is not part of the installation, so plugging in a new fridge is not wiring work.
• The fine. You can be fined $22,000 as an individual or $110,000 as a company for doing unlicensed electrical work.

The catch. Air conditioning is its own licence. Air conditioning and refrigeration work is separate specialist work in NSW, and it needs its own licence regardless of the cost (NSW Government, categories of work). Check for that class on the record before a split system goes in.

Which electrical licence should they hold?

The NSW Government lists four licence types for electrical work. Which one a person needs depends on whether they contract for the work, supervise it, do it, or a mix:

• Individual contractor licence
• Company or partnership contractor licence
• Qualified supervisor certificate
• Provisional tradesperson certificate

The business you sign the quote with, and pay, should hold a contractor licence. A licence can be issued for 1, 3 or 5 years, so check the expiry date on the record. A provisional tradesperson certificate is the exception: it is issued for 3 years and cannot be renewed. Apprentices and trainees cannot hold a licence or certificate.

Here is a real electrician's record from our register, laid out the way every listing on this site shows it.

What happened when we checked 30 Hunter electricians

On 31 October 2026 we looked up the 30 electricians we shortlisted for Newcastle, Maitland and the Central Coast on the NSW trades register. We searched by the name each one trades under on Google.

• 12 of 30 matched a current licence.
• 1 matched only a licence that expired or was cancelled in the last ten years.
• 17 matched no current or recent licence under the trading name.

Most of the electricians with no match are not unlicensed. Their licence sits under a company name or the owner's own name. A search on the business name will not find either.

Our view. Ask for the number, and search on the number. On our lists, an electrician with no match shows "not matched yet" until we can match them by number.

After the job: ask for the CCEW

A licence check tells you who should do the work. The Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work, or CCEW, tells you the work was tested once it was done (NSW Government, electrical compliance requirements).

• What it is. Electricians must give Building Commission NSW a CCEW to show the work has been tested and complies with the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Regulation 2018, the relevant Australian Standards and the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2017.
• When it is due. The person who did the electrical test must submit the CCEW as soon as practical, and no later than seven days after the test.
• How you get a copy. Since 1 July 2026 CCEWs go through the BCNSW eCert portal, apart from solar and battery work (see below). If the electrician adds your email address when they lodge it, the system sends you a copy automatically.
• Why you want it. A CCEW can help with warranty claims on the electrical item that was installed.

Small swaps count too. Building Commission NSW says a CCEW must be submitted for work that installs, repairs, adds to or alters electrical equipment, including like-for-like replacement of water heaters, ovens, stove tops and electrical accessories (when to submit a CCEW).

What to do next. Give the electrician your email address when you book. Ask them to put it on the CCEW, so the proof lands in your inbox.

Solar panels and home batteries

From November 2026, new and upgraded rooftop solar, battery storage systems and their inverters up to 200 kW must be commissioned through the NSW CER Installer Portal. When the installer submits the work there, the CCEW is sent to Building Commission NSW automatically. If the same job includes other electrical work, that part needs its own CCEW through BCNSW eCert.

Contracts and deposits on bigger electrical jobs

The general NSW home building rules still apply to electrical work (NSW Government, contracts):

• A written contract over $5,000. Your builder or tradesperson must give you a written contract if the price is over $5,000 including GST.
• A deposit of no more than 10 per cent. Under NSW home building law, the maximum deposit you can be asked to pay is 10 per cent.
• Insurance cover over $20,000. For jobs over $20,000, such as a full rewire on a renovation, your builder or contractor must have home building compensation cover. Do not pay the deposit until you have seen the certificate.
• Small jobs usually need no deposit. For a job such as changing a power point, it is unlikely you will be asked to pay a deposit.

Checking a digital licence on their phone

If the electrician shows you a digital licence in the Service NSW app, ask them to swipe down on it to refresh the screen. Check the refreshed date and time. You can also use the licence scanner in your own Service NSW app to scan the QR code on their phone (Service NSW, digital trade licences). Do not take the phone from them to check it.

Short version. Get the number, search the number, look for Electrician in the classes, and ask for the CCEW by email when the job is done.

Find a licence-checked electrician

Every electrician on our lists shows a licence line and a number you can ring yourself. Nobody pays to be listed, and there is no form. Start with the best-reviewed electricians in Newcastle.