Compliance by state

Who lodges the NSW CCEW, and by when?

In NSW, the licensed electrician who carried out the test lodges the Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) online through the Building Commission NSW eCert portal, as soon as practical and no later than 7 days after the test, per the NSW Government's current guidance on electrical compliance requirements (nsw.gov.au, updated 1 July 2026).

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Official name: Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW)
Regulator: Building Commission NSW (NSW Fair Trading), NSW Department of Customer Service
Who issues it: The licensed electrician who carried out the electrical test
When: Completing a safety and compliance test on electrical work or an electrical installation
Deadline: As soon as practical, and no later than 7 days after the test is completed
Lodgement: Online only, through the Building Commission NSW eCert portal. From 1 July 2026 this is the only accepted method: PDF, paper and NECA book forms, and the old Essential Energy portal, are no longer accepted.
Keep records for: The regulator's page does not set a separate copy retention period for the electrician; the eCert submission itself is the lodged record with Building Commission NSW.
Penalty: On the spot fines of up to $1,000 apply for each occasion a CCEW is not supplied. Failing to carry out electrical installation work in accordance with the technical standards carries a maximum penalty of up to $550,000.

Homeowner? If you've had electrical work done in NSW, ask your electrician for the CCEW: it should reach you, and the network distributor where the work needed one, within about a week of the test.

What the certificate must show

A statement that the work has been tested
A statement that the work complies with the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Regulation 2018, the relevant Australian Standards, and the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2017
The identity of the licensed electrician who carried out the test, through the eCert account it is lodged under
Whether the work needs a distributor copy, for example new installations or work affecting the network connection

Recent change

From 1 July 2026, lodging the CCEW through the Building Commission NSW eCert portal became the only accepted method; PDF, paper and NECA book CCEWs and the old Essential Energy portal are no longer accepted.

Produce it from a ServiceM8 job

Add a custom field to the job type called 'CCEW test date' so the date is captured against the job the moment testing finishes.
Add a job badge such as 'CCEW to lodge' that's applied automatically when the test date field is filled, and cleared only once eCert lodgement is confirmed.
Set a scheduled task or reminder for 5 to 6 days after the test date, inside the 7 day window, so the office has time to check the lodgement before the deadline passes.
After lodging in the Building Commission NSW eCert portal, save the eCert confirmation as a PDF and attach it to the ServiceM8 job diary, so the job record and the compliance record sit together.
Where the job needed a distributor copy, note this on the job so office staff can confirm eCert sent it before clearing the badge.
Run this through on a test job so the office can see the badge trigger and clear correctly before relying on it.

Online lodgement only, since 1 July 2026

In NSW the compliance certificate goes to the regulator as well as the customer. The Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) is submitted through the Building Commission NSW eCert portal, and from 1 July 2026 that is the only accepted route.

PDF forms, paper forms, NECA book forms and the old Essential Energy portal are no longer accepted. If your business still keeps a paper book or a saved PDF template for this job, it stops being usable at that date and every electrician needs an eCert login.

The 7 day deadline

The person who carries out the electrical test must submit the CCEW as soon as practical, and no later than 7 days after the electrical test has been completed. That 7 day figure is stated on the NSW Government's own electrical compliance requirements page, not just repeated on contractor blogs, so you can rely on it as the outer limit.

"As soon as practical" is still the working standard: a 7 day old CCEW sitting in a queue while the next job starts is compliant on paper but leaves the customer, and the distributor where one applies, without their copy for most of that week.

Who gets a copy

Once a CCEW is submitted through eCert, a copy goes to the electrical distributor where the work requires it, for example new installations or work affecting the network connection. Copies also go to the customer and to the electrician's employer or principal contractor, where an email address has been provided for them in the submission.

What it confirms

The CCEW confirms that 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. It is tied to the eCert account of the electrician who lodged it, which is how the regulator identifies who tested the work.

Producing it from ServiceM8

Because lodgement happens in eCert, not in ServiceM8 itself, the job system's role is to make sure the 7 day window doesn't slip. A custom field capturing the test date, a job badge that only clears once lodgement is confirmed, and a mid week reminder give the office a way to catch a CCEW before the deadline, and to attach the eCert confirmation to the job diary alongside the rest of the paperwork.

Sources

All CCEWs must be submitted through the BCNSW eCert portal. PDF forms are no longer accepted. From 1 July 2026, all CCEWs must use the eCert portal; you cannot submit CCEWs to Building Commission NSW by email using the PDF form, the Essential Energy portal, or hard copy forms including NECA book forms. NSW Government, Building Commission NSW, checked 25 Sep 2026.
The person who carries out the electrical test must submit a CCEW as soon as practical, but no later than seven days after the electrical test has been completed. NSW Government, electrical compliance requirements (page last updated 1 July 2026), checked 25 Sep 2026.
Once a CCEW is submitted through the eCert portal, copies go to the electrical distributor where required (for example new installations or work affecting network connection), and to the customer and the electrician's employer or principal contractor where an email address is provided. NSW Government, electrical compliance requirements, checked 25 Sep 2026.
A CCEW demonstrates that the work has been tested and complies with the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Regulation 2018, relevant Australian Standards, and the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2017. NSW Government, electrical compliance requirements, checked 25 Sep 2026.
On the spot fines of up to $1,000 apply for each occasion a CCEW is not supplied. Failing to carry out electrical installation work in accordance with the technical standards carries a maximum penalty of up to $550,000. NSW Government, electrical compliance requirements, checked 25 Sep 2026.