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Compliance by state

How to issue an electrical safety certificate in Queensland

In Queensland the licensed electrical contractor must give the customer a certificate as soon as practicable after testing the work (Electrical Safety Regulation 2013, ss 26 and 227). It names the customer and address, what was tested, the test date and the contractor licence number, and you keep a copy for 5 years.

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

Official name
Certificate of testing and safety (s 26) or certificate of testing and compliance (s 227), together called a certificate of test
Regulator
Electrical Safety Office, WorkSafe Queensland
Who issues it
The licensed electrical contractor under whose licence the work was tested
When
Testing of electrical work that must be tested (s 26), or connecting a worked on electrical installation to supply (s 227)
Deadline
As soon as practicable after the testing or the connection
Lodgement
Given to the person the work was performed for. Sections 26 and 227 do not require lodging it with the regulator.
Keep records for
Contractor keeps a copy for at least 5 years after it is given
Penalty
Failing to give the certificate: up to 40 penalty units ($6,908 at the $172.70 unit value from 1 July 2026). Failing to keep the copy for 5 years: up to 20 penalty units ($3,454).

Homeowner? If you had electrical work done in Queensland, ask your electrician for the certificate of test: they must give you one as soon as practicable and keep a copy for 5 years.

What the certificate must show

Recent change

June 2023: WorkSafe Queensland removed the signature requirement from its certificate of test template to match ss 26 and 227.

Produce it from a ServiceM8 job

  1. In Settings > Forms > Add Form, create a form called Certificate of test QLD.
  2. Add a Multiple Choice question, Certificate type, with the options Testing and safety (s 26) / Testing and compliance (s 227), marked mandatory.
  3. Add Text (Multi-line) for Equipment or installation tested, Date for Date tested, and Multiple Choice for each test performed (for example insulation resistance, earth continuity, polarity, correct circuit connections, RCD operation) with Pass / Fail / Not applicable.
  4. Download the sample template, lay it out as the certificate, and map the job's client name and job address field codes so the customer details come from the job rather than being retyped.
  5. Type your electrical contractor licence number and both certification statements into the template as fixed text, showing the statement that matches the chosen certificate type.
  6. Attach the form to a job badge (for example Electrical certificate) and set the badge requirement so the form must be completed before the job can be checked out.
  7. When the form is saved, the certificate PDF appears in the job diary. Email it to the customer from the diary the same day; the diary copy is your 5 year record.
  8. Run a test job end to end and check the PDF shows all four required details and the right statement before your electricians use it.

Two certificates, one job

What trades call an electrical safety certificate is, in the Queensland regulation, one of two documents. WorkSafe Queensland calls both a certificate of test.

A certificate of testing and safety (section 26) covers electrical work on electrical equipment that must be tested under the regulation. It certifies that the equipment, to the extent the work affected it, is electrically safe.

A certificate of testing and compliance (section 227) applies when a licensed electrical contractor connects an electrical installation that has had electrical work done on it to a source of electricity. It certifies that the installation, to the extent the work affected it, has been tested and is electrically safe and complies with the wiring rules and any other standard that applies under the regulation.

Most domestic and commercial installation jobs end in the second one. WorkSafe's own template covers both in one form, so you can use a single template and mark the one that applies.

The deadline: as soon as practicable

Both sections say the certificate must be given as soon as practicable after the testing (section 26) or after the connection (section 227). You will see a fixed 28 day figure quoted on some contractor and software blogs. That figure is not in the text of either section as current at 27 March 2026, so treat the regulation's wording as the rule and do not assume you have four weeks. In practice the safest habit is to issue the certificate on the day you test, before you leave site or with the invoice.

No signature line needed

In June 2023 WorkSafe Queensland amended its certificate of test template and removed the signature requirement, to line the template up with what sections 26 and 227 actually require and to end confusion over who should sign. The legal content is the four details plus the certification statement. A signature does no harm, but the licence number is what the regulation asks for.

Keeping the copy

You must keep a copy of every certificate for at least 5 years after you give it. If ServiceM8 is your job system, the PDF in the job diary is that copy, as long as your account stays active and you export before you ever close it. Keep the licence number on the template current: a certificate showing an old or wrong licence number fails the must show test even if the work was fine.

Producing it from ServiceM8

The clean way is a ServiceM8 Form that the electrician completes at the test stage, feeding a Word template that lays out the certificate. The customer's name and job address come from the job, the tester fills in what was tested and the date, and the licence number is fixed text in the template. The finished PDF lands in the job diary and can be emailed to the customer from there, which gives you both the delivery and the 5 year copy in one step.

Sources

  1. A licensed electrical contractor must, as soon as practicable after testing electrical work that must be tested, ensure the person for whom the work was performed is given a certificate of testing and safety. Maximum penalty 40 penalty units. Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 (Qld), s 26(2) (current as at 27 March 2026), checked 25 Sep 2026.
  2. A licensed electrical contractor who connects an electrical installation on which electrical work has been performed to a source of electricity must, as soon as practicable after the connection, give the person a certificate of testing and compliance. Maximum penalty 40 penalty units. Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 (Qld), s 227(1) (current as at 27 March 2026), checked 25 Sep 2026.
  3. The certificate must state the name and address of the person for whom the work was performed, the equipment or installation tested, the day it was tested, and the electrical contractor licence number under which it was tested. Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 (Qld), ss 26(3) and 227(2), checked 25 Sep 2026.
  4. The contractor must keep a copy of the certificate for at least 5 years after it is given. Maximum penalty 20 penalty units. Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 (Qld), ss 26(5) and 227(4), checked 25 Sep 2026.
  5. Business Queensland: a certificate must be given as soon as possible after testing or completing an electrical installation, must include a suitable certification statement, and must be kept for 5 years. Business Queensland, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  6. WorkSafe Queensland amended its Certificate of test template in June 2023, removing the signature requirement to align it with ss 26 and 227 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013. WorkSafe Queensland, eSafe Electrical, June 2023, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  7. The Queensland penalty unit is $172.70 from 1 July 2026 under the Penalties and Sentences (Penalty Unit Value) Amendment Regulation 2026. Queensland Law Society Proctor, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  8. Completed ServiceM8 forms convert to a PDF saved to the job diary, where they can be emailed; form answers are placed into a Word document template using Template Field Codes. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.