What a trade licence costs, in every state
Annualised 2026-27 licence fees for the major trades, state by state - with the running costs (rego, WorkCover, insurance) that the licence fee never warns you about. Pick your trade and state.
Electricians
| State | Licence (annualised) | |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $260/yr | Full costs |
| VIC | $118/yr | Full costs |
| QLD | $449/yr | Full costs |
| WA | $622/yr | Full costs |
| SA | $598/yr | Full costs |
| TAS | $647/yr | Full costs |
| ACT | $160/yr | Full costs |
| NT | $507/yr | Full costs |
Plumbers
| State | Licence (annualised) | |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $260/yr | Full costs |
| VIC | $369/yr | Full costs |
| QLD | $324/yr | Full costs |
| WA | $269/yr | Full costs |
| SA | $598/yr | Full costs |
| TAS | $500/yr | Full costs |
| ACT | $160/yr | Full costs |
| NT | $500/yr | Full costs |
Builders
| State | Licence (annualised) | |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $520/yr | Full costs |
| VIC | $748/yr | Full costs |
| QLD | $406/yr | Full costs |
| WA | $179/yr | Full costs |
| SA | $570/yr | Full costs |
| TAS | $470/yr | Full costs |
| ACT | $400/yr | Full costs |
| NT | $500/yr | Full costs |
Mechanics
Licensed in NSW, WA and the ACT - $0 in the other states. The running costs still differ everywhere.
| State | Licence (annualised) | |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $242/yr | Full costs |
| VIC | $0 | Full costs |
| QLD | $0 | Full costs |
| WA | $411/yr | Full costs |
| SA | $0 | Full costs |
| TAS | $0 | Full costs |
| ACT | $403/yr | Full costs |
| NT | $0 | Full costs |
These fixed costs are exactly why a charge-out rate set by asking around can land under what your own business needs. See what you're actually keeping with the free hourly rate calculator.