Going out on your own as a builder in NSW
Checked against Building Commission NSW on 8 August 2026.
To take jobs in your own name
Individual contractor licence, category "General building work"
This is the one that lets you contract and advertise.
And underneath it, to do the work
Qualified supervisor certificate, general building work
Fair Trading is explicit: a qualified supervisor certificate does not allow you to contract and advertise for work. There is a lower tier again, the tradesperson certificate, which only lets you work under supervision.
This is the one people get wrong: the licence that lets you DO the work and the one that lets you CONTRACT for it are different. Working for a boss you only need the first. Going out on your own you need both.
- What you need before you apply
- One of three pathways: a Certificate IV in Building and Construction (CPC40120) with the specified mandatory units, a relevant degree, or the other recognised qualification routes Fair Trading lists. Experience requirements apply on top.
- What it costs
- Individual, new, building category, July 2026 to June 2027: $883 for 1 year, $1,654 for 3 years, $2,890 for 5 years. Noticeably dearer than the trade categories.
- How long it takes
- Published estimate as at 1 August 2026: 14 weeks for an individual building licence.
- What you can do without it
- The trigger is $5,000. You need a contractor licence to carry out, advertise or contract for residential building or trade work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials including GST. That is a low bar: one bathroom of materials clears it.
- Insurance the regulator requires
- Home Building Compensation cover on each residential project over $20,000 including GST, in place before you start or take any money.
- Who issues it
- Building Commission NSW
Read this before you rely on it
- The $5,000 test is worded around residential work. We could not confirm from the pages we read how purely commercial or industrial general building work is treated. Check with Building Commission NSW if that is your market.
Where this came from
Read off Building Commission NSW on 8 August 2026. Fees and processing times usually change on 1 July, so check before you budget.
Once you are up and running, we also have a page on what ONARA Ops does for builders.
When you are ready to take the first job
Once the licence is sorted, you need to look like you have been doing this for years: a website people can book from, and quotes and invoices with your logo that go out the same day you finish. That part is us.
Other trades in NSW
We are not accountants, lawyers or insurance brokers, and none of this is advice. It is what the regulators and the ATO publish, gathered in one place with links to the source, so you know what to go and ask about. Rules and fees change, so check with the authority before you act on anything here. Government fees shown are for the 2026-27 year and are indexed every 1 July.