Going out on your own as an electrician in QLD
Checked against WorkSafe Queensland, Electrical Safety Office on 8 August 2026.
To take jobs in your own name
Electrical contractor licence
WorkSafe Queensland puts it plainly: you must hold an electrical contractor licence to perform electrical work for others as a sole trader, partnership or company. You nominate a qualified technical person and a qualified business person, and as a sole trader that is you for both.
And underneath it, to do the work
Electrical work licence
The licence to do the work. On its own it does not let you take jobs for other people.
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
- An electrical work licence, plus the qualified technical person and qualified business person requirements under section 48 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013. Both roles can be the same person and both are endorsed on the licence.
- What it costs
- Fees effective 1 July 2026. Note that Queensland electrical contractor licences are issued for one year, so this is an annual cost rather than a three or five year one.
- Who issues it
- WorkSafe Queensland, Electrical Safety Office
Read this before you rely on it
- We could not confirm the current processing time: WorkSafe's licensing portal was showing a service notice when we checked.
- Confirm the exact current fee with WorkSafe before you budget: Queensland indexes these every July.
Where this came from
Read off WorkSafe Queensland, Electrical Safety Office 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 electricians.
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.
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.