Going out on your own as a plumber in QLD
Checked against Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) on 8 August 2026.
To take jobs in your own name
QBCC contractor licence, class "Plumbing and drainage"
Two licences, not one. Other classes on the plumbing side are Drainage and Drainage (on-site sewerage). Queensland ties the contractor class to your turnover, so you pick a revenue band when you apply.
And underneath it, to do the work
Plumber and/or drainer licence
The licence to do the work, issued by the QBCC.
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
- The trade licence first, then the contractor licence, which also tests your financial position against the revenue class you pick.
- What it costs
- QBCC fees as increased on 1 July 2026. Contractor, individual, plumbing and drainage: $773.89 application for the SC1 class (turnover up to $200,000 a year), or $438.81 for the lower band.
- How long it takes
- QBCC says most application types are fully processed within a few weeks, but it can take longer.
Read this before you rely on it
- Pick your revenue class carefully. Go too low and you are capped below what you can bill; too high and you pay for headroom you do not use.
Where this came from
Read off Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) 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 plumbers.
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 QLD
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.