The federal solar rebate is the STC scheme, short for Small-scale Technology Certificate. It works as an upfront discount, not a cash-back.Clean Energy RegulatorView source For a typical 6.6kW rooftop system put in a Sydney or Adelaide postcode in 2026, the rebate cuts roughly $1,600 to $1,800 off the price. It's a range, because the certificates sell at a market rate, each one worth up to about $40. You only get the rebate if a Clean Energy Council–accredited installer does the work, and it shrinks a little every January until the scheme closes at the end of 2030.
The "rebate" is really a certificate scheme
Most people call it the solar rebate, but the real name is the STC scheme. It's run by the Clean Energy Regulator under a federal renewable energy plan.Clean Energy RegulatorView source That name matters, because it's the reason the money never lands in your bank account.
Here's the idea. Your new solar system will make clean power for years, and the government turns that future output into certificates you can sell. The roof earns a set number of them, based on how much power it should make by 2030. From there, your installer claims those certificates, sells them, and takes the value straight off your bill.Clean Energy RegulatorView source So the reward goes to the panels going up. You feel it as a lower price on day one, not a refund later.
How the discount reaches your invoice
The value comes through certificates, so the exact dollar figure moves. The certificates sell on an open market, and their price floats. It's capped at about $40 each, but it's often a bit under that.Clean Energy RegulatorView source That's why a good installer quotes the rebate as a range, not one fixed number.
For that common 6.6kW system in a Sydney or Adelaide postcode in 2026, the range lands at roughly $1,600 to $1,800 off the price.Clean Energy RegulatorView source A sunnier postcode earns more certificates, while an install later in the decade earns fewer. The number on your quote is your installer's best guess of what the certificates will fetch that day, so treat it as an estimate. The price is not locked in.
The install price is a separate thing from the rebate, and it depends on your roof, your switchboard, and the gear you pick. You can see a typical installed price for solar below. A licensed solar installer will give you a firm quote, with the STC discount already taken off.
What does solar cost after the rebate?
This is the usual installed price for a home solar system, with the federal STC discount already taken off. Yours could land higher or lower once an installer sees your roof.
You only get it through a CEC-accredited installer
This is the part that catches people out. The STC discount is not automatic on any solar job. The system has to be put in by a Clean Energy Council–accredited installer, using approved parts.Clean Energy RegulatorView source Hire an installer without that accreditation and the certificates can't be made, so the discount simply isn't there. The saving you were counting on is gone.
So before you sign, check the accreditation. A good solar installer will hold current Clean Energy Council accreditation, and they'll sort the certificate paperwork for you as part of the job.Clean Energy RegulatorView source This is the one thing to confirm first, because it's what makes the rest of this guide apply to your quote at all.
Why it's worth more this year than next
The STC discount is set to shrink on a fixed schedule, by design. Each system earns certificates only for its years left out to 2030, so every January the years left drop by one and the system earns one fewer year of certificates.Clean Energy RegulatorView source The next drop lands on 1 January 2027. Same panels, same roof, but a few less certificates and a slightly smaller discount.
The scheme then ends for good on 31 December 2030.Clean Energy RegulatorView source None of this means you should rush a choice you're not ready for. But the rebate does get quietly smaller the longer you wait, so the system you price today carries a bit more discount than the same one priced next year.
Put it together and the rebate is easy to act on. It's an upfront discount, it only comes through an accredited installer, and it's at its biggest right now. That leaves one real question. How much is your system actually worth after it?
Common questions
Take a typical 6.6kW system in a Sydney or Adelaide postcode, put in during 2026. The federal STC discount is roughly $1,600 to $1,800 off the price.Clean Energy RegulatorView source It's a range, because the certificates sell at a market rate, up to about $40 each. So your installer quotes the figure as an estimate.
No. The STC scheme is an upfront discount, not a cash-back.Clean Energy RegulatorView source Your installer claims the certificates your system earns. They sell them, and take the value straight off your bill. So you pay a lower price up front. You don't wait for a refund.
Yes. The certificates can only be made when a Clean Energy Council–accredited installer fits the system with approved parts.Clean Energy RegulatorView source Hire an installer without that accreditation and the discount isn't there at all. So confirm it before you sign.
The scheme closes on 31 December 2030. Before then it drops a little each January. The next drop is 1 January 2027.Clean Energy RegulatorView source That's because each system earns certificates only for its years left to 2030. So the same system is worth a bit less the longer you wait.
Ready to price solar with the rebate applied?
See a fair-price estimate up front. Then get quotes from vetted local installers. A Clean Energy Council–accredited solar installer will confirm your system size. They'll apply the STC discount as part of the quote.
Sources
The rebate figures and rules here come from the Clean Energy Regulator's Small-scale Technology Certificate scheme, current as of June 2026. General information, not financial advice — confirm your figure with a Clean Energy Council–accredited installer.
- Clean Energy RegulatorView source