Important Updates - NSW ESC Fees, Commercial Lighting Phase out and X-Mas Break
What you need to know to hit the ground running in 2026
Changes to NSW ESC Fees in 2026
From 1 January 2026, IPART will introduce a small increase to the NSW ESC registration fee, rising by 3 cents per ESC (from $1.08 to $1.11)
As this fee applies to all certificates created in NSW, NCBA’s service fee will adjust by the same amount to reflect this external cost change. This change won’t impact our service levels or turnaround times.
Commercial Lighting - Complete your installations early in 2026
As we return in the new year, there will be just three months remaining before the Commercial Lighting incentive phases out on 31 March 2026.
We strongly recommend completing installations and submitting fully compliant claim files by the end of February. This gives our team sufficient time to review documentation and request any additional information if required.
With a significant increase in claim volumes expected in March, our Client Services team will prioritise the processing and payment of Commercial Lighting projects received by 2 March 2026.
While we remain committed to supporting you through this final period, we cannot guarantee payment for projects with outstanding evidence received after 2 March 2026, as peak workloads close to the deadline may result in unavoidable delays.
Holiday Office Closure - No payments during this period
Please note that NCBA will be closed for the Christmas shutdown from Friday, 19 December 2025 and will reopen on Monday, 5 January 2026. During this period, there will be no processing of certificates claims or payments.
Any questions? Please reach out on
02 9939 5559
Madalen Todd
Operations Manager
Madalen.T@ncba.net.au