How to Check a Tradie Is Licensed and Insured (State-by-State Guide)

To check if a tradie is licensed, look them up on the licensing register run by your state or territory’s building and trades regulator using their name, business name or licence number. To confirm they’re insured, ask for a current certificate of currency for public liability insurance (and workers’ compensation if they have staff), and verify their business is legitimate through the free ABN Lookup tool. Doing these three checks before work starts protects your home, your money and your right to make a claim if something goes wrong.

It only takes a few minutes, and it can save you thousands. Below is a practical, state-by-state guide to getting it right.

Why licensing and insurance actually matter

Hiring an unlicensed tradie for regulated work isn’t just risky — in many cases it’s illegal. Electrical work, plumbing, gas fitting and building work over certain value thresholds must be carried out by a licensed practitioner in every Australian state and territory. The rules exist because faulty wiring, dodgy plumbing or non-compliant structural work can cause fires, floods, injuries and long-term damage that isn’t obvious until much later.

There are three big reasons to check before you commit:

• Your home insurance can be voided. If unlicensed work causes damage — say, an electrical fault starts a fire — your insurer may refuse the claim because the work wasn’t done by a licensed professional.
• Warranties and statutory protections can disappear. Licensed building work over the relevant threshold usually comes with home warranty (builder’s warranty) insurance and statutory warranty rights. Unlicensed work typically won’t qualify, leaving you with no cover if the tradie disappears or the job fails.
• You may struggle to sell or certify the work. Non-compliant work can fail inspection, hold up a sale, or force expensive rectification down the track.

Checking a licence is one of the simplest ways to avoid all of this. If you want a broader view of vetting, our guide on how to find a reliable tradie walks through the full process.

Licence vs public liability vs workers’ comp — know the difference

People often lump these together, but they cover very different things.

• A licence proves the tradie is legally qualified and permitted to perform a specific type of regulated work (electrical, plumbing, building, and so on). It’s issued by a government regulator and can be checked on a public register.
• Public liability insurance protects you if the tradie damages your property or injures someone while working — for example, if a burst pipe floods your kitchen or a passer-by is hurt on site. It does not prove qualifications; it covers accidents.
• Workers’ compensation insurance covers the tradie’s own employees if they’re injured on your job. It’s legally required if the business has staff. Without it, you could potentially be drawn into a claim if a worker is hurt on your property.

A good tradie should hold the right licence and carry public liability cover. If they employ others, they also need workers’ comp. Ask for a certificate of currency for each policy — it’s a one-page document from the insurer showing the policy is active, the amount of cover, and the expiry date. Check the dates are current and the named business matches who you’re actually hiring.

Verify the business with ABN Lookup

Before you even get to the licence, confirm the business is real. Every legitimate operator should have an Australian Business Number (ABN). Head to the free government tool at abr.business.gov.au and search the ABN or business name. Check that:

• The ABN is active (not cancelled).
• The entity name matches the person or company you’re dealing with.
• The GST registration status makes sense if they’re charging GST.
• The business has been registered for a reasonable length of time (a brand-new ABN isn’t a red flag on its own, but it’s worth noting).

An ABN is not a licence and doesn’t prove qualifications — plenty of unlicensed operators have one — but a missing, cancelled or mismatched ABN is a clear warning sign. On Tradies Club, a verified ABN badge on a profile means we’ve confirmed the business’s ABN is active and matches the operator, so you don’t have to do that step yourself.

State-by-state: where to check a tradie’s licence

Licensing in Australia is handled at the state and territory level, so the regulator you need depends on where the work is being done — not where the tradie is based. Use the table below to find the right body, then search their online licence register using the tradie’s name, business name or licence number.

State / Territory	Main licensing / consumer regulator	Notes
NSW	NSW Fair Trading	Handles building, trade and home-building licences; electrical and plumbing licensing also administered here.
VIC	Victorian Building Authority (VBA)	Building and plumbing practitioners. Electrical licensing is handled by Energy Safe Victoria (ESV).
QLD	Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)	Building and construction licences. Electrical licensing sits with the state electrical safety regulator.
WA	Building and Energy (part of DMIRS)	Builder, electrical and gas licensing through the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.
SA	Consumer and Business Services (CBS)	Building work licences, plumbers, gas fitters and electricians.
TAS	Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)	Building practitioners and occupational licensing within the Department of Justice.
ACT	Access Canberra	Construction, electrical, plumbing and gas licensing for the territory.
NT	NT Building Practitioners Board / Licensing NT	Building practitioners registered via the Board; electrical and plumbing through the relevant NT licensing bodies.

A few tips when you search:

• Match the licence class to the job. A licence to do one type of work doesn’t cover another. Someone may hold a valid electrical licence but not be licensed for the plumbing you also need done.
• Check the status and expiry. A licence can be current, expired, suspended or cancelled. Only “current/active” counts.
• Confirm the name matches. The licence should be held by the person or company you’re paying — not a mate, a former employer, or a lapsed business name.
• Note any conditions. Some licences carry conditions or restrictions on the scope of work permitted.

If you’re not sure whether the specific job needs a licence, contact the regulator directly or describe the work when you post a job so licensed pros can tell you what’s required.

Put it together before you hire

The strongest approach is to do all three checks — ABN, licence and insurance — before any money changes hands. Ask for the licence number and insurance certificates up front; a professional tradie will hand these over without fuss. If someone is evasive, pressures you to skip paperwork, or insists on cash to “keep it cheap,” treat it as a red flag.

This fits neatly alongside the other conversations worth having early. Our list of questions to ask before hiring a tradie covers quotes, timelines and payment terms so you’re not caught out later.

Tradies Club is built to make this easier. Verified profiles can carry ABN, licence and identity badges, so a lot of the legwork is already done before you start a conversation — though we always encourage you to confirm the licence class matches your specific job. See how it works for the full picture.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to hire an unlicensed tradie? Hiring an unlicensed person to do regulated work — such as electrical, plumbing, gas or building work above the value threshold in your state — is against the law and can leave you without insurance cover or warranty protection. Minor handyman tasks that fall below licensing thresholds are generally fine, but always check the rules for your state and the specific job.

What’s the difference between a licensed and a registered tradie? Terminology varies by state and trade. Broadly, a licence permits someone to carry out and often contract for regulated work, while registration may apply to particular practitioner categories (common in building). Either way, verify the credential on the relevant regulator’s register and confirm it covers the work you need.

Do I need to see their insurance certificate, or is asking enough? Always ask to see a current certificate of currency. It’s a simple document from the insurer confirming the policy is active, the level of cover, and the expiry date. Verbal assurance isn’t proof — and if something goes wrong, the certificate is what matters.

Does a valid ABN mean a tradie is licensed? No. An ABN only confirms the business is registered for tax purposes. It says nothing about qualifications or licensing. You still need to check the licence separately on your state’s register.

Ready to hire with confidence?

Checking a licence, insurance and ABN takes a few minutes and protects you for years. When you’re ready to get quotes from tradies whose credentials you can actually verify, post a job on Tradies Club and connect with local, verified professionals near you. A little due diligence up front is the surest way to get the job done safely, legally and right the first time.