Certification & Licensing
Trades Certification & Licensing by Country
Unlike software or insurance, trade certification is often a legal requirement, not a competitive edge — and the rules differ sharply by country (and sometimes by state or province). This is the map of the 33 key certification and licensing bodies across the 6 English-speaking markets we cover, for gas, electrical, plumbing, and building work. Each links to a full breakdown and the official body.
Why certification works differently abroad
In most of these markets, gas, electrical, and (often) plumbing work for hire is restricted to licensed or registered practitioners — doing it unlicensed is a criminal offense, not just a reputational risk. The schemes also double as consumer-trust signals: homeowners are taught to check for the Gas Safe, NICEIC, RGI, ECRA/ESA, or equivalent registration before hiring. A few schemes (like Canada's Red Seal or the HVAC institute HRAI) are about portable qualification and industry standing rather than a legal licence. The US is the outlier: there is no single national trades-licensing body — it is regulated state by state.
United Kingdom
Gas Safe Register (gas), NICEIC (electrical / Part P), and OFTEC (oil heating) are legal requirements — unlicensed work is a criminal offense, and software/insurance must handle RTI, CIS, and VAT natively.
Gas Safe Register
Legally required UK certification for any gas work — replaces the old CORGI scheme
NICEIC
UK's largest electrical contractor certification body — ~38,000 certified businesses
OFTEC
UK oil-fired heating certification — for technicians installing/servicing oil boilers
Australia
Licensing is state-administered (e.g., electrical and plumbing licenses per state/territory), and payroll software must lodge Single Touch Payroll (STP) to the ATO and handle superannuation and GST.
NSW Fair Trading
NSW state licensing body for trades — plumbing, electrical, builders
QBCC (Queensland Building and Construction Commission)
Queensland's building + construction licensing body — covers trades doing building work
VBA (Victorian Building Authority)
Victoria's building authority — registers builders + licenses plumbers, drainers, gasfitters
Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
Federal tax authority — GST, ABN, BAS and Single Touch Payroll for every tradie
Building and Energy (WA)
WA’s regulator licensing builders, electricians, plumbers and gasfitters
Consumer and Business Services (CBS, South Australia)
South Australia’s licensing authority for building, plumbing, gas and electrical work
Canada
Trade certification is provincial (with the interprovincial Red Seal endorsement), and payroll/accounting software must handle CRA source deductions, GST/HST/PST, and — for Quebec — French-language and Revenu Québec requirements.
Red Seal Program
National interprovincial standard for skilled trades — recognized across all CA provinces
HRAI (Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute)
CA HVAC/refrigeration industry body — 50+ year history, certification programs
TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority)
Ontario regulatory body for gas, elevators, boilers, fuels — mandatory licensing
ESA / ECRA (Electrical Safety Authority — Ontario)
Ontario electrical-contractor licensing (ECRA/ESA) — legally required to do electrical work for hire
WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Ontario)
Ontario’s mandatory workers’ comp — clearance certificates required in construction
Skilled Trades Ontario
Ontario’s apprenticeship & trade-certification authority (replaced the College of Trades, 2022)
New Zealand
Trades are registered/licensed (e.g., the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board; the Electrical Workers Registration Board), and payroll software must handle IRD payday filing, KiwiSaver, and GST.
EWRB (Electrical Workers Registration Board)
NZ electrical worker registration — ~38K registered, legally required
PGDB (Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board)
NZ plumbing/gas/drainage licensing — legally required, unlicensed work is illegal
LBP (Licensed Building Practitioners)
NZ building-practitioner licensing — required to carry out or supervise Restricted Building Work
WorkSafe New Zealand
NZ’s primary work health & safety regulator — applies to every PCBU
Registered Master Builders Association
NZ’s most-recognised builder association — the Master Build Guarantee
Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ
Peak body for plumbers, gasfitters & drainlayers — support + a trust mark
Ireland
Gas work requires Registered Gas Installer (RGI) status and electrical work requires Safe Electric registration, while payroll/accounting must handle Revenue PAYE Modernisation (real-time reporting), RCT, and VAT.
RGI (Registered Gas Installer)
Ireland's mandatory gas-installer registration — unlicensed gas work is illegal under Energy Act 2006
Safe Electric / RECI
Ireland's mandatory electrical contractor registration — legally required for controlled electrical works
Revenue RCT (Relevant Contracts Tax)
Ireland’s mandatory withholding-tax system for payments to construction subcontractors
Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI)
Ireland’s statutory register of competent builders and providers of building works
Long-delayed: legislated in 2022 but mandatory registration was still not commenced as of June 2026 (phased rollout during 2026). Treat as a coming requirement, not yet a current legal one — verify live status.
SEAI Registered Contractor
Ireland’s mandatory approval list for contractors doing SEAI grant-funded home energy upgrades
South Africa
Electrical work legally requires Department of Employment & Labour registration (registered persons issue the mandatory Certificate of Compliance); gas work requires SAQCC Gas registration (unregistered work voids home insurance); PIRB plumbing CoCs are required for geysers and solar water heaters; CIDB grading gates public construction; NHBRC registration is mandatory for home builders; and employers need a current COIDA Letter of Good Standing for site access.
PIRB (Plumbing Industry Registration Board)
Plumber registration + the PIRB Certificate of Compliance
Dept of Employment & Labour (Electrical)
Statutory electrical-contractor registration + the CoC
SAQCC Gas
Statutory gas-practitioner registration
CIDB (Construction Industry Development Board)
Contractor grading 1–9 — the gate to public-sector work
NHBRC (Home Builders Registration Council)
Mandatory registration + home enrolment for residential builders
SARS (VAT, PAYE & eFiling)
15% VAT, EMP201 payroll returns — and e-invoicing coming
COIDA / Compensation Fund
Workers’ comp + the Letter of Good Standing sites demand
Working in the US instead?
US trades licensing is regulated state by state rather than through a single national body. Browse our US directory and state-by-state pages for software, lead-gen, insurance, and more.