About the Refrigerant Handling Licence

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Who needs a licence?

A Refrigerant Handling Licence must be held by any person who carries out work in relation to refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) equipment. Carrying out work in relation to RAC equipment means to do anything with a fluorocarbon refrigerant, or a component of RAC equipment, that carries the risk of refrigerant being emitted, including: decanting the refrigerant or manufacturing, installing, commissioning, servicing or maintaining RAC equipment or decommissioning RAC equipment.

Handling refrigerants?

Handling fluorocarbon refrigerant without a Refrigerant Handling Licence is an offence. National regulations are in place which affect people who acquire, possess, dispose of or handle ozone depleting substances or synthetic greenhouse gases.

Click here to read more about each licence and what is required to obtain the licences.

Licence fees

The Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Regulations 1995 provides for the annual indexation of permit application fees.

The annual indexation formula uses the Wage Price Index (WPI) figures published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Consistent with the WPI figures for the September 2022 quarter, the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) industry permit application fees will increase by 3.192% per cent from 1 January 2023.

The permit fees for 2022 and 2023 are outlined here.

RAC Permit Type	Permit Duration	2022 Application Fees	2023 Application Fees
Refrigerant handling licence	1 year	$80	$83
	2 years	$160	$166
	3 years	$240	$249
Restricted refrigerant handling licence	1 year	$80	$83
	2 years	$160	$166
	3 years	$240	$249
Refrigeration and air conditioning trainee licence	1 year	$34	$35
Refrigerant trading authorisation	1 year	$254	$262
	2 years	$508	$524
	3 years	$762	$786
Restricted refrigerant trading authorisation	1 year	$80	$83
	2 years	$160	$166
	3 years	$240	$249