Contents
This information is intended to support applicants navigate the ‘Apply for an exemption certificate’ form in the Client Portal.
You must apply for an exemption certificate using this form
each year if you intend to be issued with an exemption certificate.
Before you start
Before you start, ensure eligibility. See
Am I eligible to apply for an exemption certificate?
For existing applicants
You should complete each application based on the EITE activity site configuration for a year. Assume your site changes from year to year.
Refer to your prior exemption certificate letter before completing the application, not your previous application.
User accounts
Ensure you have a user account to apply, receive application messages and manage your users.
Ensure your contact details are current under the ‘My details’ section. This includes your job title so we can contact you about the application if needed.
Assuming you have an access role of ‘Organisation Administrator,’ you can manage your ‘My organisation’ section of your account. This includes ‘Organisation details’ and ‘Manage access roles.’
Trouble shooting
Listed below are common questions and errors when using this form.
Question: I cannot continue with the application form, what do I do?
- Check that your internet browser security settings will allow pop ups from the Client Portal
- Ensure you have the access role of ‘Organisation Administrator’
For assistance, email
cer-industryassistanceschemes@cer.gov.au.
Question: Where is my exemption certificate letter?
You and your liable entity or entities are notified of the assessment outcome through the Client Portal ‘Messages’ area if you gave them access to receive the letter in the exemption certificate application. You will receive a message linking to the PDF ‘Exemption certificate’ letter. If you are not the ‘Primary Contact’ for the organisation that made the application, complete a ‘Notify the regulator’ form in the Client Portal to request the role and the exemption certificate letter because the initial message cannot be resent via the system.
Only the current ‘Primary Contact’ that is listed first will receive this message. If the ‘Primary Contact’ has changed, a new ‘Primary Contact’ will need to be established, the old one removed, and Clean Energy Regulator (CER) will need to manually send you the exemption certificate letter. For assistance, email
cer-industryassistanceschemes@cer.gov.au.
Question: Can the site’s owner be changed after the application was lodged for the year?
No, you will have to set up the new company to have access to the application. For assistance, email
cer-industryassistanceschemes@cer.gov.au.
Application details
For existing applicants, select the EITE entity that is the prescribed person for the application. Details will prepopulate.
If anything is incorrect review and update the ‘Organisation details’ of your account and request a change to the organisation details from this page. You can also contact us directly or complete the ‘Notify the regulator’ form requesting updates, as applicable.
Executive officer(s) and organisation contacts
For this form you will need to have an ‘Executive Officer’, ‘Primary Contact’ and ‘Secondary Contact’. An individual can be:
- the ‘Primary Contact’
- the ‘Secondary Contact’
- the ‘Executive Officer’
- the ‘Primary Contact’ and the ‘Executive Officer’
- the ‘Secondary Contact’ and the ‘Executive Officer.’
When adding a person to this section you will need their current:
Their user account will need to include the following details:
- Their ‘Position.’ If missing, ask the user to go into their account and under ‘My Profile’ update their ‘My details’ by adding their ‘Position’ title.
- Their ‘Date of birth.’ If missing, ask the user to go into their account and under ‘My Profile’ update their ‘My details’ by adding their ‘Date of birth.’
For assistance, email
cer-industryassistanceschemes@cer.gov.au.
Prescribed persons
Apply under the correct
prescribed person category and provide
supporting documentation as required.
No matter what prescribed person category the company is, you will need to respond to additional questions and upload relevant documents. If you have documents to support your prescribed person category and are not presented an upload icon you can add the documents to your Basis of Preparation Report, upload them under the ‘Site details’ section.
Liable entity details
Add and select your electricity retailer. Allow them to access relevant letters and tools:
- Exemption certificate. The system will automatically send the approved exemption certificate to the liable entity. This removes the requirement for you to manually provide your retailer with a copy.
- Exemption determination tool. The liable entity will also have access to add and remove monthly metering data for your certifiable amount. Note that if you choose to allow your liable entity access to this tool, you will be held accountable for any incorrect information provided. It is an offence to provide false and misleading information or documentation under the
Criminal Code Act 1995.
- Notice of certifiable amount. The system will automatically send the approved notice of certifiable amount to the liable entity. This removes the requirement for you to manually provide your retailer with a copy.
- If multiple electricity retailers supply electricity to the EITE activity site mention them here. This will remove the requirement for you to lodge an
Apply to amend your exemption certificate form unless your retailers change during the year.
Site details
This section of the form:
- works for new sites so long as you answer the questions correctly and allows you to enter a site name (make it meaningful and not the name of your company)
- works for existing sites so long as you answer the questions correctly and allows you to update a site name
- allows you to apply as an activity group
- needs you to comment on any onsite generator capacity
- needs you to comment on any non-relevant acquisitions of electricity that occur for the site
- needs you to upload the Basis of Preparation Report
- needs you to confirm the electricity network you are connected to.
See
Guidance for a successful application for information about what to include for this section.
Emissions-intensive trade-exposed activity
Add and select:
- EITE activity or activities that you conduct or will conduct at the site
- the corresponding relevant product or products.
See
Guidance for a successful application for information about new EITE activity or activities at the site for this section.
Exemption determination
You must enter information into the associated fields correctly.
- Confirm whether meters are sufficient to calculate your certifiable amount, and if not why.
- You will need to complete further questions about your use amount formula if you answer ‘no’ to either of these questions:
- ‘Do you consider that metering data should be used (whether alone or as part of a formula with other elements) to identify the certifiable amount?’
- ‘Do you consider that metering data is sufficient and appropriate to identify the certifiable amount?’
When adding an ‘other element,’ it is important to indicate whether the value is a proportion, calculated value, or interval data of some description.
- Confirm whether anything else occurs at the site that is not part of the EITE activity or activities boundary.
- Enter a derived use amount formula that can be validated by the system. Note, the system may validate a use amount formula that is later impacted by other system issues when you enter and save, or save and submit incorrect monthly data, such as a percentage instead of a per unit value.
- Upload documents to support your use amount formula. This should be your Basis of Preparation Report and relevant electrical and site schematics.
- Indicate whether the use amount formula was approved by the CER in a prior application. Check your prior year exemption certificate letter to see if the CER accepted or amended your prior use amount formula.
See
Guidance for a successful application for information about deriving a use amount formula at the site for this section.
Audit report
You must determine whether you need an audit report and upload it, if applicable. See
Guidance for a successful application for information about whether you need an audit report.
Declaration
Finally, review your application and seek internal approvals or legal advice. Submit the application with an electronic signature or by downloading, printing, signing and uploading it.
If submitting electronically, ensure it has been submitted by you or the delegate. This will ensure that the correct person is able to view the form in their account and submit it.
Email
cer-industryassistanceschemes@cer.gov.au immediately if you have any issues.