About the Refrigerant Handling Licence

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.

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

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 apply for a Refrigerant Handling Licence (RHL).

Click here to apply for a Refrigerant Trading Authorisation (RTA).

Licence fees

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

Permit scheme fees in 2024 will be the same as in 2023.

Fees are indexed annually based on the Wage Price Index. This would result in a 4.1% increase on 1 January 2024. For example, a 3-year refrigerant handling licence fee would increase by $10 to $259.

Instead, fees are being frozen for 2024. Reasons for this include:

• The fee pause will respond to industry concerns about permit scheme fees.
• The fee pause aligns with the Government’s measures to address cost of living pressures.

All prices are in Australian Dollars and GST is not applicable.