Test and Tag Cost Australia 2026
Test and tag in Australia is priced per item, and the rate steps down with volume: $3.50–$9.50 per item for a job of 1 to 50 items, $3.20–$6 per item for 51 to 200 items and $2.10–$4.95 per item for 200 or more. Most testers apply a minimum site charge or call-out of $89–$250 where the count is small, and an hourly rate of $60–$150 where the count is unknown or the site is spread out.
What separates two quotes for the same office is what sits outside the per-item line. Fixed RCDs are tested by push-button and trip time at $5–$20 per unit and portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting on their six-monthly cycle, microwaves for leakage at $5–$30 per unit and three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item. Each is counted separately from the appliances plugged into it.
The small lines finish the picture: an extension lead or power board at $2–$8 per item, a plug top replaced on the spot at $15–$55 per item rather than a failed tag and a second visit, and a fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection at $10–$35 per unit where the tester bundles it with the visit. Prices are as published by testers, most of them ex GST. The bands on this page are national; each city guide below carries the same bands with that city's own year-on-year movement and local notes.
| City | Per item, 1-50 items | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.8% |
| Melbourne | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.6% |
| Brisbane | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.9% |
| Perth | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.2% |
| Adelaide | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +5.3% |
| Gold Coast | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.9% |
| Canberra | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.7% |
| Hobart | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.7% |
| Darwin | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.7% |
| Newcastle | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.8% |
| Geelong | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.6% |
| Sunshine Coast | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.9% |
| Wollongong | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.8% |
| Townsville | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.9% |
| Byron Bay | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.8% |
| Central Coast | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.8% |
| Cairns | $3.50-$9.50 | ↑ +4.9% |
Test and Tag Cost by City — Australia
Test and Tag Prices in Australia 2026: Cost Table and Price List
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test and tag, 1-50 items | $3.50per item | $5.50 | $9.50 |
| Test and tag, 51-200 items | $3.20per item | $4.50 | $6 |
| Test and tag, 200+ items | $2.10per item | $3.50 | $4.95 |
| Minimum site charge or call-out | $89per visit | $125 | $250 |
| Fixed RCD test, push-button and trip time | $5per unit | $15 | $20 |
| Portable RCD test | $5.49per unit | $9.50 | $12 |
| Emergency and exit light test, six-monthly | $7per fitting | $12 | $20 |
| Microwave leakage test | $5per unit | $15 | $30 |
| Three-phase equipment test | $4per item | $8 | $9.50 |
| Fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection, with a test-and-tag visit | $10per unit | $15 | $35 |
| Hourly rate, unknown item count or complex site | $60per hour | $90 | $150 |
| Extension lead or power board test | $2per item | $5 | $8 |
| Plug top replaced on site | $15per item | $25 | $55 |
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Get free quotes →Prices are as published by testers, most of them ex GST. National figures, November 2026.
Worked Test and Tag Cost Scenarios — Australia
Three examples priced from the national rows above. Each line names the row it draws on; the quote you receive prices your own item count, site and access.
- Small office, one visit a year. A suite with a few dozen items sits in the $3.50–$9.50 per-item band ($5.50 typical) and usually lands on the minimum site charge of $89–$250 instead; the kitchen microwave is tested for leakage at $5–$30 and the switchboard's fixed RCDs by push-button and trip time at $5–$20 per unit.
- School or childcare centre. Hundreds of items across classrooms and a kitchen fall into the $2.10–$4.95 per-item band, with emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting on their six-monthly cycle, portable RCDs on the outdoor power at $5.49–$12 per unit, and failed leads replaced on the spot with a plug top at $15–$55 per item.
- Factory and hire yard. A workshop's three-phase welders and compressors are tested at $4–$9.50 per item and its hire fleet of tools and leads at $3.20–$6 per item between hires, with the fire extinguishers inspected at $10–$35 per unit while the tester is on site and the unknown back-shed count charged at $60–$150 per hour.
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Get free quotes →Test and Tag Costs by Sector — Australia
Sector sets the item mix and the retest cycle, and the site sets the access and the minimum.
- Offices and co-working - Computers, monitors, chargers and kitchen appliances in the $3.50–$9.50 or $3.20–$6 per-item band, the fixed RCDs at $5–$20 per unit, and a minimum site charge of $89–$250 on a small suite.
- Schools, childcare and aged care - Large counts at $2.10–$4.95 per item, emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting, microwaves at $5–$30 per unit and portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, on a cycle set by the environment the equipment lives in.
- Hospitality kitchens and venues - Benchtop and cooking equipment in the $3.20–$6 per-item band, microwave leakage tests at $5–$30 per unit, extension leads and power boards at $2–$8 per item, and the exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting.
- Construction sites and hire yards - Tools and leads retested on the short construction cycle at $3.20–$6 to $2.10–$4.95 per item, portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, and plug tops replaced on the spot at $15–$55 per item so a failed lead goes back to work the same day.
- Factories, workshops and cleaning contractors - Three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item, the fire extinguishers and blankets inspected at $10–$35 per unit on the same visit, and an hourly rate of $60–$150 where the count is unknown or the plant is spread across a yard.
What a Compliant Test and Tag Quote Includes — Cost in Australia
Before comparing quotes, check each one prices the same item count in the same band, says whether the minimum site charge covers a stated number of items, and lists RCDs, exit lights, microwaves and three-phase equipment on their own lines with the GST basis stated.
- The per-item rate and the band it sits in - 1 to 50, 51 to 200 or 200 or more items - at $3.50–$9.50, $3.20–$6 or $2.10–$4.95 per item
- The minimum site charge at $89–$250 and exactly how many items it covers before the per-item rate starts
- Fixed RCD push-button and trip-time tests at $5–$20 per unit and portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, counted separately from appliances
- Emergency and exit light tests at $7–$20 per fitting, with the six-monthly discharge test named
- Microwave leakage tests at $5–$30 per unit and three-phase equipment at $4–$9.50 per item as their own lines
- Fire extinguisher and fire blanket inspections at $10–$35 per unit where bundled with the visit, and who services them otherwise
- Extension leads and power boards at $2–$8 per item, and the on-site repair basis - a plug top replaced at $15–$55 per item
- The tester's competency - a nationally accredited portable appliance testing course or an electrical licence - and the register and report included
- A single GST basis across every line, with the retest interval the quote assumes and the tester's ABN and insurance
Test and tag cost in Australia: per-item rates, minimums and what the tester counts separately
Test and tag cost in Australia comes in three parts: the per-item rate, the minimum, and the lines counted outside the item count. The rate is $3.50–$9.50 per item for 1 to 50 items (typically $5.50), $3.20–$6 for 51 to 200 and $2.10–$4.95 for 200 or more; the minimum site charge is $89–$250; and an hourly rate of $60–$150 covers a count nobody can state in advance.
Outside the count sit the tests that need their own gear or their own cycle: fixed RCDs at $5–$20 per unit and portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, emergency and exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting, microwaves at $5–$30 per unit, three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item and fire extinguishers or blankets at $10–$35 per unit. Leads and power boards are $2–$8 per item, and a plug top replaced on site at $15–$55 per item keeps a failed lead in service.
SafeWork SA reproduces the model Code of Practice interval table: equipment in factories, workshops, manufacturing, assembly, maintenance and fabrication is tested every 6 months, with a portable RCD push-button tested daily or before every use, a fixed RCD push-button every 6 months and RCD operating-time tests every 12 months; equipment that is flexed in normal use or sits in a hostile environment every 12 months; equipment that is not flexed, not open to abuse and not in a hostile environment every 5 years; residential-type areas such as hotels, motels, boarding houses, halls and hostels every 2 years; commercial cleaning equipment every 6 months; and hire equipment inspected before each hire and tested and tagged every 3 months. Only a competent person may inspect and test: someone who has completed a nationally accredited portable appliance testing course through a registered training organisation, or a licensed electrical worker. The standards it cites are AS/NZS 3760:2022, AS/NZS 3012:2010 for construction and demolition sites and AS/NZS 5762 after a repair. The Queensland Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 sets the intervals in the regulation itself: for manufacturing work, double-insulated equipment at least once every year and other equipment at least once every 6 months; for service work, equipment used only for office work at least once every 5 years and otherwise at least once every year; for construction work, equipment must comply with AS/NZS 3012; amusement devices at least once every 6 months; safety switches tested by a competent person at the AS/NZS 3760 intervals; and hire equipment inspected and tested by a competent person before each hiring and tested and tagged at least once every 6 months, with records kept for at least 5 years. SafeWork NSW says the frequency of inspection and testing varies depending on the nature of the workplace, that AS/NZS 3760 outlines the inspection, testing and tagging methods and frequency, that the construction-site frequency is set out in AS/NZS 3012, and that a competent person is one who has the knowledge and skills acquired through training, qualification or experience; its amusement-devices guidance asks for test and tag, including RCDs, at least every 12 months by a competent person. WorkSafe ACT cites AS/NZS 3760:2022 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and AS/NZS 3012:2010 for construction and demolition sites, says testing is done by a licensed electrician or a person certified as competent, and that the tag must be durable, non-reusable and non-metallic. WorkSafe WA says that on construction and demolition sites testing is done by a competent person or a licensed electrician, that a non-electrician using a portable appliance tester must have successfully completed a nationally accredited training course, and that tests are done in accordance with AS/NZS 3012. The Victorian Department of Education's own policy has equipment tested and tagged by a competent person: a licensed electrician or a person who has completed one of two named accredited courses, with intervals set by its separate frequency guide. Ask the tester to show the course or licence on the quote, the interval the quote assumes, and the register and report that will be left behind.
Test and tag cost by item count and site type in Australia
Count moves the price in one direction: the more items on one visit, the lower the per-item rate, from $3.50–$9.50 for 1 to 50 items through $3.20–$6 for 51 to 200 to $2.10–$4.95 for 200 or more. Below a tester's break-even the minimum site charge of $89–$250 applies instead, so a very small count is priced by the visit, not the item.
Site type moves it the other way. A compact office is the item count and little else; a hospital wing, a hire yard or a construction site adds portable RCDs at $5.49–$12 per unit, three-phase plant at $4–$9.50 per item, exit lights at $7–$20 per fitting and, where the plant is spread out or uncounted, an hourly rate of $60–$150 in place of the per-item line.
Test and tag cost in Australia: what the jobs are priced at
Test and tag anywhere in the country starts with the same short list of lines; what shifts the number is the item count, the environment the equipment lives in, and how far apart the items are. Tropical and coastal sites tend to run shorter cycles on outdoor and kitchen equipment; inland and southern sites mostly need a clear count and a date.
- Per item, by volume: $3.50–$9.50 per item for 1 to 50 items, with $5.50 typical; $3.20–$6 per item for 51 to 200 items; $2.10–$4.95 per item for 200 or more.
- Minimums and hourly: $89–$250 minimum site charge or call-out; $60–$150 per hour where the count is unknown or the site is complex.
- RCDs: $5–$20 per unit for a fixed RCD push-button and trip-time test; $5.49–$12 per unit for a portable RCD.
- Lights, microwaves and three-phase: $7–$20 per fitting for an emergency and exit light test, six-monthly; $5–$30 per unit for a microwave leakage test; $4–$9.50 per item for three-phase equipment.
- Fire equipment on the same visit: $10–$35 per unit for a fire extinguisher or fire blanket inspection bundled with a test-and-tag visit.
- Leads and repairs: $2–$8 per item for an extension lead or power board; $15–$55 per item for a plug top replaced on site.