Vehicle certification administration fees guide
Background
A review of vehicle certification administration fees occurred as part of the vehicle licensing reform programme.
The review, which included a public consultation period from December 2013 to February 2014, resulted in the fees being revised to reflect changes to warrant of fitness (WoF) and certificate of fitness (CoF) services, to help recover the one-off costs associated with making the service changes and to ensure that the ongoing delivery of certification services is cost effective and sustainable.
All fees in this document are inclusive of GST.
Label fees
Vehicle certification fees fund the services associated with the general administration of the vehicle certification system, including the national vehicle certification database and the Transport Agency contact centre.
WoF and CoF certification (label) fees have been increased to allow the Transport Agency to:
- cover the costs of administering the certification system, which have increased since the fees were set 12 years ago
- recover the one-off costs of making the recent changes to the WoF and CoF systems
- incorporate the cost of reviewing Inspecting Organisations ( IOs) and Vehicle Inspectors (VIs). Individual fixed fees for these activities have been revoked (see ’Performance Review Fees’ on page 3).
Certification label type | Fee |
|---|---|
WoF | $1.78 |
CoF | $7.48 |
Entry certification (new) | $1.55 |
Entry certification (used) | $1.94 |
Heavy vehicle specialist | $5.18 |
Repair | $4.43 |
Low-volume vehicle | $15.93 |
Performance review fees
Since 1 November 2014 IOs have not been charged for routine audits. Instead, the cost of review activities will be recovered from certification fees. Non-routine reviews will be charged at a rate of $184 per hour.
One-off application fees
Application fees are paid by parties interested in becoming authorised IOs or VIs, when they submit applications to the Transport Agency. Note: All new applications will be charged a one off fee. All existing Inspecting Organisations and Vehicle Inspectors adding additional authorities will be charged an hourly rate of $184 per hour (GST incl).
| Inspecting organisation type | Fee |
|---|---|
WoF Inspecting Organisation | $1437.50 (This fee includes one site assessment. Additional sites will incur an additional charge – see below) |
CoF B Inspecting Organisation (Note: If IO is applying for CoF A - treat as additional authority hourly rate as WoF is required first) | |
Entry (used) Inspecting Organisation | |
Light Vehicle Repair (applicants are both an IO and a VI) | $1644.50 $1150 (reduced from $1437.50) for IO application and $494.50 for VI application |
Heavy Vehicle Certification (applicants are both an IO and a VI) | |
Low Volume Vehicle (applicants are both an IO and a VI) |
Examples of how one-off application fees work | |
|---|---|
Application type | One-off application fee (GST inclusive) |
Apply to become a VI | $494.50 The fee includes one certification type. Additional certification types are charged using the hourly rate |
Apply to become an IO | $1437.50 The fee includes one site assessment. Additional site assessments are charged using the hourly rate |
Change the ownership of an IO (applying for a new legal entity to be appointed) | $1437.50 The new owner will need to apply for their new legal entity to become an IO and pay the IO application fee |
Apply to relocate existing inspection site | $184.00 hourly rate applies |
Apply to become an IO and a VI at the same time (includes HV, LVV and Repair Certifiers, as these groups are IO/VI combined) | $1644.50 $1150 (reduced from $1437.50) for IO application and $494.50 for VI application |
Existing Inspecting Organisation or Vehicle Inspector applies for an additional certification type/inspection group | $184.00 hourly rate applies |
Apply to re-sit a VI practical or theory exam (new inspectors only, not for additional authority resits) | $494.50 If re-sit application is received within two months of sitting the exam, this fee will reduce to $465.70 (due to no fit and proper check being required) |
Apply to re-sit a VI practical or theory exam (only when the applicant is adding an additional authority and their initial test was an hourly rate) | $184.00 hourly rate applies |
Note regarding change of ownership of an IO
As per the conditions of their Notices of Appointment, IOs may not delegate any function or power to carry out certification activities except under conditions specified by the Transport Agency in writing. A delegation includes any assignment, subcontracting or transfer of such functions or powers and any change or rearrangement in the beneficial ownership of the IO that alters its effective control.
This means that if an IO is sold, the new owner will need to apply to the Transport Agency to become an IO, including paying the application fee of $1437.50.
IOs should contact the certifier helpdesk on 0800 699 000 if they have any questions or require further information about changes of ownership.
Other certification fees
The following fixed fees are based on an hourly rate of $184.00 and the average time taken to provide each service.
Service | Fee |
|---|---|
Identification as an immigrant’s vehicle | $184.00 |
Special interest vehicle permit | $184.00 |
Left-hand drive vehicle permit | $184.00 |
Fee payable by importer of used vehicle | $6.33 |
Hourly rate charging for vehicle certification services
The hourly rate is $184 (GST inclusive). This reflects the current average cost to the Transport Agency of providing the services charged for.
The Transport Agency will charge an hourly rate:
- when certification services that are provided for an IO, VI or an applicant do not warrant charging the full application fee. For example, an hourly rate will be charged for:
- adding a new inspection site
- relocating an existing inspection site
- adding a new certification type to an existing authorisation
- when conducting non-routine reviewing of IOs
- for applications for exemptions from vehicle-related compliance rules.
Indicative fees based on hourly rate charges
The indicative fees in this document have been calculated based on the average time it takes the Transport Agency to provide the certification services.
The Transport Agency expects this fee to be accurate for the majority of IOs and VIs accessing the services.
It is important to note that these fees are indicative only. The Transport Agency will charge the actual cost of providing the services at $184 per hour. A variety of factors will influence whether the final fee charged by the Transport Agency is aligned with the indicative fee, including:
- whether the related paperwork has been correctly completed
- the complexity of the IO and the application
- the size and scale of the inspection site, including the number of inspection lanes
- the IO’s preparedness for the site assessment
- the site’s alignment with our site requirements
- the quality of the site and the equipment being assessed, and whether they enable the VI to complete a robust inspection.
No charge for travel time
The Transport Agency does not directly charge travel time to individual sites; rather, travel costs are absorbed within the hourly rate.
Indicative fees for processing exemptions based on an hourly charging rate (GST inclusive)
Exemption type | Indicative fee for an ‘average’ IO, based on rate of $184 per hour | Circumstances that might affect the actual fee charged |
|---|---|---|
Trim removal | $460 |
|
Heavy vehicle systems Vehicle dimension and mass VDM – longer coach | $368 | |
All other exemption types | $184 |
Indicative fees for IOs based on an hourly charging rate (GST inclusive)
Example application type | Indicative fee for an ‘average’ IO, based on rate of $184 per hour | Circumstances that might affect the actual fee charged |
|---|---|---|
Add new inspection site | $552 |
|
Relocate an existing inspection site to a new location | $460 | |
Add a new certification type to authorisation, eg:
| $460 per certification type There is a minimum charge of one hour – $184 |
Indicative fees for VIs based on an hourly charging rate (GST inclusive)
Example application type | Indicative fee for the ‘average’ VI based on rate of $184 per hour | Circumstances that might affect the actual fee charged |
|---|---|---|
Apply to add a vehicle type to their authority | $437 per certification |
|
