What is a competent person scheme?
Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical work in homes in England and Wales. Some of that work is notifiable. If your firm is on a government-approved self-certification scheme, you can certify that notifiable work yourself. If you are not, the work has to go to building control, either through a building notice before you start or through a registered third-party certifier. The IET lists the approved electrical schemes as BESCA, Blue Flame Certification, Certsure LLP trading as NICEIC, NAPIT Certification Ltd and OFTEC.
The phrase 'competent person' is misleading. The ECA explains that the competent person is the firm that does the work. A sole trader can be one. An employee cannot. That is why every scheme assesses a business and names one or more qualified supervisors inside it. An improver working for a registered firm is covered by the firm's registration. That cover stops when they leave and set up on their own.
What NICEIC, NAPIT and Stroma ask for
For the NICEIC Domestic Installer Scheme your business must do domestic electrical work directly. You need a proposed qualified supervisor who holds accepted qualifications and has at least two years' supervisory experience. You also need £2 million public liability insurance, a written health and safety policy, records kept for at least six years, test equipment you can prove is accurate, and work completed in the last 12 months for the assessor to see. NICEIC publishes a list of qualifications it accepts for a qualified supervisor on each scheme.
NAPIT needs evidence of your core installation qualification, wiring regulations knowledge and inspection and testing qualifications, matched against its own qualifications guide. You choose a scope: full scope for all electrical work, full scope for dwellings only, or defined scope in dwellings. Its scheme requires at least £2 million public liability cover. Stroma Certification closed its electrical scheme. Its current scheme list covers energy assessment, retrofit and similar work, and it is not on the IET's list of approved electrical schemes.
The qualified supervisor rule and the assessment visit
NICEIC's scheme rules define the qualified supervisor as a competent person with at least two years' technical responsibility who is available full time. That person answers for safety, technical standards and the quality of the firm's electrical work every day. They must know BS 7671, the Electricity at Work Regulations and the Building Regulations, and be good at inspection, testing and certification. They also have to issue Building Regulation Compliance Certificates within 30 days of finishing the work.
An NICEIC assessment takes about three hours. The assessor meets the qualified supervisor and the principal duty holder, and in a one-person firm that can be the same person. The qualified supervisor stays for the whole visit and goes with the assessor to the sites chosen. If a qualified supervisor leaves, NICEIC must hear about it straight away. A signed declaration is due within 30 days, and an accepted replacement must be in post within 120 days.
When does a self-employed electrician need one?
Nobody is forced to join. The IET states plainly that sending building notices to the local authority is a legal route. In practice, a self-employed electrician doing regular domestic work in England or Wales, such as consumer unit changes, new circuits or rewires, will find registration quicker than notifying building control job by job. Customers and letting agents often look for a scheme logo too. If you do notifiable work without registering or notifying, the ECA warns that you commit an offence under the Building Act.
If you only do commercial or industrial work, Part P does not apply. You may still want NICEIC Approved Contractor status or NAPIT's EAS registration, because main contractors ask for it. NAPIT says its full-scope and defined-scope members on the competent person scheme meet EAS automatically.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. The JIB rows are the official 2026 national standard hourly rates for job-employed staff with transport provided (£18.38 and £20.08), multiplied by 37.5 hours and 52 weeks. The ranges come from ONS ASHE April 2026 (provisional), adjusted to this year with a wage index, and the regional figures are modelled. Self-employed earnings depend on what you charge and how much work you win, and scheme fees come out of that. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Qualified supervisorAt least one person with accepted qualifications and at least two years' technical or supervisory responsibility, available full time. In a one-person firm this is usually you.
- Public liability insuranceAt least £2 million for the NICEIC Domestic Installer Scheme and for NAPIT's competent person scheme. NICEIC's Approved Contractor bundle also asks for £250,000 professional indemnity cover.
- Recent work to inspectNICEIC wants domestic electrical work your business finished in the last 12 months that the assessor can look at.
- Business systemsA written health and safety policy, risk assessments, a record showing your test instruments stay accurate, and records kept for at least six years.
- Qualifications evidenceCertificates for the supervisor's core installation, wiring regulations and inspection and testing qualifications, checked against the scheme's list of accepted qualifications.
- Notification systemA way to notify each notifiable job to the scheme and get the Building Regulation Compliance Certificate to the customer within 30 days.
Across the UK
| England | Part P and Approved Document P apply to electrical work in dwellings. Since April 2013 the English rules have recognised both self-certification and third-party certification. |
|---|---|
| Wales | Part P also applies, but the list of notifiable work differs from England's, so check the Welsh Approved Document P. NICEIC and NAPIT both register firms working in Wales. |
| Scotland | Part P does not apply. Work must meet the Building Standards and their Technical Handbooks. NICEIC's Certifier of Construction add-on requires Approved Contractor certification, and your qualified supervisor acts as the certifier. |
How to get there
- Years 1-6Qualify and gain responsibilityFinish your electrical qualifications. Then build up at least two years in which you are responsible for electrical work, so you can stand as a qualified supervisor.
- Before applyingSet up the businessRegister as a sole trader or company. Arrange £2 million public liability cover, write a health and safety policy, and get your test instruments checked.
- Months 1-12Complete domestic jobsDo domestic work you can show the assessor, finished within the last 12 months. Until you are registered, notify building control yourself.
- Month 12Apply and paySend the application with your qualification certificates. NICEIC charges £95 when you apply and £600 for the first year, before VAT, and you can pay the £600 in three instalments.
- Weeks after applyingPass the assessmentExpect about three hours. The assessor visits your office and one or more of your jobs, looks at your certificates and records, and checks your testing. Revisits cost extra.
- Every yearStay registeredNotify every notifiable job and expect a surveillance assessment each year. NICEIC renewal (second year onwards) is listed at £595 or £575 before VAT, depending on the option chosen.
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Questions people ask
Can I join NICEIC or NAPIT as an employee?
No. Schemes register businesses. The ECA notes that a sole trader can be a competent person but an employee cannot. If you are employed, your employer's registration covers the notifiable work you do for them.
How much does NICEIC cost in 2026?
For the Domestic Installer Scheme, the application fee is £95 and the first 12 months of certification are £600, both before VAT. Renewal from the second year onwards is listed at £595 or £575 before VAT, depending on the option chosen. Each extra assessment, such as an optional pre-assessment or a revisit, is £430 before VAT.
What does NAPIT charge?
NAPIT's January 2025 electrical application form showed a non-refundable deposit of £156 and a remaining balance of £570. The form says those prices cover the application and initial assessment only. Renewal, work notifications and cancelled assessments are charged separately.
Can I still join Stroma for Part P work?
No. Stroma Certification closed its electrical competent person scheme. It is not on the IET's list of approved electrical schemes, and its current schemes cover energy assessment, retrofit and similar work. Former Stroma members had to move to another scheme.
What happens if my qualified supervisor leaves?
Under NICEIC rules you must tell them straight away. Within 30 days you must send a declaration that all electrical work stays under a named competent person. An accepted replacement must be in post within 120 days.
Do I need a scheme for commercial or industrial work?
Part P only covers dwellings, so there is no legal need to register for it. Many main contractors still ask for NICEIC Approved Contractor or NAPIT EAS registration as proof of competence.
Sources
- NICEIC: Domestic Installer Scheme requirements and fees
- NICEIC: Your assessment
- NICEIC: Domestic Installer Scheme rules
- NICEIC: Schemes overview
- NAPIT: Electrical scheme membership
- NAPIT: Electrical membership application form
- NAPIT: Schemes explained
- IET: Part P certification schemes
- ECA: Part P FAQs
- Stroma Certification: Member resources
