Tradie Forms: use ACMA TCA1 to record completed telecommunications cabling work and TCA2 when you notice non-compliant existing cabling matters that need customer attention. Fill the official PDF layouts, hand over the right copy, and keep records with the job.
Cabling paperwork is easiest when it is finished before the customer has moved on, the ceiling tiles are back in, and the photos are buried in someone's phone.
For registered cablers and electricians doing customer cabling work, TCA1 and TCA2 handle different handover moments. TCA1 is the certification statement for completed cabling work. TCA2 is the advice form for outstanding matters, such as non-compliant existing cabling issues noticed before or after the job.
The ACMA guidance is direct about the record trail. For completed cabling work, a written certification statement must be prepared as soon as practicable after finishing the work. Copies need to go to the customer and, where relevant, the employer or contractor. A copy must be kept for 1 year after preparing it.
That is not paperwork to leave until Friday afternoon. It belongs with the job while the work description, customer details, registration details, and any outstanding issues are still fresh.
Start ACMA TCA1 for customer cabling advice, use ACMA TCA2 for outstanding cabling matters, or browse electrical forms as more electrical and cabling templates come online.
What TCA1 is for
ACMA says that if you perform or supervise cabling work, you must prepare a written certification statement every time you complete a job for a customer. The statement must identify what cabling work has been completed, include your name, contact details and registration number, identify whether you performed or supervised the work, and state that the cabling work complies fully with AS/CA S009:2020 Installation Requirements for Customer Cabling.
The ACMA page says you may use TCA1 and TCA2 or your own format, provided the required details are included. The TCA1 form page provides the official TCA1 PDF and DOCX.
On site, TCA1 is the handover record for completed work. It should answer:
- Who was the registered cabling provider?
- What registration details apply?
- Was the work performed or supervised?
- Who was the customer?
- What work was completed and where?
- When was the certification statement prepared?
- Who gets a copy?
- Where is the business keeping its copy?
Tradie Forms maps your entries onto the official TCA1 PDF layout. The registered cabler remains responsible for checking the work, the statement, and the exported PDF.
What TCA2 is for
ACMA says to use TCA2 if you notice non-compliant cable installations. The guidance says to complete the form and give it to the customer or building manager even where the issue is pre-existing or outside the contracted scope of work.
ACMA also says TCA2 can be issued before you begin work, with a quotation, or after you complete the cabling job if something needs attention.
That makes TCA2 a useful handover tool when the customer needs to know about existing cabling problems that are not fixed as part of your work. It does not replace the TCA1 certification statement for completed work. It sits beside it when there are outstanding matters to record.
The TCA2 form asks you to show which issues have been noticed and decide how urgently the customer should address the issue. ACMA says you give the completed form to the customer, and you are not required to keep a copy of TCA2. Even so, many trade businesses still store a copy with the job record so the office can see what was handed over.
Small cabling tasks and records
ACMA guidance says a certification statement is not needed if the work involved only a small cabling task. The page lists small tasks such as running, transposing, or removing jumpers on distribution frames, and replacing a piece of minor cabling equipment such as a plug, socket, module, or over voltage unit.
The same guidance says all other requirements under the Cabling Provider Rules still apply to small cabling jobs, including that the work must be performed or supervised by a registered cabler and comply with the Wiring Rules.
If you are unsure whether the work is a small cabling task or whether a certification statement is required, check current ACMA guidance before relying on habit.
What to collect before leaving site
The best time to complete TCA1 and TCA2 is while the cabling work and any outstanding issues are still visible.
Registered cabling provider details
For TCA1, capture the cabler's name, address, contact details, registration number, and expiry date. Saved provider details help when the same cabler fills repeat forms, but the registration details still need checking.
For employers, include employer details where they apply. ACMA says the customer gets a copy and the employer or contractor gets a copy if there is one.
Work description
ACMA says the certification statement should identify what cabling work has been completed in adequate detail. Its guidance gives examples such as room, floor, section, department, or building.
That is field-friendly advice. "Data points" is thin. "Installed and tested four Cat 6 outlets in reception and comms cabinet patching for tenancy 2" is clearer. Include the physical area, system, floor, room, or building section where that helps the customer or auditor understand the record.
Customer details
Add the customer name and contact details while you are still with the customer or building manager. Check business names, site names, and addresses. A cabling record with the wrong customer entity is harder to match later.
Certification signature and date
Sign and date the form after checking the work description and registration details. The signature block is not just a formality. It sits with the statement that the cabling work complies with the Wiring Rules.
Outstanding matters
If you notice existing non-compliant cabling, use TCA2 to record the issue. ACMA says TCA2 can be given before work starts with a quotation, or after the job if something needs attention.
Be clear about the issue and priority. Do not bury a serious handover item in a casual email if the official advice form is the right tool for the job.
Record keeping that works back at the office
The office does not need a perfect filing system. It needs a record that can be found.
Use a file name that makes sense later:
- Date
- Customer or site
- Form type
- Suburb or job number
- Cabler initials where helpful
Keep TCA1 with the job record, invoice, quote, test results, photos, and customer handover email. If TCA2 was issued, store it with the same job even if ACMA does not require you to keep a copy.
That helps when the customer asks what was certified, when the employer needs the record, or when an audit request lands months later.
Common TCA1 and TCA2 mistakes
Work descriptions are too vague
The work description should identify what was done and where. Use the room, floor, cabinet, tenancy, building section, system, or outlet count where it helps.
Registration details are stale
Saved cabler details are useful, but they should not hide an expired or changed registration. Check registration number and expiry date before export.
TCA2 issues are left in conversation
If you notice existing non-compliant cabling matters, record them clearly. A spoken warning or buried text message is hard for the customer, building manager, or office to track later.
The customer copy is sent but the business copy is lost
ACMA says you must keep a copy of the certification statement for 1 year after preparing it. Do not rely on sent email alone. Store the PDF with the job record.
TCA1 and TCA2 are mixed up
TCA1 is for completed cabling work certification. TCA2 is for outstanding matters. When both apply, use both and keep the handover clear.
How Tradie Forms helps
Tradie Forms turns ACMA cabling forms into guided sections.
For ACMA TCA1, you work through registered cabling provider details, employer details, work description, customer details, certification, signature, and date.
For ACMA TCA2, you choose the advice type and tick the outstanding matters that apply, including the priority level shown on the official form.
You can save provider details, catch missing fields before export, preview the official PDF layout, download the finished PDF, and attach it to the job record. That keeps cabling handover tied to the work while the details are still fresh.
Tradie Forms maps entries onto the official PDF layouts. The registered cabler remains responsible for checking the work, any outstanding matters, the customer handover, and the exported PDFs.
A practical handover flow
Use this flow after customer cabling work:
- Confirm the cabler registration details.
- Write the completed work description with location detail.
- Add customer and employer details where relevant.
- Complete and preview TCA1.
- Give the customer copy and employer or contractor copy where relevant.
- Store the TCA1 PDF with the job record for the required retention period.
- If existing non-compliant cabling is noticed, complete TCA2.
- Give TCA2 to the customer or building manager.
- Store a copy with the job record if your business wants the full handover trail.
This is the difference between "paperwork done" and "paperwork findable".
Next steps
Start ACMA TCA1 when you need to prepare customer cabling advice for completed work, use ACMA TCA2 when outstanding cabling matters need to be recorded, or browse electrical forms for more live templates.
Official references
For current requirements, check the ACMA cabling advice forms guidance, the ACMA TCA1 form page, and the ACMA registered cabler guidance.