Minor Works Certificates

Not every job needs the full installation certificate. Add a socket, move a switch or alter an existing circuit, and the paperwork that comes with it is the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate: smaller than an EIC, but a signed, tested record all the same.

The Small-Works Certificate

The Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate covers additions and alterations to an existing circuit: work that changes what is already there without creating a new circuit. Under the current edition of BS 7671 it can also be used to record the replacement of accessories or light fittings, but never the replacement of a consumer unit, which always takes the full Electrical Installation Certificate.

Small does not mean unchecked. The altered circuit is tested before it goes back into service, and unlike the EIC, which comes with separate schedules, the Minor Works form carries its test results on the certificate itself, alongside a signed declaration that the work does not impair the safety of the existing installation.

One certificate normally covers the minor works on one circuit. Touch two circuits (say a socket added in the kitchen and a light moved upstairs) and you would usually receive a certificate for each.

When You Get a Minor Works Certificate

The typical jobs

  • An extra socket or fused spur added to an existing circuit
  • A new light point or switch wired into an existing lighting circuit, including an outside light fed from one
  • Moving accessories: sockets and switches relocated during decorating, a kitchen refit or plastering
  • Replacing accessories or light fittings where you want the swap on record with its test results
  • Alterations made during remedial work: changes to an existing circuit while clearing an EICR observation; see remedial works

When it is not the right certificate

  • Any new circuit: however small the job feels, a new circuit always takes the full EIC
  • Replacing the consumer unit: the one replacement the Minor Works form is never allowed to cover
  • Rewires and new installations: full certification, tested circuit by circuit

Unsure which side of the line your job falls on? The test is simple: if the work extends or alters what already exists, the Minor Works Certificate covers it; if it creates a circuit or replaces the board, it does not. Ask and we will tell you before we quote; the certificate is included either way.

Planning a small alteration?

Every job leaves with the right certificate for the work, whether that is a minor works certificate or a full installation certificate.

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What Is on the Form

  1. The minor works, described

    What was done, where, and to which circuit: precise enough that the next electrician knows exactly what changed and when.

  2. Comments on the existing installation

    Anything relevant noticed while working, including any defects observed in the parts of the installation the work connects to. A minor works visit sometimes surfaces the first warning of a bigger problem.

  3. The earthing and protection checks

    Confirmation that the earthing and bonding serving the altered circuit are adequate, and that the circuit's protective device is suitable for the change.

  4. The test results, on the form itself

    Continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation where applicable, all recorded for the circuit worked on, right on the certificate.

  5. The signed declaration

    The person who carried out the work signs that it complies with BS 7671 and does not impair the safety of the existing installation.

Is small work notifiable?

Usually not. An extra socket or light point on an existing circuit does not normally need notifying under Part P in England, unless the work is in the zone around a bath or shower, or in a room with a swimming pool or sauna heater. The full notification picture lives on our installation certificates page.

Installation certificates

The Jobs That Come With One

Electrician adding a socket to an existing kitchen circuit

Sockets & Spurs

Extra socket-outlets and fused spurs added where you actually need them, tested and recorded on the certificate the same day.

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Wall-mounted switching and control gear on a lighting circuit

Lights & Switches

New light points, moved switches and outside lights run from existing circuits: small jobs done properly, with the paperwork to match.

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Damaged accessories being put right on an existing circuit

Small Remedial Fixes

Alterations made while clearing EICR observations, certificated circuit by circuit as part of the remedial paper trail.

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Adding a socket or moving a switch?

Minor works are tested before the circuit goes back into service, with the readings written on the certificate you keep. Tell us what you need.

Price my small job

Good to Know

  • The certificate is included in the job: never an extra, never something you have to chase
  • Like-for-like repairs are maintenance: swapping a damaged socket front for the same type does not normally need a certificate, though the work still has to comply with BS 7671 and we will record it if you want a paper trail
  • One certificate per circuit, usually: several small jobs across different circuits means several certificates, which is normal and correct
  • Keep them with the property. Small certificates answer big questions later: they are how a future EICR distinguishes documented work from mystery alterations
  • No paperwork for old small works? Outside special locations that work was not notifiable anyway; an EICR is the way to confirm it is safe

General guidance only, not legal advice. Confirm your own duties with your local authority.

An extra socket, a moved switch, a light where there was none: tell us what you want and where, and we will quote it with the certificate included.

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