What goes in an MCS handover pack checklist?

Use the five minimum items, then add the MCS certificate, any Building Regulations certificate, proof of DNO notification or approval, the performance estimate, commissioning results and a customer signature. The checklist in this post is a layout you can copy.

What does an MCS solar PV handover pack need to include?

The same minimum as any MCS pack, plus the solar PV items in MIS 3002: the documentation provided and explained at handover, the maintenance requirements, and a signed certificate listing the key components installed and the system performance estimate.

How long do I have to give the customer the MCS certificate?

MIS 3002 says no later than 10 working days after commissioning. The Customer Commitment says the certificate, Building Regulations certificates and DNO proof are due within 30 calendar days of completion. Plan to the shorter deadline.

How does Baton help with an MCS handover pack?

Baton makes the equipment record on site: a nameplate photo and two unit photos per item, with a person checking manufacturer, model and serial. The register comes as PDF, Excel and CSV in your own Google Drive, a basis for the key parts list.

Does Baton issue the MCS certificate or notify the DNO?

No. Baton does not issue certificates and does not file anything for you. You keep issuing the MCS certificate and sending the G98 or G99 paperwork yourself, and you can attach those files to the job in the attachments index.

MCS handover pack requirements: what goes in the pack, a checklist you can copy, and the deadlines that apply

The MCS handover pack requirements are short. As a minimum the pack holds a list of key parts, health and safety guidance, a servicing and maintenance schedule, the manufacturer’s manuals, and all relevant guarantees and warranties. The MCS certificate, any Building Regulations certificates and proof of DNO notification follow within 30 calendar days. Baton helps with one part of the pack, the equipment record.

The short answer, and why the pack gets chased

Two MCS documents set the rules. The Customer Commitment (issue 1.1, September 2026) says what the handover pack contains and what the customer is given within 30 calendar days. MIS 3002, the solar PV installation standard, says the installer provides a comprehensive document pack, and that the MCS certificate reaches the customer no later than 10 working days after commissioning.

A pack goes wrong in one of two ways. Either a document is late, usually the certificate, or the pack says one thing and the installation another. A certificate that lists the wrong inverter, or a key parts list built from the order and not from what went on the roof, is the version an assessor can fault.

What MCS actually asks for, and where it says so

The Customer Commitment, under its handover heading, says the installer gives the customer a handover pack once the installation is complete. The minimum is a list of key parts, health and safety guidance, a recommended servicing and maintenance schedule, the manufacturer’s instruction manuals, and all relevant guarantees and warranties. The installer also tells the customer if they must do anything to validate or maintain those guarantees.

The same page of the commitment lists three documents due within 30 calendar days of completion: the MCS certificate, Building Regulations compliance certificates if needed, and proof of notification or approval to the electricity network provider if needed. Separately, it says installers keep installation records for at least six years, and that the contract states the make, model number, power rating and storage capacity of the product.

MIS 3002 issue 3.4, as hosted on the MCS site, adds detail for solar PV. At handover the documents must be provided and explained, together with the maintenance requirements and the services on offer. The installer also hands over a signed certificate that states the system meets the standard and lists the client, the site, the installer, the key components installed and the system performance estimate. The standard dates itself 2018 inside the file and may have been superseded, so check you are working from the issue your certification body expects.

A checklist you can copy into your own template

MCS gives contents, not a form, so an MCS handover pack template is your own layout of the items below. The first five are the Customer Commitment minimum, and the detail after each colon is our suggested content, not an MCS requirement. Items 6 to 9 come from the Customer Commitment, MIS 3002 and the network rules. The last item is our suggestion.

List of key parts: make, model, serial number, quantity and location of the panels, inverter and battery.
Health and safety guidance for the customer, including how to isolate the system.
Recommended servicing and maintenance schedule, with the maintenance services you offer.
Manufacturer instruction manuals for each major component.
Guarantees and warranties, with start dates and anything the customer must do to keep them valid.
MCS certificate, or a note of the date it will follow.
Building Regulations compliance certificate, if needed.
Proof of DNO notification or approval: the G98 commissioning confirmation or the G99 approval letter.
System performance estimate and the signed installer certificate listing the key components.
Commissioning results and a signed handover acknowledgement from the customer.

Who issues what, and by when

The deadlines come from different documents, which is why they get muddled. Plan to the shortest one that applies to your job.

Handover documents, who issues them, and the deadline each source states
Document	Issued by	Deadline stated	Where it comes from
MCS certificate	Installer, from the MCS Installation Database	Both apply: 10 working days after commissioning is the tighter MIS 3002 rule for the certificate; the Customer Commitment sets 30 calendar days for the full document set	MIS 3002 clause 6.2; Customer Commitment, handover section
Building Regulations compliance certificate	Competent person scheme or local authority building control, per GOV.UK	Within 30 calendar days of completion, if needed	Customer Commitment, handover section; GOV.UK guidance
G98 commissioning form (Form B)	Installer sends it; the network operator returns a response	Within 28 days: of commissioning per SSEN, of installation per GOV.UK. Use the earlier	SSEN guidance; GOV.UK device registration guidance
G99 approval	Network operator, before installation	Apply before installing; GOV.UK says the operator responds within 45 days (low voltage) or 65 days (high voltage)	GOV.UK device registration guidance
Handover pack	Installer, at completion	On completion of the installation	Customer Commitment, handover section

Put the pack together in this order

Assembling it in one sitting beats chasing parts for three weeks. This order follows the deadlines above.

On the day, record each unit as installed: photograph the nameplate and the unit, and note its condition and location, before anyone leaves site.
Check the make, model and serial numbers against the photos and fix the key parts list.
Notify the network operator. For a connect-and-notify installation that is the G98 commissioning form, due within 28 days (SSEN counts from commissioning, GOV.UK from installation, so use the earlier); most suppliers require the operator’s reply, a DNO Response, to apply for an export tariff, according to SSEN.
Register the installation and issue the MCS certificate inside 10 working days, then add it to the pack.
Add manuals, warranty documents with start dates, the maintenance schedule and the performance estimate, then walk the customer through the pack and take a signature.
File a full copy of the pack and every certificate with your installation records, and keep it for at least six years.

Mistakes that get a pack questioned, and the fix

A key parts list written from the order. It shows what was bought, not what was fitted, and a swapped inverter or a substituted battery module makes it wrong. Fix it by reading serial numbers off the installed equipment, not the delivery note.

A certificate that arrives after the pack, with nothing to say when. Put a dated line in the pack saying the certificate follows, and give it inside 10 working days. A customer who wants Smart Export Guarantee payments chooses a licensee, which sets its own tariff terms, so have every paper ready to hand over.

A pack that is complete but cannot be shown to be true. NICEIC’s MCS assessment guidance says the assessor reviews the installation and handover pack to check it is complete, appears correct, is meaningful and reflects the true state of the installation. A key parts list with unreadable or mistyped serials fails the last two tests. Fix it with photographs taken at the unit.

Forgetting that notifications have their own clock. The G98 form is due within 28 days, counted from commissioning by SSEN and from installation by GOV.UK. SSEN also asks for approval before connecting if the same installer fitted generation at another property in the same postcode, ignoring its last two characters, in the previous 28 days. That is SSEN’s rule for its own network, so check your operator’s page for each job.

How a crew and an office do this with Baton

Your crew opens a link or scans a QR code and types the 6-digit job code. There is no account and no app to install, and it works with no signal. For each unit they photograph the nameplate, take two photos of the unit, and record its condition and where it sits. Panels, inverter and battery are separate lines, and any other equipment can be named on site.

Two AI models read every nameplate, and a person checks manufacturer, model and serial against the photo. That checked list is a sound basis for the list of key parts your pack needs.

Each job gets one handover register as PDF, Excel and CSV, saved in your own Google Drive. The PDF shows each unit’s nameplate and unit photographs on its own page, and the Excel and CSV carry a pointer to that page. You set a warranty start date and length for each equipment category, and the register prints the end date. The cover carries a person-check stamp and a sign-off block.

What Baton does not do, and what to attach instead

Baton does not issue the MCS certificate, does not notify the DNO, does not file anything for you and does not hold commissioning or test results. It does not guarantee that a pack meets any scheme. Those stay yours.

What it gives you is a place to keep them with the equipment record. The attachments index lists the files you add, such as the MCS certificate, the G98 or G99 papers, manuals and commissioning results, and each can carry a reference, a date and who issued it. Baton has a Free plan that generates handovers for your first three active projects, and Pro is $49 a month plus any local tax.

Quick answers

What are the MCS handover pack requirements?: The MCS Customer Commitment sets the minimum: a list of key parts, health and safety guidance, a recommended servicing and maintenance schedule, the manufacturer’s instruction manuals, and all relevant guarantees and warranties. MIS 3002 adds a signed certificate listing the key components and the performance estimate.
What goes in an MCS handover pack checklist?: Use the five minimum items, then add the MCS certificate, any Building Regulations certificate, proof of DNO notification or approval, the performance estimate, commissioning results and a customer signature. The checklist in this post is a layout you can copy.
What does an MCS solar PV handover pack need to include?: The same minimum as any MCS pack, plus the solar PV items in MIS 3002: the documentation provided and explained at handover, the maintenance requirements, and a signed certificate listing the key components installed and the system performance estimate.
How long do I have to give the customer the MCS certificate?: MIS 3002 says no later than 10 working days after commissioning. The Customer Commitment says the certificate, Building Regulations certificates and DNO proof are due within 30 calendar days of completion. Plan to the shorter deadline.
How does Baton help with an MCS handover pack?: Baton makes the equipment record on site: a nameplate photo and two unit photos per item, with a person checking manufacturer, model and serial. The register comes as PDF, Excel and CSV in your own Google Drive, a basis for the key parts list.
Does Baton issue the MCS certificate or notify the DNO?: No. Baton does not issue certificates and does not file anything for you. You keep issuing the MCS certificate and sending the G98 or G99 paperwork yourself, and you can attach those files to the job in the attachments index.