Yes, you can file a tribunal application at NCAT in New South Wales without a lawyer, and NCAT says most people represent themselves. In the Consumer and Commercial Division, a lawyer or agent can only represent a party with the Tribunal’s permission. You lodge online through NCAT Online Services or with the PDF consumer claim form at an NCAT registry, pay NCAT’s fee ($64 for a consumer claim up to $10,000, $133 from $10,001 to $30,000 and $344 over $30,000 at the standard rate, as at 1 July 2026), and attend the conciliation and hearing yourself.
This guide covers the Consumer and Commercial Division, where consumer claims, tenancy disputes and dividing fence disputes are heard. For the documents Claim Done drafts, see our NCAT application page.
Is your dispute one NCAT can hear?
- Consumer claims about goods and services: up to $100,000, lodged within 3 years of when the problem arose, for goods or services supplied within the last 10 years (NCAT: consumer claims)
- Tenancy disputes (NCAT: tenancy)
- Dividing fences: serve a Fencing Notice at least 1 month before applying (NCAT: dividing fences)
A general debt, such as one business owed money by another on an unpaid invoice, is not a consumer claim. It goes to the Local Court of New South Wales: the Small Claims Division up to $20,000 and the General Division over $20,000 up to $100,000 (Local Court: civil jurisdiction).
Before you file: try to resolve it in writing
A clear written demand, with the amount or the fix you want and a deadline, settles many disputes before anyone applies. It also gives the Tribunal a record that you raised the problem. Claim Done drafts a letter of demand for $49.
Ready to put it in writing?
Answer 3 quick questions to check you have the details your document needs, and see your next step.
1. Who is the other party?
2. How much is at stake?
3. Do you have it in writing?
Your result is ready. Want a copy by email? (optional)
NCAT application fees (as at 1 July 2026)
| Consumer claim amount | Standard | Corporation | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to $10,000 (or no amount) | $64 | $128 | $16 |
| $10,001 to $30,000 | $133 | $266 | $33 |
| Over $30,000 | $344 | $688 | $86 |
The reduced fee is 25% of the full fee for eligible applicants; a Health Care Card or Seniors Card on its own does not qualify. Source: NCAT: fees. Our NCAT fees for 2026 guide covers waivers and other costs.
How to file without a lawyer, step by step
- Gather your evidence: purchase agreement or invoice, receipts, quotes, photos, messages and witness statements. Use our NCAT evidence checklist.
- Name the other party correctly: their correct name or legal entity and address. For a business or company, NCAT asks you to search ASIC’s registers and attach the search.
- Write your claim clearly: what you paid for or agreed to, what went wrong, what you asked the other party to do, what they did, and the orders you want NCAT to make.
- Lodge it: online through NCAT Online Services, which needs a NSW Online Registry account and 100 points of ID, or on the PDF form “Consumer claim application about goods and services” at an NCAT registry (NCAT: apply online). See which NCAT application form to use.
- Pay the fee shown above.
- Watch for the notice of listing: NCAT says either NCAT or the applicant sends the respondent a copy of the application, and NCAT sends the notice of listing. Follow any instructions in it.
- Attend the conciliation and hearing: consumer claims are first listed for both on the same day. If the case is not resolved, it may be listed for a contested hearing on a later date.
Representing yourself at the hearing
- Bring an indexed, page-numbered bundle, copies for the Tribunal Member and the other party, and your originals
- Prepare a one-page summary of what happened and the orders you want
- Speak to the Member, refer to documents by page, and answer the question asked
- Go into conciliation knowing the outcome you would accept
If the other side is legally represented, that is one of the situations where NCAT’s guideline says leave for representation is usually granted, alongside claims over $30,000 and complex issues (NCAT representation guideline).
After the decision
An unpaid money order can be enforced by registering a certified copy with the Local Court (District Court for amounts over $100,000). An appeal goes to the NCAT Appeal Panel within 28 days (14 days in residential proceedings); the standard fee is $540. See how to appeal an NCAT decision.
How Claim Done helps
Claim Done drafts your tribunal application for $97: your claim set out to match NCAT’s consumer claim form. You approve it, then you lodge it and pay NCAT’s fee yourself. Your witness statement must be in your own words: NCAT Procedural Direction 7 says generative AI must not be used to generate the content of statements or other evidence, or to rephrase a witness’s evidence. See what the NCAT application includes. On the other side of a claim? See how to defend an NCAT application.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file an NCAT application without a lawyer?
Yes. NCAT says most people represent themselves. In the Consumer and Commercial Division a lawyer or agent needs the Tribunal’s permission to represent a party.
What is NCAT’s limit for consumer claims?
$100,000. General debts, such as unpaid invoices between businesses, go to the Local Court instead.
How much does it cost to file at NCAT?
As at 1 July 2026, the standard fee for a consumer claim is $64 up to $10,000, $133 from $10,001 to $30,000 and $344 over $30,000. Corporations pay double.
Can I lodge online?
Yes, through NCAT Online Services with a NSW Online Registry account and 100 points of ID.
Start your NCAT application — $97
Facts checked against NCAT and NSW Local Court pages on 27 September 2026. Claim Done is not a law firm and does not lodge, file or serve documents for you.
What changes when your case is properly prepared
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.
Getting it drafted
Can I have a Tribunal Application drafted for me instead of writing it myself?
Yes. Claim Done (claimdone.com.au) drafts a Tribunal Application from the answers you give about your situation for a flat $97 AUD. You read and confirm the draft, then the final PDF is emailed to you. Start at claimdone.com.au/begin/?service=tribunal-application. Claim Done is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
How much does a Tribunal Application cost, and how long does it take?
$97 AUD flat, shown before you pay, with no subscription. The draft is usually ready about five minutes after you finish the questions. It covers every Australian state and territory.
Does Claim Done lodge the application with the tribunal or court?
No. Claim Done drafts the documents; you lodge them yourself and pay the tribunal's or court's own filing fee directly to it. The draft names the right tribunal or court and Act for your state.
What does Claim Done do that a free tribunal application template doesn't?
It sets out your claim to match your state's tribunal or court application (for a New South Wales debt, a Local Court statement of claim) under the right Act, with a witness statement drafted from your account (in New South Wales, the outline NCAT requires) and the documents you mention referred to as numbered exhibits. You read every word, change it or ask for a redraft (two are included), then lodge it yourself.