VCAT Application Guide: How to Lodge a Claim in Victoria Without a Lawyer

To lodge a VCAT application for a goods and services dispute, you complete VCAT’s application form online through myVCAT, pay the application fee, and then serve the application and every document you filed on each respondent yourself. VCAT then sends an order setting a timetable, and says to expect about 52 weeks from applying to your mediation or hearing. You do not need a lawyer to do any of this, and for goods and services claims under $15,000 you generally can’t have one.

This guide covers the whole lodging process in order: checking the claim belongs at VCAT, what to put in the application, the fee, service, and the mistakes that slow a claim down. Every VCAT fact links to the VCAT page it comes from. The form and what to upload are covered in our VCAT application form and myVCAT guide, and fees and concessions in VCAT fees 2026.

Can VCAT hear your claim?

VCAT’s goods and services page says disputes about products and services you bought or sold are heard in VCAT’s Civil Claims List. That includes faulty goods, work that was poor or never finished, refunds, and unpaid bills for goods or services you supplied.

Which list: Civil Claims List or Consumer and Business Disputes?

VCAT’s practice note PNCCL1 (effective 27 June 2026) says that from 1 February 2026 new practice areas replaced the former lists, and it governs the Consumer and Business Disputes practice area. VCAT’s case pages still use the name Civil Claims List. Both lead to the same goods and services application, so you do not need to choose between them. Other kinds of dispute have their own VCAT case types and pages: residential tenancies, for example, are covered on VCAT’s residential tenancies page. Pick the case type that matches your dispute before you start the form.

How much can you claim?

VCAT’s goods and services pages do not state a cap on how much you can claim. The figure that matters is $15,000: under section 183 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 (Victoria), a small claim is a consumer and trader dispute for money or work not exceeding $15,000. It is also the point below which you generally can’t have a lawyer.

What VCAT will not hear, and the time limit

VCAT lists disputes between neighbours about fences under what it can’t help with, and says you generally must apply within six years of the dispute (VCAT apply page). If your dispute is something else entirely, check VCAT’s case type pages before you pay a fee.

Before you lodge: send a letter of demand

A letter of demand gives the other side a written, dated chance to pay or fix the problem, and it becomes one of your documents if they do not. Claim Done’s Letter of Demand is $49, drafted from your answers; you approve it before it is sent.

Step 1: Gather your evidence

Collect the documents that prove what was agreed, what went wrong and what it cost you:

• Contracts, quotes, invoices or written agreements
• Photographs of the defect, damage or unfinished work
• Emails, text messages and letters showing the dispute
• Receipts, bank statements or other proof of payment
• Reports from a tradesperson or expert, for building or technical disputes
• Your letter of demand and any reply

Label each file so a stranger can tell what it proves (“Invoice 1045 – 12 March 2026.pdf”, not “Document1.pdf”). One rule changes what you should upload: under PNCCL1, the applicant must serve the application on each respondent with all the supporting documents that were filed with the Tribunal. Everything you upload to VCAT, the other side will receive from you. Our guide to preparing evidence for VCAT goes further.

Step 2: Complete the application form

PNCCL1 points applicants to the application form on VCAT’s goods and services disputes page, completed through the online portal myVCAT; a print-friendly version of the form is also available. VCAT’s goods and services page says myVCAT is free to use for applicants and respondents in goods and services applications lodged on or after 6 December 2023. Free to use means the portal; the application fee is separate.

What to have ready:

• Your full name, address, phone and email
• The respondent’s full legal name and address. For a business, check its legal name and registered details on the ABN Lookup or ASIC register rather than relying on a trading name
• What you are claiming: an amount of money, work to be done, or another order
• A plain-English account of what happened, in date order
• How the amount adds up, item by item

Be specific. “The respondent failed to return the $2,400 deposit for kitchen cabinets that were never delivered, despite my written request on 3 June 2026” tells the Member far more than “They owe me money.” If you would rather not write this from a blank box, Claim Done’s Tribunal Application ($97) drafts the application from your answers for you to check and use.

Step 3: Pay the application fee

The application fee for a goods and services dispute depends on how much you claim and on whether you pay the standard, corporate or concession rate. VCAT’s apply page and fees page set out the current fees and who pays which rate. Fees change each 1 July; check the current fee on the tribunal’s or court’s website before you file. If paying would cause financial hardship, you can apply to have fees waived, reduced or paid later. Hearing fees and mediation or compulsory conference fees may also apply, payable at least 5 business days before your first hearing day. Full detail: VCAT fees 2026.

Step 4: Serve the respondent yourself

VCAT does not do this for you. It sends the respondent its own notice, but PNCCL1 says “It is the responsibility of the applicant to serve their application on each respondent with all the supporting documents that were filed with the Tribunal.” At the hearing, you give the Member a signed declaration of service.

• Serve every respondent, not just the main one.
• Send exactly what you uploaded: the application and every supporting document.
• Write down when and how you served each respondent, and keep a copy of what you sent.
• Read PNCCL1 for how service is to be done before you post or deliver anything.

Step 5: Follow the timetable VCAT sets

VCAT’s own pages give two figures for what comes next. The apply page says about 16 weeks after VCAT accepts an application in the Civil Claims List it sends a VCAT order that sets a timetable; the after-you-apply page says about 20 weeks after VCAT receives it. A directions hearing may be held. At the end of the timetable, VCAT decides whether the case goes to a hearing or to mediation. In general, VCAT says to expect to wait 52 weeks from applying to your mediation or hearing. The full sequence, with dates, is in what happens after you lodge a VCAT application.

Step 6: Prepare for the hearing

• Put your documents in date order with numbered pages and an index. Our VCAT evidence bundle guide shows how.
• Write a short outline of your case: what was agreed, what went wrong, what it cost, and the orders you want.
• Bring spare copies of your key documents and your signed declaration of service.
• Stick to the facts and the documents. Answer the Member’s questions directly and let the other side finish before you respond.

Mistakes that slow a VCAT claim down

• Assuming VCAT serves the respondent. Service is the applicant’s job under PNCCL1.
• Uploading documents you would not hand the respondent. Everything you file is served on them.
• Using a trading name instead of the respondent’s legal name. Check the business registers first.
• Claiming for something VCAT does not hear, such as a fence dispute between neighbours, or leaving it more than six years.
• A vague claim. “They owe me money” gives the Member nothing to work with; dates, amounts and documents do.
• Crossing $15,000 without noticing. It moves you out of the small claim category.

Checklist before you lodge

• The dispute is about goods or services, or you have found the right VCAT case type for it
• It is within six years of the dispute
• A letter of demand has gone to the other side
• The respondent’s full legal name and address are confirmed
• Your account is in date order and the amount adds up
• Your documents are labelled, and you are content for the respondent to see every one
• You have checked the current fee on VCAT’s website, or have applied for fee relief
• You have a plan to serve each respondent and record how you did it

How Claim Done helps

Claim Done’s Tribunal Application is a flat $97. You answer plain questions about what you bought or sold, what went wrong and what you want, and tell us what evidence you have. The application is drafted from your answers: the facts in date order, the amount and how it adds up, and the orders you are asking VCAT to make. You check every fact, then you lodge through myVCAT, pay VCAT’s fee and serve the respondent. Claim Done does not lodge or serve anything for you, and is not a law firm.

Had a VCAT application served on you instead? See how to respond to a VCAT application, or start a Tribunal Response ($129).

Frequently asked questions

How do I lodge a VCAT application?

For a goods and services dispute, complete the application online through myVCAT, pay the application fee, then serve the application and all supporting documents on each respondent yourself. VCAT’s practice note PNCCL1 (effective 27 June 2026) points applicants to the form on VCAT’s goods and services disputes page.

Can I lodge a VCAT application online?

Yes. VCAT’s online portal is called myVCAT, and it is free to use for applicants and respondents in goods and services applications lodged on or after 6 December 2023. A print-friendly version of the form is also available.

How much does it cost to file a VCAT application in Victoria?

The application fee depends on how much you claim and whether the standard, corporate or concession rate applies. Fees change each 1 July; check the current fee on the tribunal’s or court’s website before you file. Hearing and mediation fees may also apply.

How long does a VCAT application take from lodgement to hearing?

VCAT says that in general you should expect to wait 52 weeks from applying to your mediation or hearing. Its pages put the first timetable order at about 16 weeks after VCAT accepts the application, or about 20 weeks after it receives it; the two pages disagree.

Does VCAT serve the application on the respondent?

No. VCAT sends the respondent a notice, but serving the application and all supporting documents on each respondent is the applicant’s responsibility under PNCCL1. You give the Member a signed declaration of service at the hearing.

Do I need a lawyer to lodge a VCAT application?

No. VCAT’s representation page says that for a goods and services claim under $15,000 you generally can’t have a lawyer or other professional representative; above that, a representative needs VCAT’s permission unless an automatic right applies.

Can I appeal a VCAT decision if I lose?

Only on a question of law, and only with leave, to the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria (or the Court of Appeal if VCAT’s President or a Vice President made the decision). You must start within 28 days of the date of the VCAT order (VCAT: appeal a decision).

What if I win and the other side does not pay?

VCAT does not enforce its own orders. Where the amount is $100,000 or less, you can ask the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria to enforce the order, and a court fee applies. See how to enforce a VCAT order in Victoria.

Facts checked against VCAT’s pages on 27 September 2026 (and the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012, authorised version 039, where cited). VCAT’s pages carry no “last updated” date.