QCAT Application — Queensland
Last updated · Reviewed by the Claim Done team · Not legal advice
QCAT’s application forms are free, and you lodge through QCAT’s QCase portal and pay QCAT’s fee. We draft what goes in it.
A QCAT application starts a minor civil dispute in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a claim of up to $25,000 (excluding interest). A consumer or trader claim goes in through QCAT’s QCase online portal or on Form 1, and an unpaid fixed debt goes on Form 3. You lodge it, pay QCAT’s fee (from $96.30, as at 1 July 2026) and serve a sealed copy on the other side yourself, within 7 days in a consumer and trader dispute.
Claim Done drafts the hard part for a flat $97: your Tribunal Application, which is your claim drafted from your answers and set out to match QCAT’s form. You review it, then you lodge it with QCAT, pay QCAT’s fee and serve it yourself.
Start your QCAT application — $97 →
- Your application, drafted from your answers and set out the way QCAT’s form asks (where a court hears your claim instead, its statement of claim)
- The orders you are asking for, the legal basis for them and a table of what you are claiming
- A witness statement (in New South Wales, an outline you complete in your own words, as NCAT requires)
- Drafted in about 5 minutes. You read it first and can change the wording or ask for a redraft (unlimited edits, 2 redrafts included)
- Every Australian state and territory
What the QCAT application form asks
Form 1 (minor civil dispute, consumer and trader) or Form 3 (minor debt), or QCase online. These are the questions where you explain your claim, with the length limits shown on the form (checked against the official form on 23 October 2026):
- Form 1 Part D: What are you seeking?Tick each order (payment of money, a refund, and so on) with its dollar amount, then the TOTAL.
- Form 1 Part E: What are the reasons the order/s should be made?The facts in date order, how each amount is worked out, and what you did to resolve it.Limit: No limit stated
- Form 3 Part C: I am claiming the following amountsFor a minor debt: each amount owed, then the total.
- Form 3: Why are you seeking payment of the total amounts?What was agreed, when payment was due, what has been paid and how you asked for it.Limit: No limit stated
Source: qcat.qld.gov.au/applications/minor-civil-dispute-process
QCAT minor civil dispute fees from 1 July 2026
| Amount claimed | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $1,000 | $96.30 |
| $1,000 to $10,000 | $164.30 |
| Over $10,000 | $405.60 |
QCAT hears minor civil disputes up to $25,000. You can ask for the fee to be waived for financial hardship. QCAT does not enforce its own orders: you file the order in a Queensland court.
Checked against the official page on 21 October 2026. Fees change, usually on 1 July.
What can a QCAT application be about?
Most people making a QCAT application are in the minor civil dispute stream. The main dispute types are:
- Consumer and trader disputes — claims arising out of a consumer-trader or trader-trader contract, such as faulty goods, poor workmanship or a refund that never came. Limit $25,000, excluding interest. A bigger claim can be reduced to $25,000 to fit.
- Minor debt disputes — a fixed or agreed sum of money, up to and including $25,000, such as an unpaid invoice for work both sides accept was done.
- Residential tenancy disputes between tenants and lessors.
- Dividing fence or pool barrier disputes between neighbours.
- Motor vehicle disputes — QCAT can hear these up to $100,000 against a licensed motor dealer.
You have 6 years from the incident to start a claim, under the Limitation of Actions Act 1974.
Which QCAT application form do I need?
| Your dispute | QCAT form |
|---|---|
| Consumer or trader dispute | QCase online portal, or Form 1 – Application for a minor civil dispute – consumer dispute |
| Unpaid fixed or agreed debt | Form 3 – Application for minor civil dispute – minor debt |
| Residential tenancy dispute | Form 2 – Application for minor civil dispute – residential tenancy dispute |
| Dividing fence dispute | Form 53 – Application for a minor civil dispute – dividing fences |
| Motor vehicle dispute | Form 59 – Application – Motor Vehicle Dispute |
Form names are as listed on QCAT’s forms page. The choice matters: file a minor debt application on Form 3 and the respondent must answer within 28 days on Form 7; file a consumer and trader application and the respondent does not have to file a response at all. Our guide to QCAT forms explained, from Form 1 to Form 7 walks through each one.
How much is the QCAT application fee?
| Amount you claim | QCAT fee (from 1 July 2026) |
|---|---|
| No amount claimed | $119.00 |
| Not more than $1,000 | $96.30 |
| More than $1,000, not more than $10,000 | $164.30 |
| More than $10,000 | $405.60 |
QCAT raised its fees by 3.4% on 1 July 2026. The fee is paid to QCAT, not to Claim Done; Claim Done’s $97 covers drafting only. People on a full-rate pension or benefit, people under 18, protected persons under a domestic violence order and people with legal aid can apply for a waiver on Form 49. Businesses and corporations cannot. The full breakdown, including appeal fees and the $1,000 and $10,000 jumps, is in our QCAT fees 2026 guide.
How to make a QCAT application, step by step
- Put your demand in writing first. A Letter of Demand ($49) sets out the amount, the deadline and what happens next. If they pay, you never need QCAT. If they do not, you have a dated demand to attach as evidence.
- Check the claim fits. Up to $25,000 excluding interest (up to $100,000 for a motor vehicle claim against a licensed motor dealer), and within 6 years of the incident.
- Choose the right application. Consumer and trader: QCase or Form 1. Minor debt: Form 3. See the table above.
- Lodge and pay. Apply online through QCase, or file Form 1 with three copies at a Magistrates Court or at QCAT in Brisbane, and pay the fee when you lodge.
- Serve the other side. QCAT gives you sealed copies once it accepts your application. In a consumer and trader dispute you then have 7 days to serve a sealed copy of the application and attachments on every other party, personally, by post, or through a bailiff or process server.
- File Form 9, the affidavit of service. This proves to QCAT that the other side was served.
What happens after you lodge?
- Minor debt: the respondent has 28 days from being served to file Form 7. If they do not, you may ask QCAT for a decision by default.
- Consumer and trader, tenancy and dividing fence disputes: the respondent is not required to file a response, but can file a reply or evidence up to 7 days before the hearing, and can bring a counter-application.
- Mediation or a hearing. QCAT Practice Direction 1 of 2026 (dated 26 June 2026) says that, unless the Tribunal orders otherwise, minor civil disputes up to $10,000 are referred to mediation, those over $10,000 are listed for a hearing, and residential tenancy disputes are listed for a hearing. QCAT’s consumer and trader page (last updated 4 August 2026) still describes a $1,500 threshold, so go by the directions QCAT sends you.
- Give the other side your material before the hearing. The same practice direction says each party must give every other party a copy of all material they file and want to rely on at least 5 business days before the hearing, unless QCAT orders otherwise. QCAT will not do this for you, and uploading to QCase is not enough.
- If it does not resolve, QCAT organises an oral hearing where a final decision is made. QCAT may issue directions along the way.
For waiting times and each stage in order, see how long a QCAT consumer dispute takes.
Do you need a lawyer at QCAT?
No. In minor civil disputes the parties generally represent themselves. A lawyer or other representative needs QCAT’s permission (leave), which QCAT gives only if it is in the interests of justice. The request is made on Form 56. That is why the written application and your evidence carry so much weight.
What Claim Done prepares for your QCAT application
- Your Tribunal Application — your claim, drafted from your answers and set out to match QCAT’s form: who the parties are, what happened, what you are claiming and the orders you want.
You review the draft before it is final. You then lodge through QCase or on the paper form, pay QCAT’s fee, serve the application and file Form 9. Claim Done does not lodge, file or serve anything for you, and Claim Done is not a law firm.
Prepare your QCAT application — $97 | How to file a QCAT application in Queensland
Been served with a QCAT application?
If someone has made a QCAT application against you, the Tribunal Response ($129) drafts your response summary, defence position statement, chronology and evidence list. In a minor debt claim it supports your Form 7 inside the 28 days. Read how to respond to a QCAT application first.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a QCAT application cost?
From 1 July 2026, QCAT charges $96.30 for a minor civil dispute claim of $1,000 or less, $164.30 for more than $1,000 up to $10,000, $405.60 for more than $10,000, and $119.00 where no amount is claimed. Check QCAT’s fees page on the day you lodge.
Can I make a QCAT application online?
Yes. For consumer and trader disputes QCAT offers the QCase online portal as an alternative to the paper Form 1. On paper, you file the application with three copies at a Magistrates Court or at QCAT in Brisbane.
Who serves the QCAT application on the respondent?
You do, as the applicant. QCAT gives you sealed copies, and in a consumer and trader dispute you have 7 days to serve them personally, by post, or through a bailiff or process server. The person who served them then files Form 9, the affidavit of service.
What is the most I can claim at QCAT?
$25,000, excluding interest, for consumer and trader and minor debt claims. The exception is a motor vehicle dispute against a licensed motor dealer, which QCAT can hear up to $100,000.
Can I appeal a QCAT decision?
Only with leave (permission) from the QCAT Appeal Tribunal. You apply within 28 days, and if leave is granted the appeal must follow within 21 days. The leave to appeal fee is $405.60 for claims up to $10,000 and $811.30 for claims over $10,000.
Facts checked against QCAT’s pages on 27 September 2026. Sources: Consumer and trader disputes (last updated 4 August 2026); Debt disputes (last updated 29 November 2024); Fees and allowances (1 July 2026 fees); Application for a consumer and trader dispute (last updated 18 July 2024); Responding to an application (last updated 14 March 2023); After an application is made (last updated 20 April 2026); Appearance and representation (last updated 19 December 2024); Appealing a QCAT decision (last updated 14 March 2023); Forms (retrieved 27 September 2026); QCAT Practice Direction 1 of 2026 (26 June 2026).
What changes when your case is properly prepared
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.
Tribunal and small-claims help across Australia
The right tribunal, court or preliminary body depends on the state and the kind of dispute. Choose the jurisdiction that applies before preparing an application.
- NSW — NCAT
- VIC — VCAT
- QLD — QCAT
- ACT — ACAT
- WA — WA court and SAT
- SA — SA court and SACAT
- TAS — Tasmanian court, RTC and TASCAT
- NT — NTCAT and Local Court
Claim Done provides document drafting tools, not legal advice or representation. You review and lodge the application yourself.
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.
How much is the QCAT application fee?
As at 1 July 2026, the QCAT minor civil dispute fee is $96.30 for a claim up to $1,000, $164.30 for a claim over $1,000 up to $10,000, $405.60 for a claim over $10,000, and $119 where no amount is claimed. You pay this to QCAT when you lodge, separately from Claim Done's drafting fee. A minor civil dispute is capped at $25,000. Confirm the current fee with QCAT before you lodge.