VCAT Application — Victoria
Last updated · Reviewed by the Claim Done team · Not legal advice
The VCAT application is free to fill in on myVCAT, and you pay VCAT’s fee when you submit it. We draft what goes in it.
A VCAT application is how you start a claim at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. For a dispute about goods or services you bought or sold, you complete the application online through myVCAT, pay VCAT’s application fee ($67.40 at the standard rate for a claim of $15,000 or less, as at 1 July 2026), and then serve the application and your documents on the other party yourself.
Claim Done drafts the application from your answers for a flat $97; you review it, lodge it and serve it. Start your VCAT application: $97 →
- Your application, drafted from your answers and set out the way VCAT’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
Claim Done is not a law firm and does not lodge or serve anything for you. Every VCAT fact on this page links to the VCAT page it comes from.
What the VCAT application form asks
Application to the Civil Claims List (the PDF form) or myVCAT, which asks the same questions. 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):
- What types of goods were bought, sold or given to you and/or what was the nature of the services supplied or given?A short description of the goods or services.Limit: 300 characters
- What is the problem with the goods and/or services?Numbered paragraphs in date order, including the details of each amount you claim (VCAT asks for numbered paragraphs).Limit: 2,000 characters
- How much is your claim?The total amount.
- What orders do you want VCAT to make?Tick boxes, such as an order that the respondent pay the amount of your claim; an "Other please specify" box if none fits.Limit: 75 characters for "Other"
Source: vcat.vic.gov.au/case-types/goods-and-services/apply-goods-and-services
VCAT goods and services application fees from 1 July 2026
| Amount claimed | Standard fee | Corporate fee |
|---|---|---|
| Claims up to $15,000 | $67.40 | $202.10 |
| Claims over $15,000 | $222.80 | $673.50 |
Concession card holders pay no fee for a claim up to $15,000. VCAT does not enforce its own orders: a money order is enforced through the Magistrates' Court.
Checked against the official page on 21 October 2026. Fees change, usually on 1 July.
Suing in the Magistrates' Court instead? Small claims and arbitration under $10,000
What a VCAT application covers
VCAT’s goods and services page says disputes about products and services you bought or sold are heard in VCAT’s Civil Claims List. Its practice note PNCCL1 (effective 27 June 2026) says new practice areas replaced the former lists from 1 February 2026, and calls this one the Consumer and Business Disputes practice area. Both names are on VCAT’s current pages and lead to the same application.
- Goods and services disputes: faulty products, unfinished or poor work, refunds, and unpaid bills for goods or services you sold.
- Small claims: 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. VCAT’s goods and services pages do not state an upper cap.
- Residential tenancies: VCAT hears these as a separate case type with its own pages. See VCAT residential tenancies.
- Not at VCAT: disputes between neighbours about fences are on VCAT’s list of what it can’t help with (VCAT apply page).
VCAT says you generally must apply within six years of the dispute.
VCAT application fees in 2026
| Fee band (from 1 July 2026) | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard rate: not for a sum, or $15,000 or less | $67.40 |
| Standard rate: more than $15,000, or a sum not specified | $222.80 |
| Corporate rate: not for a sum, or $15,000 or less | $202.10 |
| Corporate rate: more than $15,000, or a sum not specified | $673.50 |
| Concession rate (Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card) | No fee |
Fees from 1 July 2026, from VCAT’s apply page. The corporate rate applies to businesses with a turnover of $300,000 or more in the last full financial year; the concession rate covers Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card and DVA Gold Card holders (VCAT fees). Hearing and mediation fees can also apply, and if paying would cause financial hardship you can apply for fee relief. VCAT’s fees are paid to VCAT; Claim Done’s $97 covers drafting only. The full breakdown is in VCAT fees 2026.
How a VCAT application works, step by step
| Step | Who does it |
|---|---|
| 1. Send a letter of demand so the other side has a written, dated chance to fix it | You (optional; Claim Done’s Letter of Demand is $49) |
| 2. Complete the application online through myVCAT (a print-friendly form also exists) | You |
| 3. Pay the application fee, or apply for fee relief | You |
| 4. Serve the application and every supporting document you filed on each respondent | You, the applicant (VCAT separately sends the respondent a notice) |
| 5. Receive a VCAT order setting a timetable for documents | VCAT |
| 6. Follow the timetable; a directions hearing may be held; VCAT then lists mediation or a hearing | Both parties, then VCAT |
| 7. At the hearing, give the Member a signed declaration of service | You |
Service is your job, not VCAT’s. VCAT’s practice note PNCCL1 says it is the applicant’s responsibility to serve the application on each respondent with all the supporting documents filed with the Tribunal. The form itself and what to upload are covered in our VCAT application form and myVCAT guide.
How long does a VCAT claim take?
VCAT’s own pages give two figures for the first milestone. Its apply page says about 16 weeks after VCAT accepts an application in the Civil Claims List it sends an order setting a timetable; its after-you-apply page says about 20 weeks after VCAT receives it. In general, VCAT says to expect to wait 52 weeks from applying to your mediation or hearing. Stage by stage: what happens after you lodge a VCAT application.
Do you need a lawyer at VCAT?
For a goods and services claim under $15,000, generally not. VCAT’s representation page says that if your claim is about goods and services and is under $15,000 you generally can’t have a lawyer or other professional representative. You present your own case, so the written application matters: it sets out your side before anyone hears you speak.
What Claim Done prepares for your VCAT application
Claim Done’s Tribunal Application sets out what happened in date order, the amount and how it adds up, and the orders you are asking VCAT to make, ready for you to use in your myVCAT application. It is drafted from your answers and the evidence you upload. You read and check every fact before you use it, then you lodge through myVCAT, pay VCAT’s fee and serve the respondent. $97 flat, no retainer, no subscription.
Prepare your VCAT application: $97 | How to lodge a VCAT application
Has a VCAT application been served on you?
VCAT’s respondent page for goods and services disputes sets out no response form or response deadline, but for an in-person hearing you must send the applicant copies of the documents you will use as evidence at least 14 days before the hearing. A counterclaim is a separate application. Claim Done’s Tribunal Response ($129) drafts your response, chronology and evidence list from your answers. More in how to respond to a VCAT application.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a VCAT application?
For a goods and services dispute, complete the application online through myVCAT, pay the application fee and then serve the application and all your 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.
How much does a VCAT application cost?
As at 1 July 2026, $67.40 at the standard rate for a claim of $15,000 or less (or not for a sum) and $222.80 for more than $15,000 or an unspecified sum. The corporate rate is $202.10 and $673.50. Concession card holders pay no application fee.
Is there a limit on how much I can claim at VCAT?
VCAT’s goods and services pages do not state a cap. $15,000 is the figure that matters: it is the small claim limit under the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012, the line between VCAT’s two fee bands, and the point below which you generally can’t have a lawyer.
Does VCAT send my application to the respondent?
No. VCAT sends the respondent its own notice, but serving the application and the supporting documents on each respondent is the applicant’s job under PNCCL1. At the hearing you give the Member a signed declaration of service.
What happens if I win and they don’t 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; a court fee is payable (VCAT: enforce an order). See our guide to enforcing 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.
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 VCAT application fee?
As at 1 July 2026, VCAT's standard rate for a Civil Claims List application is $67.40 for a claim up to $15,000 and $222.80 for a claim over $15,000; eligible concession-card holders generally pay no fee for these claims and hardship waivers are available. You pay this to VCAT when you apply, separately from Claim Done's drafting fee. VCAT's Civil Claims List has no upper monetary limit. Confirm the current fee with VCAT before you apply.