Letter of Demand Before QCAT: What Queensland Expects Before You Apply

Last updated 21 October 2026 · Reviewed by the Claim Done team · Not legal advice

Short answer: before you apply, QCAT says you should try to resolve the dispute directly with the other party, and writing to them is one of the ways it names. For a debt or a consumer claim that is a recommendation, not a legal requirement. A clear letter of demand is the usual way to do it: it often gets you paid without a filing fee, and if it does not, it shows QCAT you tried. Tenancy, building and dividing-fence disputes are different: each has a first step you must take before QCAT will hear it.

What QCAT says before you apply

On its minor debt and consumer and trader pages, QCAT says: “You should try and resolve your dispute directly with the other party by contacting them, holding a face-to-face meeting or writing to them.” Legal Aid Queensland gives the same advice: try to resolve the dispute with the other party before asking QCAT to hear it.

Nothing in that guidance makes a letter of demand compulsory for a debt or a consumer claim. It is the practical way to show you asked, in writing, for a specific amount by a specific date.

Where a claim goes in Queensland

QCAT minor civil disputes cover claims of up to $25,000 (excluding interest), including:

• Minor debts: a fixed or agreed amount of money, based on an agreement to pay (written or verbal) made no more than 6 years ago. If there was no agreement to pay, it is not a minor debt claim.
• Consumer and trader disputes: claims arising from a contract between a consumer and a trader, or between traders.
• Residential tenancy disputes (see the first step below).
• Dividing fence disputes (see the first step below).
• Damage to property caused by a vehicle.

Over $25,000: you can choose to reduce your claim to $25,000 to stay in QCAT (QCAT says to get independent legal advice before doing that), or claim in the Magistrates Court, which hears civil claims of $150,000 or less. The District Court hears claims from $150,001 to $750,000.

When a different first step is required

• Residential tenancy: non-urgent tenancy disputes must go through the Residential Tenancies Authority’s free dispute resolution service first. If it does not resolve, you attach the Notice of Unresolved Dispute to your QCAT application. Urgent matters (for example ending an agreement, emergency repairs, entry to the premises, or domestic violence issues) can go straight to QCAT. A rental bond is claimed through the RTA’s bond process, not a letter of demand.
• Domestic building work: you must take part in the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) dispute resolution process before QCAT will accept the application. The QBCC also tells you to give the other party written notice of the disputed items, which is where a clear letter helps.
• Dividing fences: you must first give the neighbour a formal notice to contribute (QCAT Form 2). If you have not agreed within 1 month, you can apply, but within 2 months of giving the notice.

What it costs if you have to apply

QCAT’s minor civil dispute application fees from 1 July 2026:

• claim of $1,000 or less: $96.30
• more than $1,000, up to $10,000: $164.30
• more than $10,000: $405.60

QCAT can waive a fee if paying it would cause you financial hardship. Fees change each July; check QCAT’s fee page before you lodge. More detail: QCAT fees 2026.

What the letter should say

• Your name and contact details, and the full name of the person or business that owes you.
• What the money is for (the agreement, the work, the goods, the loan), with dates.
• The exact amount, and anything already paid.
• A date to pay by (14 days is usual) and how to pay.
• That if it is not paid, you will apply to QCAT (or the Magistrates Court for a larger claim).
• Copies of your proof.

Keep it calm and factual, and do not threaten anything the law does not allow. See a real sample letter of demand, explained part by part.

If they ignore it

Apply to QCAT. Your application sets out the same facts, with your evidence, and the letter and any reply show what you asked for and when. If QCAT makes an order and the other party still does not pay, QCAT does not enforce it for you: you file the order with a Queensland court to enforce it (there is no fee to file it, and it must be done within six years of the order).

When not to send another letter

• You have already sent a clear written demand with an amount and a deadline: go to the next step.
• The dispute is a tenancy, building or fence matter: take the required first step above instead.
• A time limit is close, the matter is already before QCAT or a court, or there are threats, violence or a complex question of who is legally responsible: get advice from Legal Aid Queensland, a community legal centre or a lawyer.

Have it drafted for you

You can write the letter yourself. Or Claim Done drafts it from your answers under Queensland law, checks it, and emails it to the other party after you approve it. If they still do not pay, Claim Done can draft your QCAT minor civil dispute application from the same answers.

Letter of Demand: $49. QCAT application: $97. Nothing is sent until you approve it.

Start my letter of demand →

How your letter is drafted and checked: how Claim Done checks your document. Other states: New South Wales, Victoria, and the national guide.

Questions

Does QCAT require a letter of demand before I apply?
No, not for a debt or a consumer claim. QCAT says you should try to resolve the dispute directly first, for example by writing to the other party, and a letter of demand is the usual way to do that. Tenancy, domestic building and dividing-fence disputes each have their own required first step.

What is the QCAT limit for a debt?
$25,000, excluding interest, for a minor civil dispute. Above that you can reduce the claim to $25,000 or claim in the Magistrates Court (up to $150,000).

Can I claim a debt at QCAT without a written contract?
Yes, if there was an agreement to pay, written or verbal, made no more than 6 years ago. You will be asked for the terms of the agreement.

How long should I give them to pay?
Fourteen days is usual. If nothing happens by the date in your letter, apply.

Is Claim Done a law firm?
No. Claim Done drafts documents from your answers. It does not give legal advice and does not guarantee that you will be paid.

Sources

Checked against the official pages on 21 October 2026. Fees and limits change; check the tribunal or court before you apply.

• QCAT: debt dispute process
• QCAT: minor civil dispute process
• QCAT: residential tenancy disputes
• QCAT: domestic and commercial building disputes
• QCAT: dividing fence disputes
• QCAT: fees and allowances
• Residential Tenancies Authority: dispute resolution service
• Queensland Courts: money disputes
• Queensland Courts: enforcing a tribunal order
• Legal Aid Queensland: someone owes me money