You’ve sent a Letter of Demand. You’ve sent a Final Demand. The participant or plan manager hasn’t responded, hasn’t disputed the debt, and hasn’t paid. The next step is a formal application to your state’s civil tribunal.
State tribunals exist precisely for this kind of dispute — fast, low-cost, designed for businesses and individuals to use without lawyers. For NDIS providers, they’re the right venue for unpaid-invoice disputes up to a state-defined threshold.
Which tribunal applies to you
- NSW — NCAT (NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal). Civil claims up to $40,000.
- QLD — QCAT (Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal). Minor civil disputes up to $25,000.
- VIC — VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal). Civil claims up to $100,000.
- WA — SAT (State Administrative Tribunal). Civil claims with various jurisdictional thresholds.
- SA — SACAT (South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal).
- ACT — ACAT (ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal). Civil claims up to $25,000.
- TAS — Magistrates Court (Civil Division). Tasmania uses the Magistrates Court rather than a separate tribunal for small civil claims.
- NT — NTCAT (Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal).
What you need to file
- The signed service agreement (or evidence the services were agreed and provided)
- Itemised invoices and records of the supports delivered
- Proof of formal demand (the Letter of Demand and Final Demand you’ve already sent)
- Records of the participant’s or plan manager’s failure to respond
- The application form for your state’s tribunal, completed
- The filing fee — typically $80–$350 depending on the state and claim amount
What happens after filing
The tribunal serves your application on the respondent, usually requires a conciliation conference (often by phone or video), and if that doesn’t resolve it, sets the matter for hearing. Most NDIS-debt matters resolve at the conciliation stage — once the respondent realises the matter is in the system, payment usually follows within a few weeks.
If a hearing happens, you present your evidence, the respondent presents theirs, and the tribunal makes a decision. You don’t need a lawyer (and, in many states, you can’t bring one without leave). The decision is enforceable as a court judgment.
How Claim Done helps
The Tribunal Application wizard asks about your state, the debt amount, the documentation you have, and the participant or plan manager you’re claiming against. The AI drafts the full application — claim form, statement of claim, evidence index — formatted to the specific tribunal’s requirements. Flat $79 (the filing fee is paid separately to the tribunal).
You file the package, the tribunal takes it from there.