SAT Application — Western Australia
Last updated · Reviewed by the Claim Done team · Not legal advice
In Western Australia, consumer claims, small money claims and residential tenancy disputes are heard by the Magistrates Court of Western Australia, not the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT), which lists consumer and fair trading complaints and residential tenancy disputes as outside its scope. The Magistrates Court hears consumer/trader claims up to $75,000, a claim of $10,000 or less can run as a minor case claim, and the filing fee for a minor claim is $199.50 for an individual (court fees effective from July 2026, checked 27 September 2026).
Claim Done drafts your claim for the Magistrates Court of Western Australia from your answers, set out as a statement of claim, for $97. You review it, then lodge it with the court yourself. Claim Done is not a law firm. Start your claim — $97 →
- Your application, drafted from your answers and set out the way your tribunal’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
SAT fees
SAT does not hear general consumer or money claims. Those go to the Magistrates Court of Western Australia: a minor case of $10,000 or less uses Form 4 Minor Case Claim on the eCourts Portal, which asks for a "Summary of Facts Relevant to the Claim", "Documentary Evidence in Support of Claim" and "The Remedy Or Relief Claimed". Our WA minor case claim guide walks through Form 4, the court fee and serving the claim. Check the current fee on the official fees page before you lodge.
Which body hears what in Western Australia
| Type of claim | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Goods or services bought, sold or hired (consumer/trader claims), up to $75,000 | Magistrates Court: Form 7 General Procedure Claim (Consumer/Trader), or a minor case claim if $10,000 or less |
| Money claims of $10,000 or less | Magistrates Court: Form 4 Minor Cases Procedure Claim |
| Residential tenancy disputes | Magistrates Court (SAT lists these as outside its scope) |
| Dividing fence disputes | Magistrates Court (Form 53, under the Dividing Fences Act) |
| Guardianship and administration, equal opportunity, vocational regulation, town planning, and commercial and civil disputes that a specific Act gives to SAT | SAT |
SAT’s civil jurisdiction comes from the particular Act that governs the dispute. If your matter is not one of those, it goes to the Magistrates Court. SAT’s own list is on its matters outside SAT’s scope page.
Magistrates Court filing fees (effective from July 2026)
| Claim | Individual | Eligible individual | Entity | Eligible entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minor claim not exceeding $10,000 | $199.50 | $59.00 | $384.00 | $196.50 |
| General procedure claim over $10,000 and not exceeding $50,000 | $502.00 | $100.00 | $976.00 | $499.00 |
| Claim exceeding $50,000 | $797.00 | $100.00 | $1,549.00 | $794.00 |
Having the court bailiff serve the claim costs $117.50. A residential tenancy application for a claim not exceeding $10,000 has a filing fee of $86.00 ($23.70 for a financially disadvantaged person). Fees are paid to the court, not to Claim Done. Source: Magistrates Court of Western Australia court fees (effective from July 2026; checked 27 September 2026).
How a Magistrates Court claim runs
- Lodge the claim. A consumer/trader general procedure claim is lodged electronically on Form 7 through the eCourts Portal. A claim of $10,000 or less can be started as a minor case claim instead. See the court’s consumer/trader claims fact sheet.
- Serve the defendant. In most cases the claim must be served on the defendant personally, either by the court bailiff (fee paid in advance) or arranged by you.
- The defendant responds. The defendant has 14 days after service in Western Australia (21 days if served in another state) to respond. If they do not, the claimant can seek default judgment.
- Representation in minor cases. In a minor case, parties are not entitled to be represented unless all parties agree or the court is satisfied no party would be unfairly disadvantaged.
If your matter is one SAT hears
SAT applications are lodged through the eCourts Portal. The applicant has seven days after applying to serve the application on the other parties, unless SAT orders otherwise. If the matter can be given a monetary value of $10,000 or less, the applicant may choose minor proceedings. SAT’s application fee for civil matters for 2026-27 is not confirmed on its current fee sheet, so check the SAT fees page before you lodge.
What Claim Done drafts
- Your claim set out as a statement of claim for the Magistrates Court of Western Australia, drafted from your answers
- Numbered paragraphs covering the parties, what happened in date order, the legal basis, your earlier attempts to resolve it and the amount you claim
$97 flat. You lodge the claim and arrange service yourself. Not ready to file? A Letter of Demand costs $49 and puts your claim in writing first.
Start your claim — $97 → | Letter of Demand | Compare state tribunals
Official sources
- State Administrative Tribunal: matters outside SAT’s scope (last updated 27 December 2023)
- Magistrates Court of Western Australia: consumer/trader claims (last updated 28 April 2025)
- Magistrates Court of Western Australia: court fees (effective from July 2026)
- Magistrates Court of Western Australia: consumer/trader claims fact sheet (Form 7)
- Magistrates Court of Western Australia: responding to a claim fact sheet
- Magistrates Court of Western Australia: dividing fences (last updated 28 April 2025)
- State Administrative Tribunal: fees
Checked against these pages on 27 September 2026. Claim Done is not a law firm.
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 does it cost to make a claim in Western Australia?
As at the 2026-27 schedule, a money or consumer claim is started in the Magistrates Court of Western Australia: the fee to file a claim up to $10,000 is $199.50 for an individual, $59.00 for an eligible concession applicant, or $384.00 for a company. A minor case is for claims up to $10,000 and a general procedure claim covers up to $75,000. You pay the court fee separately from Claim Done's drafting fee. Confirm the current fee with the court before you lodge.