Which Tribunal Hears Your Claim? Limits and Fees in Every State and Territory, as at 1 July 2026

Five states and territories send small money claims to a tribunal and three send them to a court: NCAT in New South Wales (consumer claims up to $100,000), VCAT in Victoria (no cap stated; a small claim is up to $15,000), QCAT in Queensland (up to $25,000), ACAT in the Australian Capital Territory (up to $25,000) and NTCAT in the Northern Territory (up to $25,000), while Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania use the Magistrates Court. Standard filing fees for an individual as at 1 July 2026 run from $64 at NCAT to $797 in the Magistrates Court of Western Australia, depending on the amount.

One catch sits in New South Wales. NCAT hears claims brought by a consumer. A business chasing a customer for an unpaid invoice files in the Local Court instead.

Every forum wants the same paperwork: the claim, the amount, the orders you want and the evidence. Claim Done drafts a Tribunal Application from your answers and documents for a flat $97. You lodge the tribunal forms yourself, and any letter we draft for you is approved by you before it is sent.

Which tribunal or court hears a small claim in each state?

Forum and limit for a routine money claim over goods, services or a debt, as at 1 July 2026.

Two numbers deserve a second look. Queensland lets you reduce a claim to $25,000 to bring it within QCAT, and the Australian Capital Territory lets you go over $25,000 only if the other side agrees in writing.

Is there an NCAT or a VCAT in Queensland?

No. NCAT is the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal and VCAT is Victoria’s. Queensland’s tribunal is QCAT, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and it is where searches for “ncat qld” or “vcat qld” should end up.

QCAT hears minor civil disputes: consumer and trader disputes, minor debts of a fixed or agreed sum up to $25,000, residential tenancy disputes, and dividing fence or pool barrier disputes. What happens after you file changed this year. QCAT Practice Direction 1 of 2026, signed on 26 June 2026, says that unless the tribunal orders otherwise, minor civil disputes up to $10,000 are referred to mediation and those over $10,000 are listed for hearing. Residential tenancy disputes go straight to a hearing. Skip a mediation without a reasonable excuse and the tribunal can make orders in your absence.

One QCAT web page still shows an older $1,500 threshold; the practice direction is the later document.

For the Queensland detail, read our QCAT fees 2026 guide, the QCAT forms guide (Form 1 to apply, Form 9 for service), and the QCAT application page. If someone has filed against you, start with how to respond to a QCAT application.

When does a New South Wales claim go to NCAT, and when to the Local Court?

NCAT’s consumer claims jurisdiction is built for the customer, not the seller. Section 79E of the New South Wales Fair Trading Act 1987 defines a consumer claim as a claim by a consumer arising from a supply of goods or services, and section 79I says any consumer may apply to the tribunal. NCAT’s consumer claims page sets the ceiling at $100,000, and you apply within 3 years of when the cause of action accrued.

Flip the roles and the forum changes. A plumber, a bookkeeper or a small supplier whose customer has not paid is chasing a debt, and debts go to the Local Court of New South Wales. Its page (last updated 22 September 2026) says the Small Claims Division hears claims up to $20,000 and the General Division hears claims over $20,000 up to $100,000.

That split matters more than the fee.

For NCAT itself, see our NCAT fees 2026 guide, the NCAT application form guide and the NCAT application page. Respondents should read how to defend an NCAT application, and anyone heading to a hearing can use our NCAT evidence checklist.

How much does it cost to file in each state?

Filing fees for an individual as at 1 July 2026, from each forum’s own fee page. Most forums offer a reduced fee or waiver for hardship.

Companies pay more: NCAT $128, $266 and $688; VCAT $202.10 and $673.50 (turnover of $300,000 or more); ACAT $185, $392 and $1,415; NTCAT $160, $324 and $648.

Now put one claim through every table. Take a consumer owed $5,000 for a job never finished. The fee is $64 at NCAT, $67.40 at VCAT, $147.00 in Tasmania, $164.30 at QCAT, $186.00 in South Australia, $195 at ACAT, $199.50 in Western Australia and $259 at NTCAT. The same dispute costs about four times as much to start in the Northern Territory as in New South Wales. At $20,000 the order shifts: NCAT $133, VCAT $222.80, Tasmania $284.20, QCAT $405.60, Western Australia $502.00, NTCAT $518 and ACAT $707 (the South Australian fee for a claim of that size is not in the table). None of those fees is large next to the claim, but a claimant in the Australian Capital Territory pays more than five times the New South Wales fee for the same amount.

Concessions and waivers are covered in our NCAT fees, VCAT fees and QCAT fees.

Why do Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania use a court?

Each has a tribunal, just not one for everyday money claims. Western Australia’s State Administrative Tribunal lists consumer and fair trading complaints and residential tenancy disputes as outside its scope. The Magistrates Court of Western Australia takes consumer and trader claims up to $75,000, and claims of $10,000 or less run as minor cases.

South Australia’s SACAT handles housing matters, including residential tenancy disputes up to $40,000, but no general consumer or money claims. The Magistrates Court of South Australia hears minor claims of $12,000 or less and general claims from $12,001 to $100,000, lodged through the CourtSA portal.

Tasmania’s TASCAT says plainly that it cannot receive civil or consumer disputes; its Civil and Consumer Stream takes residential building disputes and, since 20 March 2026, pet consent applications from tenants. Money claims go to the Magistrates Court (Civil Division): minor civil claims up to and including $15,000, and civil claims from $15,001 to $50,000.

Who serves the application on the other side?

It differs by forum:

• NCAT: either NCAT or the applicant sends the respondent a copy, and NCAT sends the notice of listing. Consumer claims are first listed for conciliation and hearing on the same day.
• VCAT: the applicant serves the application and every supporting document, then hands a declaration of service to the member at the hearing. VCAT says to expect about 52 weeks from applying to mediation or hearing. The respondent’s side is covered in how to respond to a VCAT application.
• QCAT: you get sealed copies and have 7 days to serve them, then file a Form 9 affidavit of service.
• ACAT: the tribunal serves the respondent by pre-paid post, and the respondent usually has 21 days to lodge a response.
• NTCAT: NTCAT seals the Form 1 and returns it with standard orders, and the applicant serves both.

The Victorian process is set out in our VCAT application form guide and on the VCAT application page.

What should you do before you file?

Send a letter of demand: the amount, the reason and a deadline, in writing. For the whole journey from letter to enforcement, our small claims step-by-step guide covers it.

Then check the tables above: right forum, amount under the limit, and which fee band it falls in. A $10,000 claim at NCAT costs $64 to file; $10,050 costs $133.

How Claim Done helps, and what it costs

The Tribunal Application service is $97, flat. You answer questions about the dispute and tell us what you have: invoices, quotes, messages, photos. Claim Done’s document engine turns that into a tribunal application for your state, with a witness statement. You read it on your dashboard, change the wording or ask for a redraft (2 edits are included), confirm it, and we email you the final PDF. Then you lodge the tribunal’s own form yourself through NCAT Online Services, myVCAT, QCase or the relevant registry. Claim Done does not lodge for you and does not appear at the hearing.

A letter of demand is a single document at $49 (see pricing), and nothing is sent until you approve it. Claim Done is not a law firm; you stay in control of what gets filed and sent.

Ready to file? Start your Tribunal Application on Claim Done. You will answer the questions, tell us what evidence you have, and have a draft to review in about 5 minutes.

Facts checked against NCAT, VCAT, QCAT, ACAT, NTCAT, SAT, SACAT and TASCAT pages, and the Local Court and Magistrates Court pages linked above, on 27 September 2026 (Tasmanian limits and fees on 3 October 2026). Fees and limits are as at 1 July 2026 and change each financial year; check the fee on the tribunal’s website on the day you lodge.

Frequently asked questions

What is QCAT?

QCAT is the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. It hears minor civil disputes, including consumer and trader disputes and minor debts up to $25,000, residential tenancy disputes and dividing fence disputes. Under Practice Direction 1 of 2026, disputes up to $10,000 generally go to mediation first and larger ones are listed for hearing.

Can I take someone in Queensland to NCAT?

NCAT is the New South Wales tribunal, and QCAT is the Queensland equivalent. A Queensland consumer or trader dispute up to $25,000 is a QCAT minor civil dispute, filed through QCase or with a Form 1 application.

What is the small claims limit in each state?

As at 1 July 2026: NCAT consumer claims up to $100,000 (Local Court Small Claims Division up to $20,000 for other debts), VCAT no cap stated (a small claim is up to $15,000), QCAT $25,000, ACAT $25,000, NTCAT $25,000, the Western Australian Magistrates Court minor cases up to $10,000, South Australian minor claims up to $12,000 and Tasmanian minor civil claims up to $15,000 (civil claims to $50,000).

Can a business use NCAT to recover an unpaid invoice?

Not as a consumer claim. NCAT consumer claims are claims by a consumer under the Fair Trading Act 1987. A business chasing a customer's debt files in the Local Court of New South Wales, in the Small Claims Division up to $20,000 or the General Division up to $100,000.

Does Claim Done lodge the tribunal application for me?

No. Claim Done drafts the Tribunal Application for $97 from your answers and evidence. You review it and lodge the tribunal's form yourself. Letters such as a letter of demand are only sent after you approve them.