Guide · updated November 2026
Builder won't pay? The 5-step playbook for subcontractors
You don't have to wait months or go to court. Every state has Security of Payment laws built for exactly this.
- Send a proper payment claim, not just an invoice: required content, the statement, and the right address.
- Diary the payment schedule deadline: 10 business days in NSW and VIC, 15 in QLD.
- No schedule? They owe the lot. You can recover it as a debt or go to adjudication.
- Not paid by the due date? Give written notice of your intention to suspend work.
- Apply for adjudication within the strict deadline, through an authorised nominating authority.
Deadlines by state
| NSW | VIC | QLD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment schedule | 10 BD | 10 BD | 15 BD |
| Max payment term (subbie) | 20 BD | 20 BD | 25 BD |
| Adjudication after disputed schedule | 10 BD | 10 BD | 30 BD |
| Christmas shutdown (not business days) | 27–31 Dec | 22 Dec – 10 Jan | 27–31 Dec |
BD = business days. Confirm against the Act and your contract.
Owed money on a job right now?
Work out every deadline free, then build a valid payment claim and the full recovery pack (reminders, suspension notice, adjudication submissions) in about 15 minutes.
Make a payment claim Free deadline calculatorMore: How to make a payment claim in NSW · Victoria's 2026 Security of Payment reforms: what changed for payment claims · How to make a payment claim in Queensland (BIF Act) · Payment schedule deadline calculator · Suspending work for non-payment: the notice · Applying for adjudication: a subcontractor's guide · Payment claim template: what a valid claim needs