Eighty two adjudication applications were thrown out in the year to June, most of them for smaller amounts. The registry says late lodgement was the leading cause, and the data shows which claims are most likely to be ruled invalid.
Eighty two applications for adjudication, carrying $14.1 million in claimed payments, were ruled invalid in Queensland in the year to June 2026.
According to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission’s annual report for the year to 30 June 2026, the leading cause remained applications not lodged within the timeframes set by section 79 of the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017.
The Adjudication Registry received 559 applications in total, 477 of them valid. That means about one in seven applications was assessed as invalid.
Most of that value sits in one matter. A single invalid application above $1.24 million accounted for $7.7 million. Invalid claims under $56,728.80 totalled about $1.03 million. The more telling detail is how many of the invalid applications were small.
Which adjudication applications are being ruled invalid?
Smaller claims. Of the 82 invalid applications, 61 were for progress payments under $56,728.80, the cut off for the registry’s second lowest claim band.
Put another way, nearly one in five applications under that amount was ruled invalid. Above it, the figure was fewer than one in 10.
Nearly one in five small claims that reached the registry was ruled invalid.
The report does not break the invalid applications down by reason, so it cannot be said how many of those small claims failed on timing alone. What it does show is that applications for the smallest amounts are the most likely to be ruled invalid. The QBCC itself describes adjudication as particularly important for smaller contractors and subcontractors, for whom timely payment can make a significant difference to cash flow.
The QBCC says invalid applications made up a relatively small share of the overall value claimed, which is true. Valid applications carried $1.94 billion in claims, although $1.88 billion of that came from 38 applications above $1.24 million. For a business owed $20,000, the share of total value is not the measure that matters.
What are the deadlines for lodging adjudication in Queensland?
The QBCC’s guidance on applying for adjudication sets out three timeframes, depending on how the respondent dealt with the payment claim.
Where a payment schedule proposes less than the amount claimed, the application must be lodged within 30 business days after the claimant receives the schedule.
Where a payment schedule was given but the scheduled amount was not paid in full by the due date, the window is 20 business days after the due date.
Where no payment schedule was given and the claim was not paid in full by the due date, the application must be lodged within 30 business days after the later of the due date or the last day a payment schedule could have been given.
Applications must reach the registrar before 5pm on a business day. Anything later is treated as received the next business day.
Payment schedule
A payment schedule is the written response a respondent gives to a payment claim under Queensland’s security of payment laws. It states the amount the respondent proposes to pay and, where that is less than the amount claimed, the reasons for paying less. Whether a schedule was given, and what it said, decides which adjudication deadline applies.
What happens to small claims that do get through?
The registry released 290 adjudication decisions during the year, with an average of 25 business days to decide.
At the smaller end, decisions came faster. Claims under $11,345.70 took 19 business days on average, and claims in the next band up took 21.
Across the 148 decisions on claims under $56,728.80, claimants were awarded $1.48 million of the $3.04 million they claimed, a little under half. Adjudicator fees on those same decisions came to $321,665, equal to about 22 per cent of the amount awarded.
The QBCC says both parties are equally responsible for the adjudicator’s fees and expenses unless the adjudicator decides otherwise. The report does not show how fees were split in practice.
The large end looks very different. The 24 decisions on claims above $1.24 million covered $750.5 million in claimed amounts, and $33.0 million was awarded. Those few matters account for most of the dollars in the registry’s figures, which is why averages across the whole system say little about the experience of a small claimant.
Decisions released during the year do not line up exactly with applications received in the same period, so these figures describe outcomes, not success rates for a particular group of applications.
Who decides Queensland adjudication claims?
Adjudicators are independent professionals registered with the registry, and their decisions are enforceable in court. At the registry’s annual review on 31 October 2025, there were 134 registered adjudicators, 51 classified as Grade 1 and 83 as Grade 2.
To reach Grade 2, an adjudicator generally needs at least 10 decisions, with at least five involving a progress payment claim above $25,000. Adjudicators must also complete continuing professional development each year. In the latest assessment, two registrations were cancelled for not meeting that requirement and two adjudicators surrendered their registration.
Does lodging adjudication still get people paid?
Sometimes it does, before a decision is made. The registry recorded 98 applications withdrawn because the claimed amount was paid, and 72 of those were for claims under $56,728.80. Another 60 were withdrawn through a notice of discontinuance.
The QBCC reads this as evidence that the availability of adjudication can encourage parties to settle payment disputes without a formal decision. The report also records 4,233 enquiries to the registry’s consumer advisory service during the year.
Separately, the QBCC’s monies owed complaints service saw $5.5 million in undisputed debts paid during the year, and $28.4 million over five years. The QBCC notes it has no power to resolve contractual disputes or enforce payment of those debts, but says its investigations encourage payment. Late payment and its knock on effects are covered in our guide to cash flow for Australian builders.
Do other states have the same adjudication deadlines?
No. Every state and territory runs its own security of payment legislation, with its own payment claim rules and lodgement windows. The Queensland figures and timeframes in this article apply only to the BIF Act and the Queensland registry.
For builders and subcontractors working across borders, that means a process that works in one state cannot be assumed to work in the next. Our guide to building disputes in Australia sets out the main dispute pathways.
GOOD BUILDER TAKE
Adjudication is meant to be a fast, cost effective way to get paid, and the QBCC says it matters most to smaller contractors and subcontractors. The registry data shows it is doing some of that, with quick decisions on small claims and dozens of payments made once an application was lodged. But the small end is also where applications are most likely to be ruled invalid, and late lodgement is the leading reason the QBCC gives. A 20 or 30 business day window can disappear inside a busy month on site. For a subbie owed a modest sum, a rejected application is not just a lost claim. It is time and money spent with nothing to show for it.
Frequently asked questions
According to the QBCC, the window is 30 business days after receiving a payment schedule that proposes less than the amount claimed, 20 business days after the due date where a scheduled amount is not paid in full, or 30 business days after the later of the due date or the last day for a payment schedule where none was given.
The QBCC says failure to lodge within the timeframes in section 79 of the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 was the leading cause of invalid applications in the year to June 2026.
The QBCC says the claimant and respondent are equally responsible for the adjudicator’s fees and expenses unless the adjudicator decides otherwise.
The registry’s 290 decisions in the year to June 2026 took an average of 25 business days. Claims under $11,345.70 averaged 19 business days.
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Last updated October 2026, based on the QBCC Annual Report 2025 to 2026.
General information only. This article is general information only and does not take into account any individual circumstances. It is not legal, financial or insurance advice. Figures are drawn from the sources linked and were current at the date of publication. Professional advice should be sought before acting on any of it.
Author: TGB Editorial
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