SA Security of Payment Deadline Calculator
South Australian Security of Payment deadlines explained: payment schedule, due date and adjudication steps, and what to confirm with a lawyer.
This tool provides general estimates only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, contact Vitt Legal for a consultation — expert, transparent legal advice.
How the calculator works
- You choose the state or territory where the work was done and who you are claiming from. Security of Payment laws are state-based, so the deadlines differ.
- From the date you served your payment claim, it counts forward the business days allowed for the payment schedule and the due date for payment, skipping weekends and any Christmas–New Year days the Act excludes.
- Depending on how the other side responded, it works out the last day to give a notice of intention (where one is required) and to apply for adjudication.
- Where a rule could not be confirmed from an official source, the calculator does not guess: it tells you to confirm that step with a lawyer.
Rules last checked .
South Australia Security of Payment rules
South Australia (SA)
Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009 (SA)
- Which contracts
- Applies to contracts entered into after 10 December 2011. Whether later amendments have changed the timeframes below could not be confirmed — the current Act could not be opened. Confirm with a lawyer.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- Counting business days
- The 2019 Government guide says business days exclude weekends, public holidays and 27–31 December. Not confirmed against the current Act.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- Time limit to serve a payment claim
- The 2019 Government guide says 6 months after the work was last carried out (or the contract period, if later). Not confirmed against the current Act.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- Payment schedule
- The 2019 Government guide says 15 business days after the claim is served. Not confirmed against the current Act.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- Due date — claiming from the principal
- The 2019 Government guide says 15 business days after the claim if the contract is silent. Not confirmed against the current Act.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- Due date — claiming from a head contractor
- The 2019 Government guide says 15 business days after the claim if the contract is silent. Not confirmed against the current Act.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- Homeowner (owner-occupier) contracts
- The 2019 Government guide says the Act does not apply to domestic building work on premises the owner occupies. Not confirmed against the current Act.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- Adjudication — schedule for less than claimed
- Could not be confirmed from an official source — confirm with a lawyer.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009 (SA)
- Adjudication — scheduled amount not paid
- Could not be confirmed from an official source — confirm with a lawyer.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009 (SA)
- Adjudication — no schedule and not paid
- The 2019 Government guide describes a notice of intention within 20 business days after the due date and a 5 business day second chance. The application deadline could not be confirmed — confirm with a lawyer.Needs confirmation with a lawyerSource: SA Government (DPTI) guide note, updated February 2019
- South Australian timeframes could not be confirmed against the current Act, so the calculator does not compute South Australian dates.
Security of Payment deadlines by state
Maximum periods under each Act. A contract can shorten the payment schedule and due date periods. Adjudication periods run from the event shown.
| State | Payment schedule | Adjudication: schedule for less | Adjudication: no schedule | Claim time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIC | 10 business days | 10 business days after receipt | Notice within 10 days of due date, 5-day second chance, then 5 business days | 6 months after practical completion (or contract, if later) |
| NSW | 10 business days | 10 business days after receipt | Notice within 20 days of due date, 5-day second chance, then 10 business days | 12 months after work last done (or contract, if later) |
| QLD | 15 business days | 30 business days after receipt | 30 business days | 6 months after work last done (or contract, if later) |
| WA | 15 business days | 20 business days after receipt | Notice within 20 days of due date, 5-day second chance, then 20 business days | 6 months after work last done (or contract, if later) |
| SA | Confirm with a lawyer | Confirm with a lawyer after receipt | Confirm with a lawyer | Confirm with a lawyer |
| TAS | 10 business days | 10 business days after receipt | Notice within 20 days of due date, 5-day second chance, then 10 business days | 12 months after work last done (or contract, if later) |
| ACT | 10 business days | 10 business days after receipt | Notice within 20 days of due date, 5-day second chance, then 10 business days | 12 months after work last done (or contract, if later) |
| NT | 10 working days | 65 working days after receipt | 65 working days | Set by the contract |
What this calculator does not cover
- Public holidays. They are not skipped, so a real deadline can be a day or more later than shown.
- Earlier deadlines set by your contract, beyond the due date you enter.
- Final payment claims, performance security and retention claims, and adjudication responses.
- Contracts signed before the current rules started (see “Which contracts” for each state).
- Whether your payment claim or schedule is valid, or whether the Act covers your contract at all.
- South Australian dates, which could not be confirmed against the current Act.
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