WA Security of Payment Deadline Calculator
Calculate Western Australian Security of Payment Act 2021 deadlines: payment schedule, due date, notice and adjudication application dates.
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 .
Western Australia Security of Payment rules
Western Australia (WA)
Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Which contracts
- Applies to contracts entered into on or after 1 August 2022. Earlier contracts fall under the Construction Contracts Act 2004 (WA).Source: WA Government — Subcontractor payment disputes (Security of Payment Act)
- Counting business days
- Business days exclude weekends, public holidays and 22 December to 10 January.Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Time limit to serve a payment claim
- Progress claims: before the later of the contract date or 6 months after the work was last carried out (s 23(4)).Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Payment schedule
- 15 business days after the claim is made, or earlier if the contract requires (s 25).Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Due date — claiming from the principal
- Principal to head contractor: 20 business days after the claim, or earlier if the contract says so (s 20).Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Due date — claiming from a head contractor
- To a subcontractor: 25 business days after the claim, or earlier if the contract says so (s 20).Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Homeowner (owner-occupier) contracts
- Home building work: the contract date; if the contract is silent, 10 business days after the claim (s 20(3)).Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Adjudication — schedule for less than claimed
- Within 20 business days after you first become entitled to apply (when you receive a schedule for less than claimed).Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Adjudication — scheduled amount not paid
- Within 20 business days after the due date passes without full payment.Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- Adjudication — no schedule and not paid
- Give written notice within 20 business days after the due date; the respondent then has 5 business days to provide a schedule. Apply within 20 business days after you become entitled to (s 28).Source: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA)
- A copy of the adjudication application must be given to the respondent within 1 business day after it is made.
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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