Debt recovery by state and city
Limitation periods, local court fees, and small-claims thresholds vary by state. Pick yours below for a jurisdiction-specific guide to recovering an unpaid business or personal debt.
Australia's five biggest metros
City-specific guides covering the local court your debtor would be served in, typical filing fees, and recovery options for businesses based in or owed money from each metro.
Sydney
NSW Local Court small claims, NCAT, and recovery options for Sydney-based creditors.
Open guide →Melbourne
VCAT, Magistrates' Court of Victoria, and Melbourne-specific recovery paths.
Open guide →Brisbane
QCAT minor debts, Magistrates Court Queensland, and Brisbane recovery.
Open guide →Perth
Magistrates Court of WA minor cases jurisdiction and Perth-specific recovery.
Open guide →Adelaide
SACAT, Magistrates Court of SA minor claims, and Adelaide recovery options.
Open guide →Western Sydney
Western Sydney is Australia's highest-risk debt cluster. Four of the five highest-risk business regions nationally are here. Suburb-specific guides cover local courts and recovery options.
Parramatta
Western Sydney's commercial centre. Business failure rates up to 9.1% in surrounding suburbs — act fast on overdue invoices.
Open guide →Blacktown
NSW's most populous LGA and a major logistics hub around Eastern Creek and Arndell Park. Recover debts from retail, healthcare, and warehousing clients.
Open guide →Penrith
Western Sydney's growth corridor and centre of the Aerotropolis construction pipeline. Recover debts from construction, trade, and logistics clients.
Open guide →Liverpool
South West Sydney's health and education hub, anchored by the $930m Liverpool Health and Academic Precinct and the Moorebank logistics corridor.
Open guide →Bankstown
South West Sydney's airport industrial hub, anchored by the $450m Milperra industrial precinct at Bankstown Airport. NSW's 2nd most populous LGA.
Open guide →North Shore
A different debt profile from Western Sydney's industrial and logistics hubs — the North Shore runs on corporate offices and professional services.
North Sydney
One of Australia's most established corporate office districts. Professional, scientific and technical services make up 27% of local businesses — nearly double the NSW rate.
Open guide →Hornsby
A commuter Shire of 154,834 residents but only 0.59 local jobs per resident worker. Strong health & social assistance sector around Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital.
Open guide →Chatswood
Media and telecoms make up 14.3% of local output, nearly 3x the NSW rate — and it's the 4th-highest insolvency-risk industry nationally.
Open guide →Statewide guides
If your debtor is outside the main metros, pick your state. Each state guide covers the limitation period (how long you have to act), the small-claims threshold, and what court has jurisdiction.
New South Wales
6-year limitation under the Limitation Act 1969. NSW Local Court small-claims division up to $20,000.
Open guide →Victoria
6-year limitation. Magistrates' Court Victoria handles claims up to $100,000; smaller via the small-claims list.
Open guide →Queensland
6-year limitation. QCAT handles minor debt claims up to $25,000; Magistrates Court above that.
Open guide →A letter of demand works in every state
A formal letter of demand is the same first step regardless of jurisdiction. State-specific rules only kick in if you have to escalate to court — and most debtors pay before that. See how a letter of demand works →
Send a letter of demand today
Australia-wide. Lawyer-approved template, $29 flat, 5 minutes to send.
Send a letter of demand