How do I take a business to QCAT for a refund?
Who QCAT hears, what a consumer claim costs to file in Queensland, how mediation and hearings work, and where each Queensland route runs out.
AI-assisted research and reviewed for accuracy. Something out of date? Let us know.
Yes, QCAT can order a Queensland business to refund you, as long as your claim is $25,000 or less. Filing costs $96.30 to $405.60 depending on the amount, and you generally have 6 years to start. If the Office of Fair Trading can't settle it, QCAT is the body that decides, usually after a mediation for claims over $1,500.
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Can QCAT make a business give you a refund?
Yes. The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) hears consumer and trader disputes, which arise from a contract to supply goods or services. It can order the business to refund you, pay you, take the goods back or fix the work.
Your refund rights come from the consumer guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). In Queensland, QCAT is where they are decided if the business won't give way. QCAT treats these claims as minor civil disputes, the same category it uses for small debts.
QCAT can only hear consumer and trader disputes worth up to $25,000, not counting interest. QCAT says you can cut a bigger claim down to $25,000 to bring it there. Above that, claims up to $150,000 start in the Magistrates Court.
You generally have 6 years from the incident to apply. That limit comes from the Limitation of Actions Act 1974 (Qld), and QCAT asks you to check it before you lodge.
The claim must be for a fixed amount, and you must have bought for your own use. QCAT says lawyers, doctors, dentists and valuers are not traders, so a dispute with them goes elsewhere.
What you pay and what happens first depend on the size of the claim. These are QCAT's fees from 1 July 2026:
| Amount you claim | Filing fee | What QCAT lists first |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 or less | $96.30 | A hearing |
| Over $1,000 and under $1,500 | $164.30 | A hearing |
| Over $1,500, up to $10,000 | $164.30 | A mediation, then a hearing if it doesn't settle |
| Over $10,000, up to $25,000 | $405.60 | A mediation, then a hearing if it doesn't settle |
QCAT waives the fee in full for financial hardship if you get a full Centrelink or Veterans' Affairs pension or benefit, are under 18, are protected by a domestic violence order or have a grant of legal aid. QCAT says a Health Care Card on its own doesn't count.
What should you do before you file?
If your request so far has been at the counter or over the phone, send it in writing before anything else. A written request gives you a record of what you asked for and what the business said.
Step 1: Gather the paperwork and the business's legal name
Keep the receipt or bank record, photos of the fault, the contract and every email or chat. QCAT needs the correct legal name of the business. For a company, that means its ACN and a Current Company Extract from ASIC attached to your application.
Step 2: Put the refund request in writing
Ajust's recommended channel is whichever one gives you a written record and a reference number, usually the web form or a complaints email. Send it to the store manager and copy head office.
Subject: Refund request for [product or service]
Hello,
I paid $[price] for [product or service] on [date]. [Describe the fault or what wasn't supplied]. When I raised it on [date], I was told [what they said].
I'm asking for a refund of $[amount].
Please reply in writing by [date, 14 days from today]. If the matter isn't resolved by then, I intend to apply to QCAT.
Thanks,
[Your name and phone number]
Step 3: Hold them to the date
Keep a copy of what you sent and when. If they come back with an offer, ask for it in writing and check it covers the full amount before you accept.
Already done all this and still getting nowhere with the business? Here's what happens next.
What if the business still won't refund you?
The Office of Fair Trading can try to settle it, but in Queensland it takes QCAT or a court to order the business to pay. Each route below does something useful, and each one has an edge.
| Where | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| The store manager or head office | Can overturn a refusal from front-line staff | It's still the business reviewing its own decision |
| Queensland Office of Fair Trading (OFT) | Takes a written complaint, contacts both sides and tries to conciliate, aiming to resolve most within 30 days | The OFT says it cannot make judgments like a court, provide compensation or force a business to compensate you or fix a problem |
| QCAT mediation (claims over $1,500) | A mediator helps both sides reach an agreement, which can be made a QCAT order | The mediator doesn't decide who is right. If there's no agreement, the claim goes to a hearing on another day |
| QCAT hearing | A decision-maker hears both sides and can order a refund or payment up to $25,000 | You present the case yourself and serve the application on the business. QCAT says three quarters of consumer and trader cases finish within 53 weeks, and some take longer |
| The Magistrates Court | Turns an unpaid QCAT order into a court order you can enforce | QCAT doesn't collect the money for you. You file the order with a witnessed affidavit, which is free, and then apply for an enforcement step such as a warrant |
On lawyers, QCAT expects every party to represent themselves, and it gives permission for a lawyer to appear only when that is in the interests of justice. You don't need permission to get legal advice, for example from Legal Aid Queensland on 1300 65 11 88.
Can someone take this on for you?
Yes, before you file.
Our team takes over your claim with the business and puts it to the people who can approve a refund. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA and WA we can also lodge it with Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs for you. If it still isn't resolved, we'll give you guidance for a tribunal claim, so you can lodge it yourself. We don't lodge tribunal claims or represent anyone at a tribunal, and we can't take on a claim a tribunal is already handling.
No win, no fee. We'll tell you straight if we don't think we can win it.
What doesn't work
- Filing it as a minor debt. A refund from a business is a consumer and trader dispute. QCAT warns that lodging in the wrong category can get a case dismissed.
- Naming the shopfront instead of the legal entity. QCAT can't tell you who the right party is, and a trading name alone may need to be corrected before the claim can go ahead.
- Leaving the application unserved. QCAT gives you sealed copies, but the business has to receive one before it can respond.
- Not turning up. If the applicant misses the hearing without a reasonable excuse, QCAT may dismiss the application.
- Appealing because you're unhappy with the result. QCAT says an appeal needs an error of law or fact, and most need permission first.
Common questions
Is QCAT the small claims court in Queensland?
For a consumer refund, QCAT is where most people end up. It hears consumer and trader disputes up to $25,000 as minor civil disputes, usually decided by an adjudicator or magistrate sitting for QCAT. Claims above $25,000 and up to $150,000 start in the Magistrates Court instead.
What's the difference between a consumer dispute and a minor debt at QCAT?
A consumer and trader dispute comes from a contract to supply goods or services, such as a faulty product or work not done. A minor debt is money owed, like a loan not repaid, and has its own application. QCAT staff can't tell you which one to choose.
Fair Trading couldn't get the business to budge. What now?
The OFT can't force a business to pay, so when conciliation fails it gives advice on next steps, which might be a tribunal or court. Keep its file reference and your letters. They show QCAT what you asked for and how the business responded.
Can I appeal a QCAT decision on a consumer claim?
Only on an error of law or fact, not because you disagree with the result. Most appeals need leave first, and you generally have 28 days from receiving the written reasons or notice of the decision. Lodging one costs $405.60, or $811.30 if the claim was over $10,000.
What if the business ignores the QCAT order?
File a copy of the order and a witnessed affidavit with the Magistrates Court. Filing is free, and the order then counts as an order of that court. You have 6 years to enforce it, and you can get legal advice on options such as a warrant.
Can the business send a lawyer to the hearing?
Not without QCAT's permission. A company appears through one of its officers or employees, who doesn't need permission. A lawyer needs QCAT's approval to appear for any party, and QCAT considers things like whether the other side is represented.
- QCAT: Consumer and trader disputes
- QCAT: Fees and allowances
- QCAT: Timeframes
- QCAT: After an application is made in a minor civil dispute
- QCAT: Appearance and representation
- QCAT: Identifying and naming parties
- QCAT: Appealing a QCAT decision
- QCAT: Enforcing a QCAT decision
- Queensland Office of Fair Trading: Understand the complaint process
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