INSIGHT · CONTRACTS & PAYMENTS

A payment schedule is where
the reasons for withholding are fixed.

14 November 2026

Under seven of Australia's eight security of payment laws, a payment schedule identifies the payment claim, states the amount the respondent proposes to pay, and says why it is less, including the reasons for withholding. As read on 10 November 2026, the Acts of Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, WA, Tasmania and the ACT bar reasons in an adjudication response that were not in the schedule, and NSW Government guidance says the same. Under those Acts and that guidance, a respondent that gives no schedule in time becomes liable for the claimed amount. The NT Act uses a notice of dispute instead.

Hands on a calculator over printed forms on a timber desk, a coffee cup to one side

Analysed 10 November 2026 · Security of payment Acts of Victoria (Authorised Version 015, as at 24 June 2026), Queensland (current from 28 April 2026), South Australia (version 10.12.2011, with the 2026 Regulations), WA (as at 21 October 2026), Tasmania (authorised version 14 July 2025, whole-Act text re-read in full 14 November 2026), the ACT (Republication 14) and the NT (as in force at 25 May 2024) · NSW Government guidance pages (NSW Act not verified) · all read 10 November 2026.

Key takeaways

Three things a schedule carries under six Acts and NSW guidance: The payment claim it responds to, the amount proposed (which may be nothing), and, if that is less than claimed, why it is less and the reasons for withholding: Vic s 15(2), (3); Qld s 69; SA s 14(2), (3); WA s 25(2), (3); Tas s 18(2) to (4); ACT s 16(2), (3). NSW Government guidance gives the same list for NSW and adds that the amount may be Nil.
Reasons left out of the schedule cannot be added at adjudication: Vic s 21(2)(d)(i), Qld s 82(4), SA s 20(4), WA s 34(3), Tas s 23(4) and ACT s 22(4) keep reasons for withholding out of an adjudication response unless the schedule already gave them. In Queensland the adjudicator must not consider such a reason (s 88(3)(b)).
No schedule in time: liable for the claimed amount: Vic s 15(4), Qld s 77, SA s 14(4), WA s 26, Tas s 19(2) and ACT s 16(4) make the respondent liable for the claimed amount on the due date. In a debt claim that follows, the Victorian, Queensland (s 100(3)), SA, WA and ACT Acts bar a cross-claim or counterclaim and any defence arising under the contract. Queensland also makes a schedule mandatory unless the claim is paid in full by the due date, with a maximum penalty of 100 penalty units (s 76).
The NT works differently: The Construction Contracts (Security of Payments) Act 2004 has no payment schedule. Where the contract is silent, a party disputing a claim gives a written notice of dispute within 10 working days, stating reasons for each disputed item (Schedule 1, clause 6).
We would store the schedule as fields, not a letter: A system-design recommendation: the claim reference, the scheduled amount and a reason for each withheld amount held as separate fields, with the service date and method, so the reasons on record can be shown later.

What a payment schedule must say,
state by state

The Acts share a core: the claim, the amount, the reasons. They differ on forms, on penalties and on what follows silence. The deadlines for each step are on our page on security of payment timeframes.

The NSW Government's pages cite sections of the 1999 Act, but the Act's own text did not open on 10 November 2026.

State	What the schedule must contain	Reasons not in the schedule	If no schedule is given in time	Instrument and version read
NSW	NSW Government guidance (citing s 14): in writing and addressed to the claimant; identify the claim; state the scheduled amount, including Nil; state all the reasons if less than the amount claimed. The Act's own text: not verified (10 Nov 2026)	NSW Government guidance (citing s 20): an adjudication response must not include reasons for withholding unless they were in the payment schedule	NSW Government guidance (citing s 15): the respondent is liable for the full amount claimed and, in adjudication or court, cannot raise a defence based on the construction contract or a cross-claim	Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999: register did not open, not verified (10 Nov 2026). Read instead: NSW Government pages Responding to a payment claim (modified 6 October 2026) and Responding to an adjudication application (modified 26 August 2025)
Victoria	Identify the claim; indicate the scheduled amount (if any); be in the prescribed form (if any); contain the prescribed information (if any) (s 15(2)); if less than claimed, why, and the reasons for withholding (s 15(3)). Section 15(2)(c) was repealed by Act No. 43/2025	The response may not contain a reason for not scheduling the whole claimed amount if that reason was not set out in the schedule (s 21(2)(d)(i)); no response unless a schedule was served in time (s 21(2A))	Liable for the claimed amount on the due date (s 15(4)); claimant may sue for the debt, with no cross-claim or contract defence, or apply for adjudication, and may give notice of intention to suspend (s 16). Before adjudicating with no schedule, the claimant gives notice and the respondent may serve a schedule within 5 business days (s 18(2), (2A))	Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002, Authorised Version 015 as at 24 June 2026, listed as in force; read 10 November 2026
Queensland	A written document that identifies the claim; states the amount proposed (if any); if less, states why, including the reasons for withholding; and includes other information prescribed by regulation (s 69). No such prescribed information found in the 2018 Regulation	An adjudication response must not include new reasons; the adjudicator may require it to be resubmitted without them (s 82(4), (5)) and must not consider them (s 88(3)(b)). No response if no schedule was given as required (s 82(2))	A schedule must be given unless the claim is paid in full by the due date; maximum penalty 100 penalty units, and the note to s 76 says failure is also grounds for disciplinary action under the QBCC Act. Liable for the amount claimed on the due date (s 77); debt or adjudication, and suspension notice (s 78)	Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017, current from 28 April 2026; Regulation 2018, current from 1 July 2025; read 10 November 2026
South Australia	Identify the claim; indicate the scheduled amount (if any) (s 14(2)); if less, why, and the reasons for withholding (s 14(3))	Not in the response unless already in the schedule (s 20(4)); no response unless a schedule was provided in time (s 20(3))	Liable for the claimed amount on the due date (s 14(4)); debt, with no cross-claim or contract defence, or adjudication after a notice and a 5 business day chance to provide a schedule (ss 15, 17(2)). Parties to a Crown contract over $4,000,000 (excluding GST) are exempt from ss 14(4) and 15 (2026 Regulations, reg 7)	Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009, version 10.12.2011; Regulations 2026, version 1.9.2026; read 10 November 2026
WA	In writing and in the approved form (if any); identify the claim; indicate the scheduled amount; if no payment is proposed, say so (s 25(2)); if less or nothing, why, and the reason for withholding (s 25(3))	Not in the response unless already in the schedule (s 34(3)); no response unless a schedule was given in time (s 34(1))	Liable for the claimed amount on the due date (s 26); claimant may sue for the debt or apply for adjudication, but not both (s 27(2)), with no cross-claim or contract defence in court (s 27(3)). A note to s 25 says no adjudication review application is available to a respondent that gave no schedule	Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021, as at 21 October 2026 (00-f0-00); read 10 November 2026
Tasmania	Summary, not verified (10 Nov 2026): identify the claim; indicate the amount proposed (if any) (s 18(2)); if less, why (s 18(3)); if withholding, the reasons (s 18(4))	Summary, not verified (10 Nov 2026): not in the response unless already in the schedule (s 23(4)); a response only if a schedule was given in time (s 23(1))	Summary, not verified (10 Nov 2026): liable for the claimed amount on the due date (s 19(2)); debt or adjudication, and suspension notice (s 19(5)); no cross-claim in the debt proceedings (s 19(8))	Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009, authorised version 14 July 2025; the register's text stopped at s 16, and ss 18, 19 and 23 were read 10 November 2026 only as a page-reading tool's summary (see limits)
ACT	Identify the claim; state the scheduled amount (if any) (s 16(2)); if less, why, and the reasons for withholding (s 16(3))	Not in the response unless already in the schedule (s 22(4)); a response only if a schedule was provided in time (s 22(3))	Liable for the claimed amount on the due date (s 16(4)); debt, with no cross-claim or contract defence, or adjudication, and suspension notice (s 17)	Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2009, Republication 14 effective 6 December 2025; read 10 November 2026
NT	No payment schedule. Where the contract has no written provision, a notice of dispute must be in writing, addressed to the claimant, name the party giving it, be dated, identify the claim, give reasons for a rejection or for each disputed item, and be signed (Schedule 1, clause 6(3))	An adjudication response must state or attach any rejection or dispute of the claim and all the material relied on (s 29(2)). We found no provision limiting it to reasons in the notice of dispute	We found no deemed liability for the claimed amount. A payment dispute arises if a claim is rejected or disputed, or is unpaid when due (s 8), and either party may then apply for adjudication	Construction Contracts (Security of Payments) Act 2004, reprint REPC091 as in force at 25 May 2024; read 10 November 2026

Where the schedules
differ in the detail.

Forms, second chances and exemptions are where a schedule written for one state can fail in another.

Victoria: prescribed form and information, if any: Section 15(2)(d) and (e) require the prescribed form and prescribed information, each "(if any)". We did not read the Victorian regulations, so whether either is currently prescribed is not verified (10 Nov 2026). The 2025 amending Act, commenced 15 April 2026, repealed s 15(2)(c) and does not apply to a claim served before that day (s 54(2)).
WA: a schedule that proposes nothing must say so: Section 25(2)(d) requires a schedule proposing no payment to indicate that. A note to s 27 says that where no payment is proposed, the claimant cannot sue for the scheduled amount but may apply for adjudication.
Queensland: the schedule is an obligation, not an option: The Victorian, SA, WA and ACT Acts say a respondent "may" give, provide or serve one. Queensland's s 76(1) says it "must respond", unless the claim is paid in full by the due date (s 76(2)). For a project or retention trust, the 2018 Regulation lists each payment schedule among the trust records to be kept (s 10G(d)(iii)).
South Australia: Crown contracts over $4,000,000: Regulation 7 of the 2026 Regulations, in force from 1 September 2026, exempts the parties to a contract with the Crown worth more than $4,000,000 (excluding GST) over its term from s 14(4), s 15 and the adjudication provisions.
NSW guidance: attachments with the detail: The NSW Government page says the schedule should attach a detailed explanation of the reasons for not paying or withholding, including how a withheld amount was valued. That page's opening list of who is a respondent still includes not living or proposing to live in the premises where the work is done. That is the owner-occupier exemption which, by the NSW Government's changes page, no longer applies to owner occupier construction contracts entered into from 1 March 2021; contracts entered into before that date stay under the previous law. The Act's own text on this was not verified (10 Nov 2026).

The payment schedule as a record,
field by field.

We found no statutory template outside a prescribed or approved form, if any. What the Acts require is a list of contents, and a record built on that list does the template's job.

Field	What it holds	Basis
Claim reference	The claim's number, date and claimed amount, so the schedule identifies it	Required by Vic s 15(2)(a), Qld s 69(a), SA s 14(2)(a), WA s 25(2)(b), Tas s 18(2)(a), ACT s 16(2)(a)
Scheduled amount	The amount proposed, including zero, and in WA a statement that no payment is proposed	Required by the same sections; WA s 25(2)(d)
Reason per withheld amount	Each amount not scheduled, with the reason and any withholding ground stated	Required by Vic s 15(3), Qld s 69(c), SA s 14(3), WA s 25(3), Tas s 18(3), (4), ACT s 16(3)
Supporting detail	Valuation of each withheld amount, documents relied on	Customary; NSW Government guidance recommends attachments
Form and written	Writing, and the approved or prescribed form where one exists	Required by Qld s 69 (written), WA s 25(2)(a); Vic s 15(2)(d) if prescribed
Service date, method and recipient	When and how the schedule reached the claimant	Our design: every consequence turns on the schedule being given in time
Act and version applied	The state, Act and version the schedule was prepared against	Our design
Prepared by and approved by	A named drafter and a named approver, with the time of approval	Our design

What we would put in a system

Four fields decide whether a schedule can be relied on when it is tested.

Where agents help here is narrow. A variation and claims agent can read a payment claim against the contract and site records, draft a schedule with a line and a reason for each amount it proposes to withhold, and flag a draft with an amount but no reason; a person reviews, approves and serves it. No agent decides what is payable, whether a reason is valid, or whether a contract is within an Act.

Field	Why it is load-bearing
Reasons held per withheld amount, as sent	Six Acts read keep any reason not in the schedule out of the adjudication response. The record has to show what was in the schedule, not what was meant.
Service date, method and recipient	Liability for the claimed amount, the right to respond to an adjudication application and, in Victoria (s 18(2A)), SA (s 17(2)(b)) and the ACT (s 19(2)(b)), the second chance after a notice all turn on timing.
State, Act and version	Seven schedule regimes and one notice of dispute regime, with Victoria's 2026 amendments and SA's 2026 Regulations changing the details.
Claim and contract link	Exemptions depend on the contract: SA's Crown contracts over $4,000,000 and the residential carve-outs on our timeframes page.

Questions worth asking
of your own payment schedules

For a head contractor: can you show, for each schedule sent, the reason given against every amount withheld?

Six of the Acts read bar reasons in an adjudication response that the schedule did not give. If the reasons sit in an email thread or a meeting note and not in the schedule, the record cannot show they were given. General information as read on 10 November 2026, not legal advice.

For a subcontractor: when a schedule arrives with a lower amount and no reason, is that recorded as such?

The record of what the schedule said, and when it arrived, is what a later adjudication application is read against. General information as read on 10 November 2026, not legal advice.

For a builder working in Queensland: does every claim either get a schedule or get paid in full by the due date?

Section 76 of the Queensland Act makes the schedule mandatory unless the claim is paid in full by the due date, with a maximum penalty of 100 penalty units. A list of claims with neither shows the exposure. General information as read on 10 November 2026, not legal advice.

For a business working on SA Government contracts: is each contract's value against the $4,000,000 line recorded?

Regulation 7 of the SA 2026 Regulations turns on the total payable over the term, excluding GST and extensions. General information as read on 10 November 2026, not legal advice.

Questions people ask
about payment schedules

What must a payment schedule contain under the security of payment Act?

As read on 10 November 2026, the Acts of Victoria (s 15), Queensland (s 69), South Australia (s 14), WA (s 25), Tasmania (s 18) and the ACT (s 16) require it to identify the payment claim, state the amount proposed (if any) and, if that is less than the claim, why it is less and the reasons for withholding. NSW Government guidance gives the same list for NSW. Victoria adds a prescribed form and information, if any; WA an approved form, if any. General information, not legal advice.

Can I add new reasons for withholding payment at adjudication?

Not under the Acts of Victoria (s 21(2)(d)(i)), Queensland (s 82(4)), South Australia (s 20(4)), WA (s 34(3)), Tasmania (s 23(4)) or the ACT (s 22(4)), as read on 10 November 2026: the adjudication response may not include reasons for withholding that the payment schedule did not give. NSW Government guidance states the same rule for NSW. General information, not legal advice.

What happens if no payment schedule is given?

In Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, WA, Tasmania and the ACT, a respondent that gives no schedule in time becomes liable for the claimed amount on the due date, and the claimant may sue for it as a debt, where the respondent cannot bring a cross-claim, or apply for adjudication. In Queensland, not giving one when required carries a maximum penalty of 100 penalty units (s 76). As read on 10 November 2026; general information, not legal advice.

Is there a payment schedule in the Northern Territory?

No. The Construction Contracts (Security of Payments) Act 2004 (NT), as in force at 25 May 2024, implies a notice of dispute where the contract has no written provision: within 10 working days, in writing, signed, with reasons for each disputed item (Schedule 1, clause 6). As read on 10 November 2026; general information, not legal advice.

Is there a payment schedule template for subcontractors?

We found no statutory template in the Acts read on 10 November 2026; Victoria's Act allows a prescribed form and WA's an approved form, each "if any". The content each Act requires is the claim reference, the scheduled amount, and the reasons for any shortfall and for withholding. General information, not legal advice.

What this analysis
does and does not show.

Evidence note

What it shows: The required contents of a payment schedule, the rule on reasons in an adjudication response, and the consequence of giving no schedule, in the security of payment Acts of Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, WA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT at the versions listed, and the NSW Government's statement of the NSW rules, as read on 10 November 2026.
Key facts quoted: Contents: Vic s 15(2), (3); Qld s 69; SA s 14(2), (3); WA s 25(2), (3); Tas s 18 (summary only); ACT s 16(2), (3). Reasons rule: Vic s 21(2)(d)(i); Qld s 82(4); SA s 20(4); WA s 34(3); Tas s 23(4) (summary only); ACT s 22(4). Qld s 76 maximum penalty 100 penalty units. SA reg 7: Crown contracts over $4,000,000 excluding GST. NT Schedule 1 clause 6 notice of dispute.

The NSW register did not open on 10 November 2026, so the NSW row rests on NSW Government guidance pages and the Act's text is not verified.
Tasmania's register returned the Act's text only as far as s 16 on 10 November 2026. The whole-Act view was downloaded in full on 14 November 2026 and sections 18, 19 and 23 are quoted from that text; the 10 November summaries were checked against it and all held.
Regulations were read only for Queensland and South Australia. Whether Victoria prescribes a form or information, or WA approves a form, was not checked.
WA's Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Amendment Act 2026 was not read for this page; our timeframes page describes its uncommenced withholding provisions.
Court decisions on what makes reasons sufficient were not read. The Acts' words are stated, not how courts apply them.
Nothing here is legal advice, and it does not determine whether any contract is within an Act or whether any schedule is valid or on time.

Bring us one claim and the schedule that answered it.

Send us a payment claim, the schedule sent back and the emails around them. We will show you whether the record names the Act and version it was prepared against, and holds each withheld amount with its reason and the date it was served.

General information about published legislation and government guidance only. It is not legal advice and does not determine whether any contract is within an Act, or whether any claim, schedule or response is valid or on time. Provisions as read on 10 November 2026 at the versions listed in the sources.

Send us the schedule · Variation and claims agent

Sources

Suggested citation: security of payment Acts of Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, WA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT at the versions listed, the Queensland Regulation 2018 and SA Regulations 2026, and NSW Government security of payment guidance, as read 10 November 2026. Derived figures: none.

A payment schedule is where the reasons for withholding are fixed.