Fees at VCAT

VCAT’s fees are set by the Victorian Government.

We charge fees in 3 categories:

• concession rate
• standard rate
• corporate rate.

When you make an application tell us what your fee category is and provide proof of your status. The fee rate category applies to any fees payable throughout your case. You must apply separately for each case you want to bring to VCAT.

When you automatically pay no fees

You automatically don’t need to pay any fees if you are:

• represented by:
  • Victoria Legal Aid
  • a community legal centre
  • a provider under the Tenancy Assistance Advocacy program
  • a recognised provider who has deemed you eligible through a means test.
• in a prison or other public institution – you must provide evidence of your status such as your Criminal Record Number
• under 18 years of age – you must provide a copy of your birth certificate, passport, learner's permit or other proof of age
• a protected person or an affected family member who is the applicant in a residential tenancies case arising from family violence
• a victim of crime seeking review of a Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme decision.

You must provide a letter from the organisation that represents you with your application.

Who pays the concession rate

If you hold an eligible card, you're automatically entitled to a fee reduction (concession rate). When you apply, you must provide us with a coloured copy of the front and back of your card.

You can pay the concession rate if you hold:

• an Australian Government Health Care Card
• a Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card
• a Department of Veterans' Affairs Gold Card - you need to be eligible for treatment under Part V of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.

We don't accept Gold Card's held by a veteran's dependants, other than a widow or widower.

Concessions and fee relief

Who pays the standard rate

People and businesses who pay the standard rate include:

• individuals
• sole trader businesses
• businesses set up as a partnership
• businesses with a turnover of less than $300,000 in the last financial year
• not-for-profit organisations.

If your company wants to apply as a standard fee payer, you need to provide a statutory declaration with your application that proves your turnover is less than $300,000.

Who pays the corporate rate

Businesses with a turnover of $300,000 or more in the last full financial year pay the corporate rate.

For example, if you apply in April 2025, use the turnover from the 2023/2024 financial year.

Schools and government organisations are part of this fee category.

If your financial circumstances change

Your fee category might change if:

• your financial circumstances change – for example, if you get a concession card
• you change your application to apply as a different person – for example, if you want to apply under your business name and not as an individual.

Tell us in writing about these changes. Make sure you include a copy of any relevant documents to prove this.

Contact us

You automatically don’t need to pay any fees if you meet certain criteria.

For everyone else, if you are experiencing financial hardship, you can still apply to have your fees waived, reduced, or ask to pay them later. This is called fee relief.

Any individual can apply for fee relief, including people who don’t have a concession card, but you must meet eligibility criteria.
 
You only need to apply once. Our decision applies to all VCAT fees you’re asked to pay in your case.

Learn about concessions and fee relief

We tell you in writing if you must pay hearing fees. This includes what the fee per day is, if your hearing will take more than one day.

All day 1 hearing fees must be paid at least 5 business days before your first hearing day. If we schedule your hearing with less than 5 business days' notice, pay it the day after we schedule it. You must pay before the hearing. If you don’t, your hearing may be postponed (adjourned). 

You can pay hearing fees online, by phone, in person or by post. If you pay using a credit card, we accept only Mastercard or Visa.

Online

For most cases, you can use a credit card to pay hearing fees online.

For planning or environment and resources cases, we have changed the way hearing fees are paid online. If you need to pay a hearing fee, we will send you an email with the fee you must pay and a link to the online payment system. If your case requires more than one hearing day, the fee will be the total amount for all hearing days.

By phone

Call us to pay with a credit card.

Contact us

In person

Pay in person at one of our venues.

Visit us

Our Melbourne venue accepts cash, credit card, or money order made out to the ‘Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’.  

You can also pay by credit card at our other venues in Bundoora, Frankston and Oakleigh. We cannot accept payments by cash or money order at these venues. 

All of our venues do not accept cheques.

By post

When you pay by post, either:

• download and fill out the Credit card payment form
• make out a money order to the ‘Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’.

Send your payment to:

GPO Box 5408
Melbourne VIC 3001 

We do not accept cheques. 

We provide services that support you to prepare for and come to VCAT. 

These include when you want to:

• ask us to issue a summons to witness or produce documents
• view a VCAT file when you’re not a party in a VCAT case
• photocopy anything while at VCAT
• view the VCAT register
• become a party and take part in the case (make your own application)
• make an application to ask for costs from another party after we’ve finalised your case
• make an application for a rehearing of your case after we’ve made a decision (reopen an order)
• make an application to stop somebody doing something immediately (injunction)
• submit a statement of grounds in a planning case
• issue a warrant to evict a renter from a residential property.

Fees at VCAT
 

At VCAT, parties are expected to pay their own costs, unless we order otherwise.

VCAT may only award costs if it is fair to do so.

If you would like someone else to pay your legal costs, tell the VCAT member overseeing your case during the hearing.

Examples of circumstances where an order for costs may be made include:

• where a matter was brought to VCAT without much merit
• where a matter was brought to VCAT to harass, annoy or distress someone
• where a matter was brought to VCAT without a serious purpose
• where someone has unreasonably prolonged a hearing
• where someone deceived VCAT or others involved in a case
• where the application made is not well supported, such as by fact or law.

Section 109 of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Act 1998 governs VCAT's power to award costs.

See also: Should I get a lawyer?
 

You can apply for a refund if you have:

• paid a fee more than once
• paid a higher fee than you should have
• withdrawn your application soon after you applied.

If you withdraw, you may not get your application fee refunded. For example, if we have progressed your application and are ready for a mediation or hearing.

You can't ask for a refund because you don't get the outcome you want.

Planning or Environment and Resources hearings

If your hearing finishes early, there's no need to request a refund. We'll refund the balance of hearing fees you paid as soon as we can.

Application to request a refund