ACAT Enforcement Timeline: How Long Does It Take to Collect?

No Fixed Timeline — But Predictable Stages

There is no single answer to "how long will enforcement take?" because it depends on which tools you use, whether the debtor cooperates, and how quickly you move through each step. The rules set some waiting periods, but not a total time from registration to collection.

Here is what the timeline looks like for the three most common enforcement paths.

Stage 1: Registration and Mandatory Notice

This stage is the same regardless of which enforcement tool you use afterwards.

Registering the ACAT order at the ACT Magistrates Court requires no hearing. You file the sealed order and a supporting affidavit at the Civil Registry.

Serving Form 2.49 (Notice about court order and enforcement options) plus a copy of the judgment on the debtor starts the mandatory 7-day waiting period. You cannot file any enforcement application before those 7 days expire. Allow time for the chosen service method before the waiting period starts.

The fixed waiting period before an enforcement application is 7 days after service of the notice and judgment copy. The rules do not set a total time from registry filing to application.

Path A: Earnings Redirection Order

If you already know where the debtor works, this is the fastest path to regular payments.

After the 7-day notice period, you file the enforcement application ($182 for a natural person or $363 for a corporation) with an affidavit identifying the employer. The court issues the earnings redirection order, which you serve on the employer at their registered address plus a copy to the debtor. The order becomes operative 7 days after service on the employer.

From there, the employer deducts a set amount each pay period and remits it to you until the debt is cleared. How long until the debt is fully paid depends on the weekly deduction amount versus the total owed — a $5,000 debt at $100 per week takes about a year. The first payment also depends on when the employer's payroll cycle runs.

Path B: Debt Redirection Order

If the debtor has funds sitting in a bank account and you know which bank, a debt redirection order captures those funds in a single lump sum.

Same 7-day notice period, same enforcement application filing. The court issues the order, and you serve it on the financial institution. The order targets the balance held when it is served and becomes operative 7 days after service. This is a one-shot capture — it does not cover future deposits.

The risk: if the account is nearly empty on the day the order hits, you capture almost nothing and need to try again or switch tools.

Path C: Enforcement Hearing First

When you do not know the debtor's financial position — no idea where they work, bank, or what they own — you start with an enforcement hearing to compel disclosure.

After registration and the 7-day notice, you apply for an enforcement hearing examination ($103 fee). The registry allocates a hearing date. You must serve the enforcement hearing subpoena (Form 2.51) personally on the debtor at least 14 days before the hearing date. The debtor must return Form 2.52 (financial position statement) at least 8 days before the hearing.

At the hearing, the debtor's finances are examined under oath. You then take that information and file for the appropriate enforcement tool — adding another round of application, service, and waiting periods.

What Adds Time

The total time also depends on these factors:

• Service difficulties. If you cannot locate the debtor for personal service, you may need to apply for substituted service (CPR Rule 6460) — that adds another court application and waiting period.
• Debtor applies for instalment order. The debtor can apply for Form 2.54, asking the court to set up periodic payments instead of a lump-sum enforcement. While an instalment order is in force and being complied with, it stays active enforcement tools.
• Appeal or set-aside. The debtor has 28 days to appeal an ACAT decision. Filing an appeal does not automatically stay enforcement — but if the court or tribunal grants a stay, everything pauses until the appeal is resolved.
• Sheriff availability. For seizure and sale orders, the Sheriff's Office schedules execution visits; the rules do not set a standard lead time for an execution visit.

The 12-Year Enforcement Window

If you cannot collect now — the debtor has moved interstate, filed for bankruptcy, or simply has nothing — an action on the judgment can be maintained for 12 years from the date the judgment first becomes enforceable (Limitation Act 1985, section 14). If no execution steps are taken for more than 6 years from the date of judgment entry, court leave (permission) is required before issuing enforcement tools.

Circumstances change. A judgment-proof debtor today may have employment, a bank account, or property within those 12 years.

The step-by-step enforcement sequence, including every mandatory waiting period and service deadline, is detailed in our ACT ACAT Order Enforcement Guide.

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