UCPR Form 45: How to Register a Certificate of Judgment in NSW

UCPR Form 45 is the document that turns a tribunal order into a real court judgment. Without it, the Local Court has no jurisdiction over the debt — and none of the enforcement tools (garnishee orders, writs, examinations) are available to you.

Filing Form 45 is straightforward, but small errors cause rejections that cost you weeks. Here's how to get it right the first time.

What Form 45 Does

Form 45 — officially "Registration or Filing of Certificate of Judgment/Order" — registers an external order (like an NCAT s 78 certificate) in the NSW Local Court. Once filed, the tribunal order operates as a Local Court judgment for the certified amount, and you can pursue enforcement under the Civil Procedure Act 2005.

Fields You Need to Complete

The form requires specific details from your tribunal order and certificate:

• Issuing tribunal: NCAT, Consumer and Commercial Division
• NCAT matter/case reference number from the original proceedings
• Date of the monetary order
• Principal debt sum — the exact amount awarded by NCAT
• Credits or partial payments received before registration (deducted from the principal)
• Registration filing fee being added to the debt
• Net outstanding total balance — this becomes the enforceable judgment amount

Every figure must match the s 78 certificate exactly. If the debtor has already paid part of the order, declare the payments and register only the outstanding balance.

Filing Fees (2026)

Registration fees under Schedule 1 of the Civil Procedure Regulation 2017:

• Standard: $121
• Corporation: $242; a corporation with turnover below $200,000 can pay the standard fee by providing evidence satisfactory to the registrar.

These fees are added to the judgment debt — the debtor owes them to you on top of the original order amount.

If you face financial hardship, you can submit an Application to Postpone, Remit or Waive Payment of a Court Fee alongside Form 45. The Court Registrar assesses these within about 48 hours.

How to File

You can lodge Form 45 three ways:

1. Online through the NSW Online Registry (onlineregistry.lawlink.nsw.gov.au) — create an account, upload the completed Form 45 and a scanned copy of the s 78 certificate, and pay the fee by credit card
2. In person at any Local Court registry in NSW
3. By post to a Local Court registry

Online filing is fastest — the court assigns a civil case number immediately. The new case number will be formatted as 2026/XXXXXX, and court records cross-reference your original NCAT case number for continuity.

Common Mistakes That Cause Rejections

The registry will send back your filing with a notice of rejection if:

• Party names don't match between Form 45 and the s 78 certificate. If the NCAT order has a typo or the debtor's name is slightly wrong, you'll need to apply to NCAT under s 63 of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (the "slip rule") for a corrected certificate first.
• Fee calculation is wrong — declaring the wrong filing fee for your category (individual vs. corporate)
• Missing attachments — the s 78 certificate must accompany the form

Which Local Court?

You can file Form 45 at any Local Court registry in NSW, not just the one nearest to the debtor. The division (Small Claims or General) depends on the unpaid amount on the certificate:

• Up to $20,000 → Small Claims Division
• $20,001 to $100,000 → General Division

The division is determined by the certified balance, not the original claim amount or tribunal division.

Time Limits

You have six years from the date of the NCAT order to file the s 78 certificate with the Local Court. Miss that window and the order can no longer be registered. Once registered, the judgment is enforceable for 12 years from the registration date.

The complete NSW NCAT enforcement guide covers every step after registration — examinations, garnishees, writs, and how to record the debt as paid.

See more New South Wales guides →