VCAT Filing Fee 2026: Current Fees, Concessions and Fee Waivers

Current VCAT Filing Fees (From 1 July 2026)

VCAT's fee structure is set by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Fees) Regulations 2026, with amounts indexed annually. The table below shows the fees operative from 1 July 2026, based on a fee unit value of $17.27.

Small claims (up to $15,000):

• Concession rate: $67.40
• Standard rate: $202.10
• Corporate rate: $612.40

Claims over $15,000 or unspecified amount:

• Concession rate: $222.80
• Standard rate: $673.50
• Corporate rate: $2,040.90

Motor car sale revocation (under $40,000):

• Standard rate: $202.10
• Concession rate: $67.40

Who Pays Which Rate

VCAT's fee system has three tiers based on who you are, not what you're claiming:

Concession rate (11% of the full fee). You qualify if you hold an eligible Commonwealth concession card — a Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

Standard rate (33% of the full fee). Applies to individuals, sole traders, partnerships, non-profits, and small businesses with gross annual turnover under $300,000. If you're a business claiming the standard rate, you'll need to sign a statutory declaration confirming your turnover.

Corporate rate (100% of the full fee). Applies to companies and organisations with annual turnover of $300,000 or more, as well as government agencies.

Is VCAT Free?

VCAT is not free to use — you pay a filing fee when you lodge your application. But there are several situations where fees are waived entirely:

• You are represented by Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) or a recognised Community Legal Centre
• You are a participant in the Tenancy Assistance Advocacy Program (TAAP)
• You are under 18 years old
• You are currently incarcerated

If none of those apply but you're experiencing financial hardship, you can submit a formal fee relief application. You'll need supporting documents — bank statements, income support details, or a breakdown of your monthly expenses — showing that paying the fee would cause genuine hardship.

Hearing Fees and ADR Fees

The filing fee is not the only cost. The 2026 regulations introduced standalone fees for alternative dispute resolution events:

• Full-day mediation or compulsory conference: $434.60 (standard) / $1,316.00 (corporate)
• Half-day (3 hours): 50% of the full-day rate
• 90 minutes or less: 25% of the full-day rate

Hearing fees must be paid at least five business days before the listed hearing date. If you don't pay, your matter can be struck from the list.

Getting Your Fees Back

Here's the part most people don't know: if you win your claim at VCAT, there's a statutory presumption under section 115C of the VCAT Act that the respondent reimburses your filing and hearing fees. Fee recovery is separate from a costs order — it's routinely granted when the applicant succeeds.

This means the filing fee is effectively a recoverable expense if your claim is successful. The respondent pays it back as part of the tribunal's order.

Costs vs Fees

An important distinction: VCAT's no-costs default under section 109(1) means each party bears their own legal costs (solicitor fees, preparation time). That rule has nothing to do with tribunal filing fees. You can recover your filing fee without being awarded costs.

Costs orders — where one party pays the other's legal expenses — are rare at VCAT. Under section 109(3), VCAT may order costs when it considers that fair, including where a party has unnecessarily prolonged or disadvantaged the other side or pursued a claim without a tenable legal basis.

Our VCAT Civil Claim Filing Guide walks through the fee tiers, concession eligibility, and the fee recovery claim so you know exactly what to budget before you file.

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