Learn how payment claims work in Tasmania and how PayClaim helps prepare and serve unpaid construction invoice claims for a fixed $79.
Security of Payment laws are designed to help contractors and subcontractors claim payment for construction work without waiting months for unpaid invoices to be resolved. The process and deadlines vary by state, so it is important to use the correct rules for where the work was completed.
PayClaim helps make the process easier by collecting the key information, preparing the claim documents and serving them electronically based on the details you provide.
Eligibility depends on the work, contract, location and circumstances. For complex matters, seek legal advice.
You must serve it in time: The later of the period in the contract or 12 months after the work was last carried out or the goods last supplied (section 17).
The respondent normally has 10 business days after service (section 19). It is 20 business days where the claim relates to a residential structure to be built on land, the respondent owns that land, and the respondent is not a building practitioner.
If no payment schedule is provided in time, the respondent becomes liable to pay the claimed amount on the due date (section 19), recoverable as a debt without a cross-claim or defence.
10 business days after receiving a payment schedule, or 20 business days after the due date where a scheduled amount goes unpaid (section 21). The application is made to a nominating authority authorised by the Security of Payments Official.
Keep copies of invoices, evidence, service records and correspondence. Proof of when and how the claim was served is what the timeframes above run from.
Tasmania expressly covers residential structures, so there is no owner-occupier exclusion. Instead, an owner who is not a building practitioner gets the longer 20-business-day period. Tasmania also retains reference dates and uses its own drafting — "nominating authority" rather than "authorised nominating authority".
Statutory references on this page were checked against the consolidated Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009 (TAS) on the official Tasmania legislation website in July 2026. Timeframes interact with your contract and with the statutory due date for payment, so check your own contract. This is general information, not legal advice.
Tasmania’s construction industry has dedicated security of payment legislation protecting subcontractors, tradies, and suppliers from unpaid invoices. The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009 (TAS) gives you a legally enforceable right to claim progress payments and have disputes resolved quickly through adjudication.
Modelled on the east-coast security of payment framework, Tasmania’s SOP Act creates a statutory right to progress payments for everyone working in the Tasmanian construction industry. It applies regardless of what your contract says — even if the head contractor tries to claim there’s a dispute or refuses to acknowledge your invoice, the Act gives you a clear legal process to follow.
The Act covers building construction, civil engineering, demolition, installation and fit-out work, maintenance, and related services — both commercial and most residential projects.
There is no upper dollar limit on TAS SOP Act claims. The process is available to all subcontractors and suppliers regardless of the size of the unpaid amount.
PayClaim makes the Tasmanian Security of Payment process straightforward for tradespeople and subcontractors:
Whether you’re working on a commercial build in Hobart, a residential project in Launceston, or infrastructure work anywhere in Tasmania, you have the right to be paid on time. Don’t let slow-paying head contractors drain your cash flow. PayClaim is here to help you use the law to your advantage.
Enter who owes you money, the amount unpaid, the work completed and the project location.
Add invoices, quotes, contracts, messages, photos and supporting documents.
PayClaim prepares the payment claim documents based on the information provided.
PayClaim electronically serves the claim and gives you a record of what was sent.
If the other party does not pay, they may respond, dispute the claim or ignore it. Your next options depend on the state, the contract, the amount claimed and the circumstances.
Some respondents pay once a formal claim is served.
They may reply, including with a payment schedule stating what they propose to pay.
You can consider adjudication, legal advice or other options.
If the deadline passes with no response, you may have further options depending on your state.
PayClaim does not provide legal advice, adjudication representation or court enforcement.
Start your claim, upload your evidence and only pay $79 when you're ready for PayClaim to prepare and serve it.