Does someone owe you money?
This section has information for people who want to start a claim in court to recover money or the cost of repairs to a vehicle damaged in a car accident.
Find out what steps you can take if you are claiming money from someone else:
The information in this topic should not be used if your claim is about a dispute over a consumer contract, goods held by a business, tenancy matter or family law matter. If you are unsure, get legal advice about your situation.
Starting your case
If you have tried to resolve your matter without going to court and the other party still won't pay the money owed, you may need to start a court case.
This section has information on the steps for starting a case in the Small Claims Division of the Local Court.
- Preparing a statement of claim form
- Serving a statement of claim form
- The defendant's response
- Stopping your case
- Default judgment
For more information, see Starting your case.
During your case
If the defendant does not agree that they owe some or all of the money you are claiming they can decide to defend your claim.
If the defendant disagrees with your claim, they will file a defence form and the court will send you a copy. In the defence form, the defendant should explain why they disagree with your claim. Your case will then go to a hearing.
This section has information about what happens after the defendant files a defence form in response to your statement of claim form:
- Pre-trial review
- The hearing
- The decision.
For more information, see During your case.
Settling your case
You can try to settle the case at any time. If you reach an agreement with the other party, it is a good idea to put the agreement in writing. You will also need to take steps to end the court case.
This section has information on what you should do if you settle your case.
- Write down the agreement
- Stopping the case.
For more information, see Settling your case.
After court
If you win the case or you get a default judgment and the other party still does not pay, you can take steps to get the money paid. This is called enforcement.
If you lost the case, you may be able to appeal.
This section has information about:
- Appeals and reviews
- Being paid in instalments
- Enforcement
For more information, see After court.