Victorian Subcontract Review — Free Security of Payment Risk Scanner
Upload a Victorian subcontract and get a free clause-by-clause risk report in about 90 seconds, scored against the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (VIC) — substantially reformed with effect from 15 April 2026 — and market norms. It flags the payment terms, liquidated damages, time bars, set-off rights and retention that cost subcontractors money, before you sign.
Scan a VIC subcontract freeVictoria payment law — the facts that matter
Statute: Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (VIC)
- Victoria's Act is the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (VIC), substantially reformed by amendments that commenced on 15 April 2026 and apply to all payment claims served from that date — whatever the contract date.
- The old 'excluded amounts' and 'claimable variations' regimes are abolished: damages, time-related costs and disputed variations can now generally be pursued at adjudication, bringing Victoria into line with the other East Coast states.
- Reference dates are abolished too — progress claim entitlement now runs on the Act's own timing rules, not contract-defined reference dates.
- A payment schedule is due within 10 business days of a claim; silence makes the claimed amount payable and constrains the builder's defences at adjudication.
Why Victoria contracts need their own analysis
For two decades Victoria was the hardest state to recover variation-heavy claims in, because the excluded amounts regime kept damages and most disputed variations out of adjudication. That ended on 15 April 2026. The trap now runs the other way: plenty of Victorian subbies — and their advisers — are still operating on the old rules, writing claims defensively or writing off amounts that have been recoverable at adjudication since April. The report is calibrated to the reformed Act.
What every VIC report scores
- Payment terms and SOP Act compliance
- Liquidated damages exposure — rate, and whether there's a cap
- Set-off and back-charge rights
- Time bars on EOT and variation claims
- Termination and suspension
- Indemnity and insurance
The three worst findings come with a recommended negotiating position — specific figures and drafting changes, not just a warning.
Victoria subcontract questions, answered
Didn't Victoria exclude damages and variations from adjudication?
It did — until 15 April 2026. The reforms abolished the 'excluded amounts' and 'claimable variations' regimes for all payment claims served from that date, regardless of when the contract was signed. Damages, time-related costs and disputed variations can now generally be included in a payment claim and pursued at adjudication. If you've been told 'you can't adjudicate that in Victoria', that advice may be out of date.
Is a Victorian builder allowed to pay me whenever the contract says?
The contract sets the payment terms, but the Act's claim-and-schedule machinery still applies: a payment schedule is due within 10 business days of your claim, and silence makes the claimed amount a debt due with the builder's defences constrained at adjudication. The scanner checks your contract's payment mechanics against both the market norm and the Act.
Is the VIC subcontract scanner really free?
Yes. No account, no card, no trial period — upload a subcontract PDF and the full report appears on screen in about 90 seconds, with a copy emailed to you and a PDF download. Fair-use limits apply so the tool stays available to everyone.
Is my contract kept confidential?
Yes. Documents are stored privately in Australia, never published, never shared with any other user or any party to your contract, and deleted within 12 months. You can ask for your documents and records to be deleted at any time and it's actioned within 7 days.
Is the report legal advice?
No. It's AI-generated commercial risk analysis — a way to understand your position under Victoria law and market norms before you sign or negotiate. For decisions with legal consequences, take the report to a construction lawyer; it makes that conversation faster and cheaper.
Not being paid on a VIC job?
Claim Pro assesses your payment dispute under the Security of Payment Act— your likelihood of success, the builder's likely defence, and exactly what to do next. Also free.
Assess my dispute freeThe report is AI-generated general information, not legal advice. Documents are confidential — never shared, never published. Built by Mat Kennedy at The Construction Contracts Co.