In Queensland the deposit cap steps down with job size (20 percent up to $3,300, then 10 percent, then 5 percent from $20,000), a QBCC licence is required above $3,300, and the Home Warranty Scheme covers most residential work above the same line.
Rules verified against the legislation and Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) on 2026-07-17.
Pick your state and a rough job value. The requirements that apply at that value appear below, with the official source behind each one. Your final signed contract price decides, not the estimate.
Choose a state and a value to see the requirements that apply at that size of job.
The deposit cap is 20 percent for work valued at $3,300 or less, 10 percent above $3,300 and below $20,000 (a level 1 contract), and 5 percent at $20,000 or more (a level 2 contract). One exception: up to 20 percent can be charged when more than half the contract value is work done off site, such as substantial prefabrication.
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991, Schedule 1B (opens in new tab) · QBCC: deposits and progress payments (opens in new tab)
Building work worth more than $3,300 (materials, labour and GST included) must be done by a QBCC licensee with the right licence class. Some work, such as gas, plumbing and electrical, is licensed at any value.
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991, section 42 (opens in new tab) · QBCC: who must hold a QBCC licence (opens in new tab)
Residential building work above $3,300 and below $20,000 needs a level 1 regulated contract in writing; work at $20,000 or more needs a level 2 regulated contract with fuller prescribed protections.
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991, Schedule 1B (opens in new tab) · QBCC: deposits and progress payments (opens in new tab)
Most residential construction work worth more than $3,300 (materials, labour and GST included) must have Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover, which the contractor takes out on your behalf. Work by an unlicensed contractor is not covered.
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991, Part 5 (opens in new tab) · QBCC: the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme (opens in new tab)
Check the QBCC licensee register (opens in new tab) is the official, free register run by Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC). Then see the public evidence we hold: check the business by name or see the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) public register entries we have found, and browse tradespeople with public evidence.
The deposit cap is 20 percent for work valued at $3,300 or less, 10 percent above $3,300 and below $20,000 (a level 1 contract), and 5 percent at $20,000 or more (a level 2 contract). One exception: up to 20 percent can be charged when more than half the contract value is work done off site, such as substantial prefabrication. The cap binds on the final signed contract price.
Building work worth more than $3,300 (materials, labour and GST included) must be done by a QBCC licensee with the right licence class. Some work, such as gas, plumbing and electrical, is licensed at any value.
Most residential construction work worth more than $3,300 (materials, labour and GST included) must have Queensland Home Warranty Scheme cover, which the contractor takes out on your behalf. Work by an unlicensed contractor is not covered.
Use the free official register: Check the QBCC licensee register. It is run by Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) and takes minutes. Checking before you sign costs nothing; skipping it is how most bad hires start.
This is guidance from the public rules, not legal advice. The thresholds bind on your final signed contract price, not an estimate, and state law changes. Check the regulator's current page before you sign or pay anything.
Free, independent checks. No ads, no paid placement.
Spot the warning signs of a dishonest business before you hire.
Enter the names from your quotes and line them up on the public evidence.
Check whether the company behind a business is active, dissolved, or in liquidation.
The certifications, licences and registrations we have found in public sources, and what each one means.
Describe the quote you were given and see which features are officially listed warning signs.
Where a rating and review count really sit against the market's full distribution.
The official registers that cover each trade here, with the public entries we have found for each.
A licence number from a van or quote, checked against every public register included here in one search.
DIY electrical work is an offence here. What the law actually allows, state by state.
Gas smell, power cut, burst pipe: the official number to call first, from the official pages.