Victoria – Adjudication Response Deadline Calculator

Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic), s 22(3)

Under s 22(3) of the Victorian SOP Act 2002, a respondent may lodge an adjudication response within 2 Victorian business days after receiving notice from the Authorised Nominating Authority (ANA) of the adjudicator's acceptance of the adjudication application.

Vic vs NSW — key difference: In NSW (s 20(1)), the response deadline is the later of 5 business days from service of the application or 2 business days from the adjudicator acceptance notice. In Victoria, the sole trigger is the adjudicator acceptance notice — the claimant's service date does not create a separate deadline window.

2 Business Day Window

From adjudicator acceptance notice (s 22(3))

Very Short Deadline

Act fast — only 2 Vic business days

Calculate Response Deadline

Enter the date you received the adjudicator's acceptance notice from the ANA

The 2-business-day clock starts on the date you receive the acceptance notice from the ANA — not when the claimant serves the application on you. If you have not yet received an acceptance notice, monitor your correspondence closely.

Understanding Adjudication Responses (Victoria)

Response Deadline — s 22(3)

A respondent may lodge an adjudication response within 2 Victorian business days after receiving notice from the ANA of the adjudicator's acceptance. This is the sole statutory deadline in Victoria — there is no separate window tied to when the claimant served the application.

No Extension Available

Under s 22(4), the adjudicator must not consider any adjudication response lodged outside the 2-business-day window. No extensions are available and the right to respond cannot be reinstated by consent or otherwise.

What to Include

Your response must be in writing and may contain any submissions relevant to the adjudication, including a statutory declaration and evidence. Do not raise new claims in the response — it must be confined to the matters in the claimant's application.

Victorian Business Days

Vic business days exclude weekends, Victorian public holidays (including Labour Day, AFL Grand Final Friday, and Melbourne Cup Day in metropolitan Melbourne), and the period from 22 December to 10 January inclusive.

Difference from NSW

In NSW (s 20(1)), the response deadline is the later of 5 business days after service of the application or 2 business days after the adjudicator acceptance notice. Victoria only has the 2-business-day acceptance notice window — no five-day application-service leg.

Important Legal Disclaimers

General Guide Only – Not Legal Advice

This calculator is a general guide only and is not legal advice. Timeframes can be affected by the specific terms of your construction contract, the precise method and timing of service, public holidays, and other factors. Always check the current legislation and seek professional advice. The operators of this site accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this tool.

Check the Legislation

Calculations are based on the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic), as amended. Reforms effective 15 April 2026 may affect your situation. Always verify deadlines against the current legislation.

Vic SOP Act 2002 (full text)VBA Security of Payment guidance

Victorian Business Day Rules

Under the Vic SOP Act, a "business day" is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, Victorian public holiday, or any day in the period from 22 December to 10 January (inclusive). This is different from NSW, which only excludes 27–31 December.

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