Licence fees and costs

What fees do I pay?

Licence fees must be paid at application, annually and at licence renewal.

Labour hire licence fees are a standard business cost for all labour hire providers in Victoria.

Application fee

You must pay an application fee when you submit your application for a new licence.

This fee is the cost associated with assessing your application for a labour hire licence and is non-refundable in the event the application is withdrawn or is unsuccessful.

If your application is successful, you will be granted a labour hire licence for up to 3 years.

Annual licence fee

You must pay an annual licence fee:

• when your licence is granted and
• at the start of each 12-month period after your licence is issued until the licence expires.

This fee is the cost associated with your labour hire licence for a 12-month period.

Note: The annual licence fee is separate to the application fee and must be paid for your licence to remain current.

Notification of the annual licence fee

The Authority will contact you through the Labour Hire Licensing Online portal (LHLO portal) instructing you to pay the annual licence fee. The communication is sent:

• at the time your licence is granted and
• 6 weeks prior to the start of each 12-month period after the licence is issued until the licence expires.

Renewal application fee

A renewal application fee must be paid when you apply to renew your licence once your existing licence expires. Licences can be granted for up to 3 years.

How can I Pay?

You can pay the fees with Visa or Mastercard through the Labour Hire Licensing Online portal (LHLO portal).

How much does it cost?

From 1 July 2021, the fees are tiered and calculated according to the applicant or licensee’s turnover for the previous 4 quarters at fee payment.

Before 1 July 2021, fee tiers are calculated according to the annual turnover of the applicant or licensee at licence application and licence renewal.

Fees: 2023-24 financial year

Can I change my business tier?

Yes, if your fees are due from 1 July 2021 your business tier will be reviewed automatically when you go to pay your annual licence fee and licence renewal fee in the Labour Hire Licensing Online portal (LHLO portal).

This does not apply to outstanding or overdue fees first due before 1 July 2021.

If your business tier has changed, you will need to declare your turnover and provide business activity statements (BAS) or activity statements (AS) for the previous 4 quarters. 

Before 1 July 2021, business tiers were set at licence application for the duration of the licence and could only be changed at licence renewal.

What if my business tier is the same?

If your turnover for the previous 4 quarters means your business tier remains the same, you must make a declaration that your business tier has not changed.

You can make this declaration automatically when when you go to pay your annual licence fee and licence renewal fee in the Labour Hire Licensing Online portal (LHLO portal).

Note: The Authority can request you to provide further evidence to support your declarations at any time.

Definition of turnover

Turnover means the total ordinary income that is derived in the course of running a business, as defined in clause 3 of the Labour Hire Licensing Regulations 2018 (Vic).

To verify your business' total ordinary income, you usually need to provide the following:

• If a provider is an existing business – the turnover for the business in the four quarters before the fee is due.
• If the provider is a new business – the projected turnover of the business for the next four quarters. 

If you believe there are particular circumstances meaning your BAS does not accurately show your business' total ordinary income (e.g. your BAS is for a consolidated tax group, or includes capital transactions), email our Enquiries team at enquiries@labourhireauthority.vic.gov.au.

Once we have reviewed your circumstances, we will contact you regarding next steps. In the case of consolidated tax groups, we may ask you to provide additional information verifying your business' total ordinary income.

Fee indexation

Fees are automatically indexed for inflation on 1 July every year. For more information, visit Indexation of fees and penalties - Department of Treasury and Finance.

Certified copy or extract of the Register fee

A person can obtain a certified extract, or a certified copy of, the Register of Licensed Labour Hire Providers. A fee is required to obtain this information.

Certified copy or extract fee: 2023-24 financial year

From 1 July 2022, the fee to apply for a certified copy or extract is $15.90, plus 50 cents for every page in excess of 20 pages, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

Fee Units

From 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 the value of a fee unit will be $15.90.

1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 the value of a fee unit was $15.29.

1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 the value of a fee unit was $15.03.

1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021 the value of a fee unit remained $14.81. 

1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020 the value of a fee unit was $14.81.

Special circumstances to reduce or waive a labour hire annual licence fee

From 1 July 2021, in some special circumstances we have the power to reduce or waive a labour hire annual licence fee.

Special circumstances require:

• a significant event outside the business’s control, and
• evidence linking the event to a downturn in the business’s turnover, and
• the decline in turnover must have a significant impact on the business.

You will need to provide:

• details of the special circumstances event that was outside your business’s control, and
• evidence that the event caused your downturn in turnover, and
• evidence that the impact of the event had a significant and material impact on the business, including your Business Activity Statements (BAS) or Activity Statements (AS).

Business supports

If your business is facing difficulties, you should also be aware that you may be eligible for a range of business supports available in Victoria. For further information visit Business Victoria.

What are not special circumstances?

Special circumstances are not:

• The ordinary cycles of business, loss of business, or insolvency.
• Seasonal factors.
• Short-term events.
• Disruptions to the normal operation of a business resulting from business decisions, this could include business mergers and business restructures.

How to apply

The nominated officer for the labour hire licence can make an application by contacting us on 1300 545 200 or emailing enquiries@labourhireauthority.vic.gov.au.

The special circumstances form will then be available in your Labour Hire Licensing Online portal (LHLO portal).

Guide: Apply for Special Circumstances using the LHLO portal.

Fee refunds

When will a refund be issued?

A refund will only be issued in the exceptional circumstances where an applicant has made a genuine mistake such as:

• making a double payment (for example paying the same application fee more than once)
• lodging an incorrect application type (for example applying as an individual instead of an organisation.
  Note: In this instance the application fee will only be refunded once the correct application has been lodged and paid for.

When will a refund not be issued?

In accordance with the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018 a refund will not be issued if:

• an application is withdrawn
• an application for renewal is withdrawn
• a licence is refused, suspended or cancelled.

This includes when an applicant:

• no longer intends to provide labour hire services
• forms the view that they no longer provide labour hire services
• believe their application may be refused
• decides to sell their business.