--- title: "Christmas Court Deadlines for Queensland Creditors | Astris Law" url: https://www.astrislaw.com/article/getting-paid-before-christmas-queensland description: "A timeline for Queensland creditors chasing a debt before the court holiday: letters of demand, statutory demands, default judgment and what keeps running." lang: en-AU --- Skip to main content ← Back to Articles: https://www.astrislaw.com/articles | Dispute Resolution & Litigation →: https://www.astrislaw.com/practice/dispute-resolution-litigation Insights 16 November 2026 • 11 min read # A Judgment Before Christmas: The Queensland Court Dates That Matter in December 2026 ## Summary A guide for the Queensland business owner or finance manager who is owed money and wants a judgment entered, or a company debtor's failure to meet a statutory demand complete, before the courts close for Christmas. It sets out the three calendars that run December, works a dated timeline backwards from the last filing day for the letter of demand, statutory demand and default judgment routes, covers interest and costs in outline and explains what keeps running through the court holiday. Last reviewed 16 November 2026 · Reviewed by Jamie Nuich (https://www.astrislaw.com/attorney/jamie-nuich), Legal Practitioner Director ## Key Takeaways - The Supreme, District and Magistrates Courts have each designated Friday 25 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027 as court holidays, so Thursday 24 December is the last ordinary filing day and Monday 4 January 2027 the first day the registries reopen. - Registry opening and judicial availability are different calendars: the Supreme Court's civil applications calendar showed no applications judge from Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January, so Friday 18 December is the last ordinary day for a contested application in that court. - A statutory demand served on a company by Thursday 3 December has its 21 days end on 24 December; the days are calendar days that keep running through the closure and the court cannot extend the company's time to apply to set the demand aside, so a later demand still works, but the hearing of any winding-up application falls into 2027. - A claim served by hand on Monday 16 November has its 28 days for a notice of intention to defend end on 14 December, leaving eight registry days for a request for default judgment; a period that expires during the closure rolls to 4 January 2027. - Interest on a default judgment follows the contract rate if pleaded and otherwise the practice direction rate; costs are the fixed scale amounts plus court fees paid. Enforcement is a separate step that the closure also stops. Image: A December calendar beside an overdue invoice, marking the Queensland court holiday dates that creditors work back from (https://www.astrislaw.com/images/articles/deadline.jpg) In This Article 1. 1. The three calendars that run December 2. 2. The timeline, working back from Thursday 24 December 3. 3. Route one: the letter of demand 4. 4. Route two: a statutory demand against a company 5. 5. Route three: a claim and default judgment 6. 6. Interest and costs in outline 7. 7. Which route fits your debtor 8. 8. Frequently Asked Questions A Queensland creditor who wants a judgment entered, or a company's failure to meet a statutory demand complete, before Christmas is working against three calendars: the designated court holiday, the registry's open days and the days a judge is available. This guide from Astris Law in Brisbane sets them out and works a dated timeline backwards from Thursday 24 December 2026 for each route; the routes themselves are mapped in our debt recovery guide (https://www.astrislaw.com/article/debt-recovery-process-queensland). ## The three calendars that run December The court holiday comes from the practice directions. Supreme Court Practice Direction 2 of 2026 (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/911422/scpd-02-of-2026.pdf) designates each day from Friday 25 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027 as a court holiday for r 976 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_reg/ucpr1999305/s976.html) of the _Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999_ (Qld) (**UCPR**); the District Court (Practice Direction 2 of 2026 (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/911465/dcpd-2-of-2026.pdf)) and the Magistrates Courts (Practice Direction 1 of 2026 (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/897977/mc-pd-1-of-2026.pdf)) designate the same days. Four of them are public holidays (25, 26 and 28 December and 1 January); Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 December are court holidays only, which matters where the last day of a statutory demand period lands on one of them, as discussed below. Registry opening follows from the holiday. Rule 976 requires a registry to be open on each day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a court holiday, so Thursday 24 December is the last ordinary filing day and Monday 4 January 2027 the first day open again. Judicial availability is a separate calendar. The Supreme Court's civil applications availability calendar (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/_external/courtscalendars/sc-judge-civil-applications-availability.pdf) showed, when this guide was written, no applications judge from Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January, so Friday 18 December is the last ordinary day for a contested application in the Trial Division. The District and Magistrates Courts publish their own December lists, which a creditor in those courts should check. The Corporations registrar's list in Brisbane sits on Tuesdays and Thursdays on published dates (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/_external/courtscalendars/sc-registrar-civil-applications-availability.pdf). ## The timeline, working back from Thursday 24 December The dates assume service by hand on the day shown and exclude the day of service. Postal service adds the time the post takes and hands the debtor a date to argue about. | Date | What it is | | --- | --- | | Mon 16 Nov 2026 | A letter of demand sent on this day with 14 days to pay expires on Mon 30 Nov. A claim served on this day has its 28 days end on Mon 14 Dec. | | Thu 26 Nov 2026 | Last day to serve a claim for the 28 days to end on Thu 24 Dec. A request for default judgment on that claim cannot be filed before Mon 4 Jan 2027. | | Fri 27 Nov to Sun 6 Dec 2026 | A claim served in this window has its 28 days end on a court holiday or a weekend, and the period runs to Mon 4 Jan 2027. | | Wed 2 Dec 2026 | Serve a statutory demand by this day for the 21 days to end on Wed 23 Dec, leaving Thu 24 Dec to file a winding-up application before the registry closes; a hearing is unlikely before mid-January 2027. | | Thu 3 Dec 2026 | Last day to serve a statutory demand for the 21 days to end on Thu 24 Dec and the presumption of insolvency to arise before the holiday. | | Tue 15 Dec 2026 | A request for default judgment on a claim served 16 Nov can be filed from this day: eight registry days before the closure. | | Fri 18 Dec 2026 | Last ordinary day for a contested application before a Supreme Court applications judge. | | Mon 21 Dec 2026 | Registries open, but the calendar showed no Supreme Court applications judge from this day until 4 Jan. | | Thu 24 Dec 2026 | Last ordinary registry day. eLodgments after 4:30pm are dated 4 Jan. Day 21 for a demand served on 3 Dec. | | Fri 25 Dec 2026 to Fri 1 Jan 2027 | Court holidays in the Supreme, District and Magistrates Courts. Nothing is filed, issued or listed there; in previous years a duty judge has sat for urgent matters only. | | Mon 4 Jan 2027 | Registries reopen and the Supreme Court applications list resumes. UCPR periods that expired during the closure end on this day. | ## Route one: the letter of demand No rule fixes the response period and seven to fourteen days is common; what the letter should say is in our letter of demand guide (https://www.astrislaw.com/article/letter-of-demand-queensland). A letter sent on Monday 16 November with fourteen days to pay expires on Monday 30 November, which leaves three days to serve a statutory demand on a company by 3 December and no time to serve a claim whose 28 days can end before the registry closes. On the deadline day the creditor checks what has arrived, because a part payment or a dispute changes the route against a company. The creditor also confirms the entity and its registered office on a current extract from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (**ASIC**), so that the next document can be served the following day. ## Route two: a statutory demand against a company A demand under s 459E (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s459e.html) of the _Corporations Act 2001_ (Cth) (**Corporations Act**), in the form our statutory demands guide (https://www.astrislaw.com/article/statutory-demands-corporations-act) describes, requires a company to pay, within 21 days after service, a debt of at least $4,000 that is due and payable. Failure at the end of that period (s 459F (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s459f.html)) lets the court presume insolvency on a winding-up application made within the following three months (s 459C(2)(a) (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s459c.html)). The days are calendar days counted from the day after service (s 105 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s105.html) of the Corporations Act with s 36(1) of the _Acts Interpretation Act 1901_ (Cth)). The court cannot extend the company's 21 days to apply to set the demand aside: _David Grant & Co Pty Ltd v Westpac Banking Corporation_ (1995) 184 CLR 265 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/1995/43.html). If the company does apply in time, the period for compliance is extended by s 459F(2)(a) and the presumption waits on the outcome. Serve by Thursday 3 December and the period ends on Thursday 24 December. Posting to the registered office is service under s 109X (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s109x.html), but the date then rests on when the letter is presumed to have arrived and a debtor can contest it; a process server at the registered office removes the argument. Serving later does not cost the creditor the demand: the days inside the period keep counting and the three-month window runs well into 2027. It can give the debtor a last day to apply under s 459G (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s459g.html) that falls during or immediately after the closure; our setting aside guide (https://www.astrislaw.com/article/setting-aside-statutory-demand-queensland) and statutory demand page (https://www.astrislaw.com/situation/statutory-demand) cover what follows. The 21 days keep running through the closure; weekends and holidays inside the period count. Where day 21 itself falls on a weekend or a public holiday, s 36(2) (https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/aia1901230/s36.html) of the _Acts Interpretation Act 1901_ (Cth) is generally read as carrying the last day to the next day that is neither. No reported decision settles whether a court holiday that is not a public holiday does the same. A creditor should therefore treat a demand whose day 21 falls between 25 December and 3 January as not failed until Monday 4 January 2027 and should not file a winding-up application before then. When the period ends the creditor files an originating process in Form 2 under r 2.2 of the Corporations Rules in schedule 1A of the UCPR, with an affidavit in support and the proposed liquidator's consent. The registry fixes the return date and nothing is listed between 25 December and 1 January, so an application filed in the second half of December is unlikely to be heard before mid-January 2027. The presumption of insolvency can arise before Christmas; the hearing falls into 2027. ## Route three: a claim and default judgment A defendant served with a claim has 28 days to file a notice of intention to defend under r 137 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_reg/ucpr1999305/s137.html) of the UCPR, counted from the day after service (r 137 with s 38(1) (https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1954-003#sec.38) of the _Acts Interpretation Act 1954_ (Qld)). If none is filed, the plaintiff can file a request for judgment for a debt or liquidated demand under r 283 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_reg/ucpr1999305/s283.html), with the affidavit of service (r 282 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_reg/ucpr1999305/s282.html)), an affidavit of the amount still owing and a draft judgment. The registrar checks compliance rather than merits and publishes no turnaround, so what the creditor controls is the number of registry days left when the request goes in: a claim served by hand on Monday 16 November has its 28 days end on Monday 14 December and the request can be filed from Tuesday 15 December, eight registry days before the closure. A period that expires on a closed day runs to the next day the registry is open (s 38 of the same Act with r 976), so a claim served between 27 November and 6 December has its 28 days end on 4 January. A notice of intention to defend filed late but before judgment defeats the request, and a judgment entered without proof of service that complies with r 282 is liable to be set aside under r 290 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_reg/ucpr1999305/s290.html), an irregular judgment being set aside without the defendant having to show a defence, so the judgment worth having in December is the one whose affidavit of service would survive a challenge in January. A debt of up to $25,000 excluding interest can instead go to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (**QCAT**), where the respondent also has 28 days (https://www.qcat.qld.gov.au/case-types/debt-disputes/responding) before a decision by default can be requested; QCAT publishes its own closure dates each year and in 2025 closed for longer than the courts. ## Interest and costs in outline On a default judgment the registrar includes interest at the contract rate if the claim pleads one, otherwise at the rate fixed by practice direction for s 58 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/qld/consol_act/cpa2011175/s58.html) of the _Civil Proceedings Act 2011_ (Qld), the Reserve Bank cash rate plus 4% as published on the Queensland Courts interest rates page (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/types-of-cases/money-disputes/interest-on-debts/interest-rates). The money order then carries the cash rate plus 6% under s 59 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/qld/consol_act/cpa2011175/s59.html). Costs under r 283(2)(b) are the fixed scale amounts plus court fees and service costs actually paid, with nothing for the letter of demand. A judgment does not collect itself: enforcement under chapter 19 of the UCPR is a separate step the closure also stops, so the realistic target before Christmas is the judgment, not the warrant. ## Which route fits your debtor Outside a registry nothing stops over the break: a letter of demand can go out, a payment arrangement can be documented, a process server can be briefed for 4 January and interest keeps running. A calendar answers when the documents go in, not which document to send. A statutory demand against a company that has already disputed the invoice invites an application to set it aside and a costs order; against a sole trader the statutory demand is not available and the first step is a claim or a QCAT application; a debt under the QCAT ceiling may be better pursued there, or not at all against a debtor with nothing to enforce against. The amount, the entity on the contract and whether a dispute has surfaced decide the document. Reading those off your contract and your debtor's ASIC extract is a question about your matter rather than about the calendar, and it is worth answering before the first document is served. If a debtor is on your list for December, call Jamie Nuich at Astris Law on (07) 3519 5616 (+61735195616) with the contract and the overdue invoices to hand; how we act for creditors is on our debt recovery (https://www.astrislaw.com/debt-recovery-lawyer-brisbane) page. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### When do the Queensland court registries close for Christmas 2026 and when do they reopen? The Supreme, District and Magistrates Court registries are closed from Friday 25 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027. Thursday 24 December is the last ordinary filing day and the registries reopen on Monday 4 January 2027. ### Does the 21-day period under a statutory demand stop over the court holiday? No. The days keep running and the court cannot extend the company's time to apply to set the demand aside. Where day 21 falls on a weekend or a public holiday the last day is generally taken to carry to the next day that is neither; whether a court holiday that is not a public holiday has the same effect is unsettled, so a creditor should not act on a demand expiring in the closure until 4 January. ### Can I get default judgment during the court holiday? No. The registry is closed on each court holiday, so a request lodged electronically (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/court-users/practitioners/electronic-lodgement-elodgement/civil-claims-brisbane-supreme-court) during the closure is treated as filed on Monday 4 January 2027. ## Sources and References - Court rules Supreme Court of Queensland, Practice Direction 2 of 2026, Designation of Court Holidays (31 July 2026) (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/911422/scpd-02-of-2026.pdf) - Court rules District Court of Queensland, Practice Direction 2 of 2026, Designation of Court Holidays (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/911465/dcpd-2-of-2026.pdf) - Court rules Magistrates Courts of Queensland, Practice Direction 1 of 2026, Designation of Court Holidays (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/897977/mc-pd-1-of-2026.pdf) - Other Queensland Courts, Supreme Court civil applications availability (judge) calendar (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/_external/courtscalendars/sc-judge-civil-applications-availability.pdf) - Other Queensland Courts, civil applications list (Corporations registrar) available dates (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/_external/courtscalendars/sc-registrar-civil-applications-availability.pdf) - Other Queensland Courts, electronic lodgement of civil claims, Brisbane Supreme Court (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/court-users/practitioners/electronic-lodgement-elodgement/civil-claims-brisbane-supreme-court) - Court rules Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld), rr 137, 282, 283, 290 and 976 and sch 1A r 2.2 (https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/sl-1999-0111) - Legislation Acts Interpretation Act 1954 (Qld), s 38 (reckoning of time) (https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1954-003#sec.38) - Legislation Civil Proceedings Act 2011 (Qld), s 58 (interest up to judgment) and s 59 (interest after money order) (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/qld/consol_act/cpa2011175/s58.html) - Other Queensland Courts, interest rates on debts (default judgment and money order rates) (https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/types-of-cases/money-disputes/interest-on-debts/interest-rates) - Legislation Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), ss 105, 109X, 459C, 459E, 459F and 459G (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s459e.html) - Legislation Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth), s 36 (calculating time) (https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/aia1901230/s36.html) - Other QCAT, responding to a minor debt application (https://www.qcat.qld.gov.au/case-types/debt-disputes/responding) - Case law David Grant & Co Pty Ltd v Westpac Banking Corporation (1995) 184 CLR 265 (https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/1995/43.html) Share Share on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.astrislaw.com%2Farticle%2Fgetting-paid-before-christmas-queensland)Share on X (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.astrislaw.com%2Farticle%2Fgetting-paid-before-christmas-queensland&text=A%20Judgment%20Before%20Christmas%3A%20The%20Queensland%20Court%20Dates%20That%20Matter%20in%20December%202026)Share on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.astrislaw.com%2Farticle%2Fgetting-paid-before-christmas-queensland) This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. While we take reasonable care to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, we make no representations or warranties as to its completeness, currency or reliability. We accept no liability for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, this website's content. You should always seek professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances before acting on any information in this article. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. Related Practice Area Dispute Resolution & Litigation https://www.astrislaw.com/practice/dispute-resolution-litigation ## Owed money and watching the December calendar? Which route to take, and which date on the timeline is yours, turns on how much is owed, who signed and what the debtor has said since. Jamie Nuich works those out with Queensland creditors before the first document is served. (07) 3519 5616: +61735195616 Send an enquiry: https://www.astrislaw.com/contact ## Related Articles Insights ### How a Queensland Company Applies to Set Aside a Statutory Demand Read more https://www.astrislaw.com/article/setting-aside-statutory-demand-queensland Insights ### Letter of Demand in Queensland: What It Does and What a Template Misses Read more https://www.astrislaw.com/article/letter-of-demand-queensland Insights ### Commercial Litigation: When to Initiate Proceedings Read more https://www.astrislaw.com/article/when-to-initiate-commercial-litigation-brisbane Book a call back (+61735195616) ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": [ "LegalService", "LocalBusiness" ], "@id": "https://www.astrislaw.com/#organization", "name": "Astris Law", "legalName": "Astris Law Pty Ltd", "alternateName": [ "Astrons General Counsel", "Phronesis Litigation", "HeadStart Counsel" ], "url": "https://www.astrislaw.com", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.astrislaw.com/android-chrome-512x512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 }, "image": "https://www.astrislaw.com/android-chrome-512x512.png", "description": "The Astris Law group gives directors and business owners the right legal capability for whatever their business needs, across corporate, disputes and regulatory. 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Thursday 24 December is the last ordinary filing day and the registries reopen on Monday 4 January 2027." } }, { "@type": "Question", "@id": "https://www.astrislaw.com/article/getting-paid-before-christmas-queensland#faq-2", "name": "Does the 21-day period under a statutory demand stop over the court holiday?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. The days keep running and the court cannot extend the company's time to apply to set the demand aside. Where day 21 falls on a weekend or a public holiday the last day is generally taken to carry to the next day that is neither; whether a court holiday that is not a public holiday has the same effect is unsettled, so a creditor should not act on a demand expiring in the closure until 4 January." } }, { "@type": "Question", "@id": "https://www.astrislaw.com/article/getting-paid-before-christmas-queensland#faq-3", "name": "Can I get default judgment during the court holiday?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. The registry is closed on each court holiday, so a request lodged electronically during the closure is treated as filed on Monday 4 January 2027." } } ] } ] } ] ```