Labour Hire Licence Australia: Every State's Fees and Rules (2026)

Last updated 10 July 2026.

Australia has no national labour hire licence. Four jurisdictions run their own schemes: Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT, each with its own application, fee schedule and renewal calendar. As at July 2026, Queensland fees start at $1,158.47 a year (tiered by wages paid), Victoria starts at $1,865.16 to apply plus an annual fee (tiered by turnover), South Australia charges $973 for individuals and $2,212 for body corporates, and the ACT charges $3,341 to apply. NSW and WA have no state scheme. If you employ workers and on-hire them, you need each licensing state's licence before you place anyone there.

Licences do not travel between states

Here is the fact almost nobody states plainly. A Queensland labour hire licence means nothing in Victoria. A Victorian licence means nothing in South Australia. There is no mutual recognition, no national register, no fast lane.

So if you want to run temps in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide, that is three licences. Three applications. Three fee schedules. Three renewal calendars, each ticking on its own dates. Miss one renewal and you are trading unlicensed in that state, even though the other two licences are sitting there, current and paid.

Most people who start a labour hire company find this out after they have won a client in the second state. It is worth knowing before.

Who needs a labour hire licence?

The test is simpler than the legislation makes it look. Ask one question: while the work is being done, who employs the worker?

If your entity employs the worker (pays them, remits their super, covers their WorkCover) and supplies them to a client who directs the work day to day, that is labour hire. On-hire. You need a licence in every scheme state where the work happens.

If you place a candidate permanently and the client becomes the employer, that is recruitment, not labour hire, and the licence schemes generally do not apply. The moment you run even one casual on your own payroll and bill the client a charge rate, you have crossed the line into licensed territory.

The schemes also bite in the other direction: in the licensing states, a host that uses an unlicensed provider commits an offence too. Which is why sophisticated clients now check the register before they sign your terms.

Queensland labour hire licence: fees and how to apply

Queensland's scheme is run by Labour Hire Licensing Queensland (Office of Industrial Relations). Fees are tiered by the total wages you paid in the preceding financial year, and they are indexed every 1 July.

The most recent published schedule (2025-26) as verified at July 2026:

• Wages up to $1.5 million: $1,158.47
• Wages $1.5 million to $5 million: $3,475.42
• Wages over $5 million: $5,792.36

Queensland indexes these each 1 July, so expect the 2026-27 amounts to land slightly higher. Check the portal before you pay.

How to apply:

1. Create an account on the Labour Hire Licensing Queensland online portal (ols.oir.qld.gov.au).
2. Complete the fit and proper person declaration for each executive officer, plus the administrative user authorisation.
3. Pay the fee for your wages tier.
4. Wait for the decision: the stated timeframe is 28 days.

The licence runs for one year. Renewal is annual, through the same portal, on the same wage tiers, so your fee can jump a tier as your book grows.

Victoria labour hire licence: fees and how to apply

Victoria's scheme is run by the Labour Hire Authority and is the most expensive of the four. Fees are set in fee units ($17.27 per unit in 2026-27) and tiered by business turnover. The 2026-27 amounts, current as at July 2026:

• Turnover up to $2 million: application fee $1,865.16, then an annual fee of $1,295.25
• Turnover $2 million to $10 million: application fee $4,973.76, then an annual fee of $3,454.00
• Turnover over $10 million: application fee $9,187.64, then an annual fee of $6,355.36

Note the structure: you pay to apply, then you pay an annual fee on top for each year the licence is in force. The renewal application fee matches the original application fee. Fees index automatically every 1 July.

How to apply:

1. Register on the Labour Hire Licensing Online (LHLO) portal, the Authority's one-stop system for applications and licence management.
2. Declare your relevant persons, workforce details and compliance history (workplace laws, super, WorkCover, tax).
3. Pay the application fee for your turnover tier.
4. Wait for the decision: most applicants hear back within 60 days, longer if the Authority asks for more information or investigates.

A Victorian licence is valid for up to three years. You can start the renewal six months before expiry, and you must lodge it before the expiry date or you are off the register.

South Australia labour hire licence: fees and how to apply

South Australia's scheme is run by Consumer and Business Services (CBS), and it changed significantly this year. Since 29 January 2026 the scheme covers labour hire in all industries, not just the short list it started with. The transition period for newly captured providers ends 29 July 2026, which at the time of writing is under three weeks away. If the expansion caught your desk, that clock is real.

Fees (2025-26, indexed):

• Individual applicant: $973
• Body corporate applicant: $2,212
• Change of responsible person: $152

How to apply:

1. Lodge the application through CBS using the official SA government form, with a nominated responsible person who passes the fit and proper test.
2. Pay the fee for your structure (individual or body corporate).
3. Wait for assessment: CBS publishes estimated occupational licensing timeframes rather than a fixed statutory clock, so build in several weeks.

One quirk in your favour: an SA licence does not expire on a fixed date the way QLD and ACT licences do. It remains in force until surrendered or cancelled, though you still have ongoing obligations to keep it. For the full picture, including the expansion and who it caught, read our dedicated guide: the SA labour hire licence explained.

ACT labour hire licence: fees and how to apply

The ACT scheme is run by WorkSafe ACT. It has a single flat fee rather than tiers:

• Application fee: $3,341 (2025-26, GST not applicable, indexed annually)

How to apply:

1. Apply through the WorkSafe ACT Business Portal (the online system introduced in July 2025). One warning: there is no save function, so gather every document before you start, because you must finish the application in one sitting.
2. Pay the application fee.
3. Wait for the decision: processing takes up to three weeks from submission.

The licence runs for one year. For renewals, WorkSafe ACT asks you to allow at least two weeks for assessment, so lodge early rather than on the expiry date.

What about NSW and WA?

Neither New South Wales nor Western Australia has a state labour hire licensing scheme. No application, no fee, no register.

That does not mean nothing applies. In both states you still need:

• Workers compensation registration as the employer of your on-hired workers (icare in NSW, WorkCover WA in the west), priced on your actual industry risk, not your office postcode
• Full compliance with the Fair Work Act and the relevant modern award for every casual you pay: pay rates, casual loading, penalties, overtime
• WHS duties as an employer, which you keep even though the client controls the site
• Payroll tax registration once your wages cross the state threshold

A national licensing framework has been under discussion for several years, and it may eventually replace the state patchwork. Until legislation actually passes, plan for the map as it is: four schemes, two gaps, zero portability.

What happens if you operate without a licence?

In the licensing states, providing labour hire without a licence is a criminal offence, not an administrative slip. Maximum penalties run well into six figures for individuals and higher again for companies, and the Queensland and Victorian schemes put imprisonment on the table for the most serious cases. Advertising labour hire services without a licence is an offence in itself, before you place a single worker.

The quieter cost usually lands first. Hosts commit an offence by using an unlicensed provider, so serious clients check the public register before signing. An unlicensed agency does not get fined on day one. It just stops getting shortlisted.

Starting an agency? The licence might never be your problem

Everything above assumes you will be the licence holder. If you are a recruiter planning to go out on your own, there is a structure where you never apply at all.

When you launch with xRecruiter, the licensing work above is handled inside the platform, together with the payroll, the WorkCover, the insurances and the collections. Your agency, your brand, your clients, your candidates, zero equity taken. The application maze simply never becomes your project.

A solo startup is also structurally uninsurable for trade credit: insurers want no single client above roughly ten percent of their exposure, and a startup with one client is one hundred percent. Sitting inside a larger book changes that maths on day one. There are no personal guarantees anywhere in the partner structure.

If you are weighing up doing it alone versus launching with a partner, start with how to start a temp agency in Australia, and see payroll funding vs a launch partner for the money side.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a national labour hire licence in Australia?

No. Licensing is state-based. Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT each run their own scheme with separate fees, portals and renewals. NSW and WA have no scheme. A national framework has been discussed for years but no national licence exists as at July 2026.

Does my Queensland licence cover work in Victoria?

No. Licences are not recognised across borders. If your workers perform labour hire work in Victoria, you need a Victorian licence from the Labour Hire Authority, regardless of what you hold in Queensland. Operating in three licensing states means holding three separate licences and managing three renewal calendars.

How much does a labour hire licence cost in 2026?

It depends on the state and your size. As at July 2026: Queensland from $1,158.47 a year (tiered by wages), Victoria from $1,865.16 to apply plus an annual fee (tiered by turnover), South Australia $973 for individuals or $2,212 for body corporates, and the ACT $3,341 to apply.

Do NSW and WA require a labour hire licence?

No. Neither state has a labour hire licensing scheme. You still need workers compensation registration as the employer, Fair Work and award compliance for every worker you pay, WHS duties, and payroll tax registration once wages cross the threshold. Never assume a licence requirement exists there; it does not.

Does a recruitment agency doing permanent placement need a licence?

Generally no. If the client employs the candidate directly, that is recruitment, not labour hire. The licence applies when your entity employs the worker while they work under the client's direction. If you run even one temp or casual on your own payroll, get licensed or get advice first.

The next step isn't a sales call

It is a working session with the people who run the machine. Bring your real numbers and your hardest questions. You will meet the payroll and compliance leads, the people who actually run the licences, the WIP and the weekly pay runs, and you can stress-test us on anything in this article.

Half the people who sit that session sign. The other half walk away knowing exactly how a labour hire agency works on the inside, and that is theirs to keep. We can start four new agencies a month, so the queue is real. Nothing is public, ever.

Book the session.