Quoting app for painters in Queensland
Prep, undercoat, top coats and trim. Sumitt builds a tidy painting quote in minutes and gets your client to accept, sign and pay the deposit.
The QLDdeposit cap, licence line, payment-claim rules, variation rules and rates below are read from Sumitt’s own tables when this page renders, not written for it.
The rules in Queensland that Sumitt already knows
Every rule below is read, when this page renders, from the tables the quote builder, the variation composer, the extension-of-time notice and the payment-claim generator run on. Sumitt warns and never blocks, and the page moves the day a table does.
Deposit cap in Queensland
QLD caps deposits at 10% on regulated building jobs under $20,000.
QLD caps deposits at 5% on regulated building jobs of $20,000 and over.
Where no statutory cap applies, the builder still warns above the common-practice figure: “Under $3,300, QLD's regulated-contract deposit limits don't apply. Common practice is about 10%.”
Up to 20% can apply only where more than half the contract value is work done off-site.
Sumitt's default deposit is 10% of the total including GST. It warns you when a deposit goes over the line; it does not enforce it.
QBCC Act 1991 (Qld) Sch 1B
Licence line in Queensland
Sumitt carries a licence line for Queensland at $3,300: a quote over it with no licence number on file gets a hard warning in the builder. It warns, it does not block.
Security of Payment claims in Queensland
Sumitt turns an overdue invoice into a payment claim under the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld). If the contract is silent, the client has 15 business days to give a payment schedule.
A claim must be given within 6 months after the work it covers (or the longer period your contract allows), one claim per reference date. In Queensland any invoice that identifies the work and states the amount already counts as a payment claim.
It does not cover a job for a homeowner who lives or will live in the home. Sumitt asks who the invoice is addressed to and says so before you serve one.
Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld)
Variations in Queensland
In Queensland the variation rules Sumitt shows are cited to Sch 1B, Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld).
Put the variation in writing before the varied work starts, describing the change and the price effect.
Give the owner a copy of the signed variation document promptly.
In Queensland, recovering for a variation that wasn't documented as Sch 1B requires generally needs QCAT to find exceptional circumstances. The paperwork is the entitlement.
A signature before the varied work starts is a statutory element there, not just good practice.
Sumitt structures the variation and collects the signature, a record you keep, not legal advice. Where your contract sets its own variation process, follow it too.
Sch 1B, Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld)
Extensions of time in Queensland
Queensland counts the extension-of-time notice window in statutory business days: 10 of them from the day the delay ended, and the owner must approve the claim in writing. Sumitt counts the window on the state's business-day calendar and shows the countdown.
A template you serve in your own name, not legal advice. Your contract's own extension-of-time clause governs the window and the grounds, so check it and keep a copy of everything.
Schedule 1B of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991
Sumitt provides software and templates, not legal, financial or tax advice. Check what applies to your contract.
What the work costs in Brisbane / SEQ
Sumitt's Brisbane / SEQ card runs materials at 1.04 and labour at 1.06 against the national card at 1.00. Outside the metro the Regional (freight + travel) card applies: materials 1.08, labour 1.03.
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, Brisbane / SEQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior repaintper m² · benchmark scope: 100 m2 repaint | $28 | $33 | $40 | $46 | $42 | Check your rate |
National figures per unit, ex GST, derived from Sumitt’s 2026 rate cards priced over the benchmark scope shown under each job; the last column prices the same scope on the Brisbane / SEQ card. Cost is the benchmark cost of doing the work before any margin, and Floor, Healthy and Premium are the sell rates that land those margins. Not a survey of what anyone else charges, and nothing here reflects what any Sumitt user charges. How to read it, and the method, are on the index.
Built for painters
Every figure here is read from the Painting rate card, takeoff engine and hazard library inside Sumitt when this page renders, so it cannot say more than the product does.
The rate card
14 lines in 4 groups, 4 with a grade or billing basis to pick. Size field: Wall/surface area (m²). Every rate editable.
- Walls
- Exterior
- Extras
- Labour
The takeoff engine
Say it like this and the engine prices it off your card, deterministically.
- “120 m2 interior repaint, ceilings, premium”
- “paint 3 rooms”
- “200 m2 exterior repaint”
The safety pack
A SWMS drafted from the job you priced, with the painting hazard set:
- Surface preparation
- Coating application
3 site questions to confirm before sign-off.
You review it against the site, edit it and sign. Sumitt prepares the paperwork; it does not make your business compliant.
The full breakdown, with the graded options, the line-triggered hazards and the PPE, is on the painters page.
Straight answers
What deposit can painters take in Queensland?
QLD caps deposits at 10% on regulated building jobs under $20,000. QLD caps deposits at 5% on regulated building jobs of $20,000 and over. Up to 20% can apply only where more than half the contract value is work done off-site. Under the QBCC Act 1991 (Qld) Sch 1B. Sumitt's default deposit is 10%. Sumitt warns you when a quote goes over it, it does not enforce it. Not legal advice.
Is there a licence threshold for painters in Queensland?
Yes. Sumitt carries a licence line for Queensland at $3,300: a quote over it with no licence number on file gets a hard warning in the builder. It warns, it does not block. Not legal advice.
Can painters make a Security of Payment claim in Queensland?
Yes. Sumitt turns an overdue invoice into a payment claim under the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld). If the contract is silent, the client has 15 business days to give a payment schedule. It does not cover a job for a homeowner who lives or will live in the home. Sumitt asks who the invoice is addressed to and says so before you serve one. Not legal advice.
Do variations need to be in writing in Queensland?
In Queensland the variation rules Sumitt shows are cited to Sch 1B, Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld). Put the variation in writing before the varied work starts, describing the change and the price effect. In Queensland, recovering for a variation that wasn't documented as Sch 1B requires generally needs QCAT to find exceptional circumstances. The paperwork is the entitlement. Sumitt prices the variation and collects the client's e-signature, and flags a running job with an unapproved variation. Not legal advice.
Sumitt provides software and templates, not legal, financial or tax advice.
Built for AU painters. Interior and exterior, coats and trim ready.