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Ten business days is not ten days.

Each state’s Act sets how long a bond can be held before it is lodged, and they do not count in the same unit. Drawn here on one ruler per unit.

Time to lodge a bond, in each Act's own unitDrawn to scale

In business days

New South Wales10 business days1
Victoria10 business days2
0102030 business days

In working days

Tasmania10 working days3
0102030 working days

In days and weeks

Queensland10 days4
Western Australia14 days5
South Australia2 weeks, or 4 for an agent6
Australian Capital Territory2 weeks, or 4 for an agent7
0102030 days

A business day or a working day is not a calendar day, so each unit has a ruler of its own: a bar can be compared with the bars on its own ruler, and not with a bar on another. The Northern Territory’s Act is quoted under the drawing instead of drawn: it has the landlord hold the deposit in trust.

  1. 1

    New South Wales · 10 business days

    for a bond paid to a landlord or person other than a landlord's agent—10 business days after the bond is paid or such other period as may be prescribed by the regulations,

    Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), s 162(3)(a)

    for a bond paid to a landlord's agent—10 business days after the end of the month in which the bond is paid or such other period as may be prescribed by the regulations.

    Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), s 162(3)(b)
  2. 2

    Victoria · 10 business days

    If a residential rental provider receives an amount of bond from a renter, the residential rental provider must, within 10 business days after the amount of bond is received, give the amount of bond to the Authority together with the completed bond lodgment form.

    Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), s 406(1)
  3. 3

    Tasmania · 10 working days

    A property agent who receives a security deposit from a tenant under subsection (2)(b) must deposit that money with the Authority within 10 working days after receiving it.

    Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), s 25(3)

    An owner must not – (a) receive a security deposit from or on behalf of a tenant in relation to a residential tenancy agreement; or

    Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), s 25(4)(a)
  4. 4

    Queensland · 10 days

    A person receiving an amount that is to be applied to a rental bond must, within 10 days of receiving it—

    Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld), s 116(1)
  5. 5

    Western Australia · 14 days

    must pay the bond to the bond administrator as soon as practicable, and in any event within 14 days, after the day on which the person received the bond; and

    Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA), s 29(4)(b)
  6. 6

    South Australia · 2 weeks, or 4 for an agent

    in any other case—2 weeks after the receipt of the amount.

    Residential Tenancies Regulations 2025 (SA), reg 14(1)

    if the person who receives the amount is a registered agent—4 weeks after the receipt of the amount;

    Residential Tenancies Regulations 2025 (SA), reg 14(1)
  7. 7

    Australian Capital Territory · 2 weeks, or 4 for an agent

    if the tenant pays the bond to the lessor, the period that ends 2 weeks after the later of the following: (i) the day the bond is paid;

    Residential Tenancies Regulation 1998 (ACT), s 2

    (ii) the day the tenancy commences; or (b) if the tenant pays the bond to the lessor's agent, the period that ends 4 weeks after the later of the days mentioned in paragraph (a).

    Residential Tenancies Regulation 1998 (ACT), s 2
  8. ·

    Northern Territory

    Money paid to a landlord as a security deposit is, subject to this section, to be held by the landlord in trust for the tenant.

    Residential Tenancies Act 1999 (NT), s 29(3)

Why the rulers differ

A business day and a working day are not calendar days, so a count of them runs at least as long as the same count of days, and usually longer. Drawn on a calendar ruler they would look shorter than they are.

Agents and owners

In New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory the time runs differently when an agent receives the bond, and both periods are quoted. In Tasmania the sentence is about a property agent, and section 25(4), also quoted, sets out what an owner is not to do with a deposit; the link opens the whole section.

Where the words come from

Every sentence in quotation marks on this page is copied from the Act or rules named beneath it. Acts change; the link opens the version in force today.