What is a QBCC excluded individual?
By BuilderVet team. Last reviewed 2 November 2026.
A QBCC excluded individual is a person barred from holding certain Queensland building licences, or controlling a licensed company, because of a bankruptcy or a construction company failure. You can check by searching the QBCC’s Excluded Individual Register before you hire anyone for a repair, renovation or build.
This guide explains what triggers exclusion, how long it lasts, what it means for a company, and how to use the register. If you want the wider picture on licence suspensions and cancellations, see our guide to QBCC suspensions and cancellations.
Why does QBCC exclude people at all?
The QBCC says the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 has provisions to stop people responsible for poor financial management from running a business in the industry. The aim is public confidence in the licensing system and security of payment.
For you, the practical point is simple. A person or company tied to a recent insolvency may not be allowed to hold a licence or run a licensed business, and the register is a way to see that before you sign.
What makes someone an excluded individual?
The QBCC says the provisions stop a person holding a QBCC contractor, nominee supervisor or site supervisor licence, or being in a position of control or influence for a licensed company, if they:
- become bankrupt, or enter a Part IX or Part X agreement under bankruptcy law, or
- were a director, secretary or influential person for a construction company at any time up to two years before it had a provisional liquidator, liquidator, administrator or controller appointed, or was wound up or ordered to be wound up, for the benefit of creditors
The QBCC calls these “insolvency events”.
Two terms matter here:
- Influential person: an individual, other than a director or secretary, who is in a position to control or substantially influence the company’s conduct.
- Construction company: a company that directly or indirectly carried out building work or building work services within 2 years of the insolvency event.
How long does exclusion last?
The QBCC says the period of exclusion is three years from the date of the insolvency event. A person involved in two separate relevant insolvency events may face life exclusion.
A second event doesn’t count if it comes from the same set of circumstances as the first. The QBCC’s example: a director whose construction company is wound up, who then becomes bankrupt because they guaranteed the company’s loans. That bankruptcy doesn’t count as a second insolvency event.
What happens to their licence and company?
| Who | What the QBCC says happens |
|---|---|
| Excluded individual | Their licence is cancelled, and they can’t reapply until the exclusion period ends |
| Excluded individual | They can’t be a director, secretary or influential person for a QBCC licensed company |
| Excluded individual | They can’t be in partnership with a licensed contractor |
| Company with an excluded individual in control | It becomes an excluded company |
| Excluded company | Its QBCC licence is cancelled unless the excluded individual stops being a director, secretary or influential person |
So a company can keep its licence if the excluded person steps away from control. That’s why it’s worth checking the people behind a company, not just the company name.
How do I search the register?
The QBCC lists the Excluded Individual Register among its public registers. It says to check the list before you engage a contractor on your next repair, renovation or build, and that people on it are excluded from holding a QBCC trade licence and should not be undertaking building work.
Steps:
- Get the full name of the contractor, and of the directors of any company you are dealing with. An ASIC company extract shows current directors. Our guide to checking a builder’s company on ASIC explains how.
- Open the Excluded Individual Register and search each name.
- Check the licence itself on the QBCC licence search. See how to check if a builder is licensed in QLD.
- Save a screenshot with the date of each search.
The QBCC notes it took the register offline in 2023 after a technical error displayed incorrect information, and fixed it. As with any register, a match on a common name isn’t proof it’s the same person. Confirm with other details such as locality and licence number before drawing any conclusion.
Checklist: what to check on a QLD builder
- QBCC licence is current and its class covers your work
- The licence holder’s name matches the name on your quote and contract
- Each director has been searched on the Excluded Individual Register
- The company has been checked on ASIC for its status and directors
- No recent change of company name or director that you can’t explain. Our phoenix builder guide explains the warning signs
- Home warranty cover is in place where required. See verifying home warranty insurance in QLD
Worked example: a new company, a familiar director
Sam gets a quote for a $60,000 deck and pergola from a company registered a few months ago. The company’s QBCC licence shows as current. Sam pulls an ASIC extract and finds one director, then searches that name on the Excluded Individual Register. The name appears, with a locality that matches.
Sam doesn’t jump to conclusions. Instead, Sam asks the company in writing who the nominee supervisor and directors are, and contacts the QBCC to confirm whether the licence is affected. Until that’s answered, Sam doesn’t sign or pay a deposit. If the builder you hired goes under part way, our guide to a builder going insolvent mid-build in QLD covers what to do.
How BuilderVet helps
Run the free check on your builder to see what the public registers show in one place. Build Watch is currently for NSW builds only, so for a QLD build, repeat your register checks yourself before each progress payment.
Frequently asked questions
What is a QBCC excluded individual?
A person barred from holding a QBCC contractor, nominee supervisor or site supervisor licence, or controlling a licensed company, because of bankruptcy or involvement in a construction company failure.
How long does a QBCC exclusion last?
Three years from the date of the insolvency event. Two separate relevant insolvency events may lead to life exclusion.
Can an excluded person still work through a company?
They can’t be a director, secretary or influential person for a QBCC licensed company, or in partnership with a licensed contractor. A company with an excluded person in control has its licence cancelled unless that person stops being in control.
What counts as an insolvency event?
Bankruptcy or a Part IX or Part X agreement, or a company failure such as liquidation, administration or a controller being appointed, for a construction company the person was a director, secretary or influential person of in the previous two years.
Where is the Excluded Individual Register?
On the QBCC website under its lists and registers, at my.qbcc.qld.gov.au.
Does being on the register mean the builder is dishonest?
No. Exclusion is a licensing consequence of an insolvency event. It tells you the person shouldn’t be doing licensed building work during the exclusion period, not anything else about them.
Does this apply in NSW?
No, this is a Queensland scheme. For NSW, see our guide to checking a builder for bankruptcy in NSW.
Sources
- QBCC, Exclusion due to insolvency, https://qbcc.qld.gov.au/non-compliance/consequences-non-compliance/exclusion-due-insolvency (checked 2026-11-02)
- QBCC, Our lists and registers, https://www.qbcc.qld.gov.au/about-us/our-lists-registers (checked 2026-11-02)
- QBCC, Excluded Individual Register, https://my.qbcc.qld.gov.au/myQBCC/s/excluded-individual-register (checked 2026-11-02)
Related guides
Put the records beside your quote
Search the exact business on your quote. Read the source dates and gaps before you decide.
Last reviewed 2 Nov 2026