PPSR registration timing: the windows that decide whether you're protected
Updated 2026-10-29
A registration on the right day is worth the goods. The same registration a month late is worth the government fee. These are the clocks, and what each one costs when it runs out.
The four deadlines
| Situation | Deadline | Source | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods supplied as inventory | Before the customer takes possession | PPSA s62(2) | PMSI priority lost; registration still perfects, ranking from its own date |
| Goods supplied for the customer's own use; goods under a PPS lease | Within 15 business days after possession | PPSA s62(3) | Same |
| Any security interest where the customer is a company | Within 20 business days after the security agreement comes into force, or at least 6 months before an insolvency appointment | Corporations Act s588FL | Interest vests in the company on insolvency: the goods are gone |
| Any unregistered interest, any customer | Before the customer's insolvency appointment | PPSA s267 | Interest vests in the customer: the goods are gone |
When the clock starts for a supplier on terms
For a supplier on continuing terms of trade, the security agreement is the terms the customer accepted, usually at the credit application. Both the inventory rule and section 588FL run from that acceptance, not from each invoice. One registration lodged within 20 business days of acceptance, before the first delivery, over inventory and other goods with the PMSI flag, covers every later supply under those terms.
That is why the intake question that matters is 'when did this customer accept your terms?', not 'when did you last deliver?'.
Business days
Business days exclude weekends and public holidays in the relevant state. Fifteen business days is about three calendar weeks; twenty is about four. Count from the day after possession or acceptance.
Expiry is a deadline too
A registration lasts up to seven years ($6), up to 25 years ($25) or indefinitely ($115). When it lapses it is gone, and a new registration only ranks from the day it is made, behind everything registered in the meantime. Most small suppliers register for seven years and renew; the renewal must be made before the end time, not after.
Can a late registration be fixed?
The PMSI windows cannot be extended. A court can extend the section 588FL period on application, but only before an insolvency appointment and only where the delay was inadvertent and no creditor is prejudiced. In practice the answer is to register now, accept the priority you get, and fix the process for the next customer.
Common questions
I registered 30 days after delivery. Is the registration worthless?
No. It still perfects your interest, so it survives insolvency and beats anyone who registers after you. It ranks behind the bank's earlier charge over the same goods, which is the cost of being late.
Does the 20-business-day rule apply to sole trader customers?
Section 588FL applies to company grantors. For individuals and sole traders the insolvency vesting rule in section 267 still applies: register before any bankruptcy or administration.
Should I register before the customer has taken delivery?
Yes, as soon as the customer has accepted your terms. The PPSA allows registration before the security interest attaches, provided you believe on reasonable grounds that you will become a secured party.