Guide · Progress claims (AU)
Progress claims in Australia,
made straightforward.
Progress claims are how Australian builders bill for work through a job. This guide covers stage claims, variations, and getting paid on time, in plain English. (It’s general information, not legal advice.)
01 / The basics
In plain English
A progress claim is a request for payment for work completed to a point in the build, rather than one invoice at the end. On most Australian residential and commercial jobs, the contract sets out stages (base, frame, lock-up, fit-out, completion, or similar) and a percentage of the contract value payable at each.
As you complete a stage, you raise a progress claim for that stage’s value, plus any approved variations. The client (or their representative) reviews it, and once approved you invoice it. Done well, progress claims keep cash flowing in line with the work you’re doing.
The building blocks of a claim
- Stages: the milestones in the contract that trigger a claim.
- Claim value: the percentage of the contract due at that stage.
- Variations: approved changes to scope, claimed alongside the stage.
- Approval: the client signing off the claim before it’s invoiced.
Australia also has “security of payment” legislation in each state and territory designed to support contractors in recovering payment for work done. The detail varies by jurisdiction and is a legal topic in its own right. This guide is general information, so check your obligations for your state or get advice.
02 / The reality
Where builders get stuck
Claims raised late
A stage finished but not claimed for weeks is cash sitting idle. Slow claiming chokes the job’s cash flow.
Variations forgotten
Extra work that never makes it onto a claim is money you simply don’t collect. It’s the most common leak.
Disputed amounts
When a client can’t see what a stage covers, claims get queried and payment stalls.
Manual maths
Re-calculating stage percentages and variations by hand each time invites errors that undermine trust.
No clear record
Without a documented approval, “what did we agree to?” becomes a problem at exactly the wrong moment.
Double entry to accounting
Re-typing approved claims into Xero as invoices is slow admin that delays the very payment you need.
03 / The fix
A workflow that holds up
- 01
Set the claim schedule
Define the contract stages and the percentage of value payable at each, up front.
- 02
Track variations as you go
Record approved variations against the job so they’re ready to claim, not forgotten.
- 03
Claim on stage completion
As each stage finishes, raise the claim for its value plus relevant variations.
- 04
Make it easy to approve
Give the client a clear view of what’s claimed so sign-off is fast and disputes are fewer.
- 05
Invoice on approval
Once approved, turn the claim into an invoice without re-keying.
- 06
Follow the money
Track what’s claimed, approved and paid so nothing slips between stages.
04 / The tooling
How software helps
Software takes the manual maths and the forgetting out of progress claims. When the claim schedule is set against the contract, raising a claim becomes selecting the stage rather than re-calculating percentages. When variations are tracked against the job, they’re right there to include, so approved extra work actually gets billed.
A client approval step in software gives you a clear, dated record of what was agreed. And a direct link to your accounting platform turns an approved claim into an invoice without re-typing, which means the payment cycle starts sooner.
05 / In practice
Where VIABUILD fits
VIABUILD builds the claim from the job.
VIABUILD lets you set a stage-based claim schedule against the contract. As the build hits a stage, the claim pulls in the stage value and any approved variations, so the numbers are right. The client approves in their portal (a clear record of what was agreed) and the approved claim pushes to Xero as an invoice in one click.
Because claim stages line up with your schedule milestones, claiming becomes a natural step in running the job rather than a monthly scramble.
- Stage-based claim schedules
- Variations pulled into the claim
- Client approval in the portal
- One-click push to Xero as invoice
- Stages line up with the schedule
- Track claimed, approved and paid
06 / FAQ
Common questions.
A progress claim is a request for payment for work completed to a point in the build, rather than a single invoice at the end. The contract usually sets out stages and a percentage of the contract value payable at each, and you claim each stage as it’s completed, plus approved variations.
Variations are approved changes to the scope. They’re claimed alongside the relevant stage, so approved extra work is billed rather than absorbed. Tracking variations against the job as they’re approved is the key to not forgetting them.
Australia has security of payment legislation in each state and territory intended to support contractors and subcontractors in recovering payment for work performed. The rules vary by jurisdiction and are a legal topic. This guide is general information only, so confirm the requirements for your state or seek advice.
VIABUILD lets you set a stage-based claim schedule, pulls stage values and approved variations into each claim, takes the claim to the client for approval in their portal, and pushes the approved claim to Xero as an invoice in one click.
07 / Keep reading
Related guides & features
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