Payment Application Software for Australian Contractors

The work is done. Getting paid for it shouldn't be a project.

Applications built from what the project already holds: verified progress from site, approved variations and the certified history to date. Submit on time each cycle, back the claim with dated records, and keep certified progress claims, retention and cash due on the same project records.

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Trusted by construction companies of every size, worldwide

Applications built from measured progress, certified without the argument

For Australian contractors the claim cycle runs month to month, and Archdesk runs it from records. Each application assembles from verified site progress, approved variations and the cumulative certified history, with retention and previous payments applied automatically. Certification moves through multi-level approvals with digital signatures, certified amounts convert to invoices and sync with the accounts, and Archdesk is a certified Xero partner. Certified progress claims sit on the same project records as the costs, so the claimed position and the cash position read together across every job.

Civil engineer holding a tablet with the city skyline behind

The application ready on time, every cycle

Each claim assembles itself from site progress, approved change orders and the cumulative certified history, with retention and previous payments calculated automatically.

Certified value becomes cash you can see

Once certified, the progress claim converts to an invoice automatically and syncs to your accounting software, with retention releases and cash due monitored to the day.

Claims argued from records, not recollection

Every progress claim carries its evidence: cost breakdowns, progress photos, quantity verification and supporting documents, so a certifier who disagrees is answered with dated records.

Certification that does not drift

Multi-level approvals with digital signatures move each certificate through sign-off, and automated notifications stop it waiting in an inbox.

An audit trail from applied to certified to paid

Every application keeps its full history on the record: what was claimed, what was certified, what was paid and what retention is still held, so the final account is read from the record rather than rebuilt from emails.

Two workers in hi-vis reviewing plans on a tablet

Payment Management

Once certified, the progress claim converts to an invoice automatically and the money is tracked to the day: retention, release dates and payment history in one place.

Progress claims convert to invoices automatically

Retention and release dates monitored

Syncs with your accounting software

Global taxes and deductions supported

Automated Certificate Generation

Progress claim certificates calculated from verified site progress, not assembled by hand. Retention, previous payments and approved change orders are applied automatically.

Calculations driven by verified progress

Retention applied automatically

Previous payments carried forward

Approved change orders included in the claim

Automated Certificate Generation screenshot

Progress Claim Management

Every progress claim carries its evidence. Cost breakdowns, progress photos and quantity checks sit on the claim itself, so disagreements are settled from dated records.

Interim progress claims and certified progress billing

Detailed cost breakdown per progress claim

Progress photos attached as evidence

Quantity verification tools

Supporting documents on every claim

Approval Process

Certification moves through configurable approval steps with digital signatures, and automated notifications stop the certificate sitting in an inbox.

Multi-level approval workflows

Digital signature capture

Notifications keep sign-off moving

Full approval audit trail

Reporting & Analytics

See how certification is running across every project. Progress claim trends, forecasts and cash projections come from the same certified data, so there is nothing to reconcile.

Progress claim trend analysis across projects

Progress tracking reports

Financial forecasting from certified data

Cash flow projections per project

Progress claims and retention, defined

A progress claim is a periodic request, usually monthly, for the value of work delivered under a construction contract to date, which the payer assesses and certifies before paying. Retention is a percentage of each certified amount held back, typically released in stages after completion. Together they are the payment mechanics most commercial teams live on: the applied, certified and paid amounts per application, the notices that go with them, and the retention ledger of what is still held on every contract.

Plenty of pages define these terms. The difference here is that Archdesk runs them as records: each application assembles from verified site progress, approved change orders and the certified history, retention is calculated, held and tracked to release on the same record, and the whole cycle feeds work-in-progress (WIP) reporting and the CVR (cost value reconciliation), so the commercial position is current rather than reconstructed.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Payment Applications

What is a payment application in construction?

A payment application (progress claim) is the claim a contractor submits for the value of work completed in a period. Archdesk builds each application from what the project already knows: verified site progress, approved change orders and the certified history to date, so the claim is assembled from records rather than memory.

How does Archdesk build a payment application?

Progress claim certificates are calculated from verified site progress, not assembled by hand. Retention, previous payments and approved change orders are applied automatically, so the application is ready on time, every cycle.

How do you defend a progress claim the certifier disagrees with?

With dated records. Every progress claim carries its evidence on the claim itself: detailed cost breakdowns, progress photos, quantity verification and supporting documents, so disagreements are settled from what was recorded, not what was remembered.

What happens after a progress claim is certified?

The certified progress claim converts to an invoice automatically and syncs with your accounting software. Retention and release dates are monitored, and cash due is tracked to the day, with the full history from applied to certified to paid on one record.

How are approvals and certification handled?

Certification moves through configurable multi-level approval workflows with digital signature capture, automated notifications keep sign-off moving, and the full approval audit trail stays on the record.

How do progress claims and retention fit into the payment cycle?

In Australian practice, subcontractor payment runs on progress claims under security of payment legislation: the claim, the payment schedule and the certified amount each sit against dates that matter. Documents, approvals and payment records live on the same project record in Archdesk, so the paper trail sits with the numbers.

How do progress claims fit into the picture?

Certified progress claims sit on the same project records as the costs and the application history, so claimed, certified and paid positions read together per job and across the portfolio, from the first claim to the final one.

Does Archdesk integrate with Xero?

Yes. Archdesk is a certified Xero partner, so certified amounts convert to invoices and land in the ledger without double entry, and finance keeps its own system.