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.

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The application ready on time, every cycle

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

Certified value becomes cash you can see

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

Valuations convert to invoices automatically

Retention and release dates monitored

Syncs with your accounting software

Global taxes and deductions supported

Automated Certificate Generation

Valuation certificates calculated from verified site progress, not assembled by hand. Retention, previous payments and approved variations are applied automatically.

Calculations driven by verified progress

Retention applied automatically

Previous payments carried forward

Approved variations included in the claim

Automated Certificate Generation screenshot

Valuation Management

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

Interim valuations and applications for payment

Detailed cost breakdown per valuation

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

Payment notices and payless notices supported

Notifications keep sign-off moving

Full approval audit trail

Reporting & Analytics

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

Valuation trend analysis across projects

Progress tracking reports

Financial forecasting from certified data

Cash flow projections per project

Applications for payment and retention, defined

An application for payment is a periodic claim, 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 and the end of the defects period. Together they are the payment mechanics most UK commercial teams live on: the applied, certified and paid amounts per application, the notices that must 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 variations and the certified history, retention is calculated, held and tracked to release on the same record, and the whole cycle feeds the monthly 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 (application for payment, or interim valuation) 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 variations and the certified history to date, so the claim is assembled from records rather than memory.

How does Archdesk build an application for payment?

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

How do you defend a valuation the certifier disagrees with?

With dated records. Every valuation 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 valuation is certified?

The certified valuation 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.

Does Archdesk support payment notices and payless notices?

Yes. Certification moves through configurable multi-level approval workflows with digital signature capture, payment notices and payless notices are supported, and the full approval audit trail stays on the record.

How do lien waivers fit into the payment application cycle?

In US practice, each pay application typically travels with an exchange of lien waivers alongside the retainage cycle: a conditional waiver before the money moves, an unconditional waiver once payment has cleared. 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.