Progress claims are meant to be simple. You do the work, you claim what’s been completed, and you get paid so the job keeps moving.
In the real world, progress claims can turn into a headache fast. A claim gets questioned, variations get “forgotten”, retention quietly stacks up, and suddenly you’re chasing cash instead of running jobs.
This guide is written for Aussie builders, carpenters, landscapers, and small construction teams. It’s general information (not legal advice), but it’ll help you tighten up your process and spend less time on admin.
If you want to make progress claims easier to pull together, NextMinute is built for exactly this. It helps you keep job costs, photos, timesheets, and variations connected to the job so you’re not hunting through texts and folders at the end of the month.
What is a progress claim?
A progress claim is a request for payment for work completed to date. It usually follows what your contract or accepted quote says, like milestones (base stage, frame stage), a schedule of rates, or a regular claiming cycle.
A good progress claim has one job: make it easy for the other side to verify the work and approve payment.
If you’re using a job management system like NextMinute, you can link your site notes, photos, timesheets, and costs to the job as you go. That means your claim is backed by proof without needing a late-night admin session.
The big rule: match the contract
Most disputes start because the claim doesn’t match how the job was agreed and priced.
If it’s milestone-based, claim milestones. If it’s by area or trade, keep it in those buckets. If your first claim is structured one way, keep future claims consistent so it’s easy to compare.
NextMinute helps here because your job budget and costs can stay organised by the same categories you claim against. It’s a lot easier to see what’s completed, what’s left, and what you’ve already claimed.
Before you submit: the quick pre-check
Before you start writing the claim, check three things:
First, confirm your claiming period and what the contract requires.
Second, make sure what you’re claiming is either in the original scope or covered by a variation.
Third, pull together basic evidence like photos, delivery dockets, timesheets, subcontractor invoices, and site diary notes.
If you’re capturing these as you go in NextMinute, you’ll already have most of this sitting against the job, ready when it’s time to claim.
What a good progress claim includes (without overcomplicating it)
1) A clean summary at the top
Include the job name and address, who the claim is from and to, claim number, and claim period.
Then list:
- Contract total (or accepted quote)
- Previously claimed total
- This claim amount
- Total claimed to date
- Retention withheld this claim (if applicable)
- Retention held to date (if applicable)
Keeping these totals consistent is important. A surprising number of payment delays come from mismatched numbers between claims.
2) A breakdown of the work completed
Keep the structure aligned to your quote or contract.
For each line item, include:
- The contracted value
- The % complete this period
- The $ amount this period
- The total % and $ to date
You don’t need a novel. Clear line items plus simple maths makes your claim easy to approve.
If you run your jobs in NextMinute, this is where it helps a lot. When progress, costs, and job categories are already organised, your claim becomes “assemble and review”, not “start from scratch”.
3) Variations as a separate section
Variations are where good jobs go sour if you don’t keep them tidy.
List each variation with:
- A variation number
- A short description
- Date raised
- Value
- Status (quoted, approved, completed)
If it’s not approved yet, label it clearly. Don’t bury it inside the base scope. That’s when you hear, “We never agreed to that.”
NextMinute makes this easier by keeping a variation register against the job, with notes and supporting detail, so you can track what’s approved and what’s still pending.
4) Retention and deductions (show them clearly)
If retention applies, show the percentage and how much is being withheld this claim and to date.
If there are any agreed deductions, list them and reference where they were agreed. If it’s not agreed, don’t sneak it in. Put it in writing and ask the question.
A simple worked example (small construction job)
Let’s say you’re doing a $120,000 job and claiming by components:
- Demolition and site prep: $10,000
- Carpentry and framing: $30,000
- Linings: $15,000
- Waterproofing and tiling: $20,000
- Fit-off and finishes: $45,000
- At the end of month one, demo and framing are complete and linings have started.
- Your claim could be:
- Contract total: $120,000
- Previously claimed: $0
This claim:
- Demolition and site prep: 100% of $10,000 = $10,000
- Carpentry and framing: 100% of $30,000 = $30,000
- Linings: 20% of $15,000 = $3,000
- Subtotal this claim: $43,000
- Total claimed to date: $43,000
- Remaining contract value: $77,000
Then add one short line: “See attached photos and site notes for completed framing and linings commencement.”
If you’re capturing photos and notes against the job in NextMinute as you go, your evidence pack is basically already done.
The most common reasons progress claims get delayed
When a claim gets questioned, it’s usually one of these:
- The claim doesn’t match the contract or milestone structure
- Variations aren’t separated or documented properly
- The % complete doesn’t match what’s visible on site
- Totals don’t line up with previous claims
There’s not enough evidence to verify the work.
The best fix is a simple system. Capture job records as you go, keep variations logged, and keep your claim format consistent.
NextMinute is designed to reduce these delays by keeping your job info in one place. It’s much easier to answer questions like “When was this variation approved?” or “What’s included in this line item?” when everything is attached to the job.
A simple routine that makes claims easier
If progress claims always turn into a late-night scramble, try this:
- Each week, capture a handful of photos and a quick site note.
- Log variations when they happen, not weeks later.
- Keep timesheets and costs allocated to the job as you go.
- At claim time, assemble the claim, check totals, attach proof, send.
This is exactly the workflow NextMinute supports. It helps builders and trade teams stay on top of job costing and paperwork during the job, not after the profit has already leaked out.
Quick checklist before you hit send
- Does the claim match the contract structure?
- Are the totals correct (previous, this claim, to date)?
- Are variations listed separately with a clear status?
- Is retention shown clearly (if applicable)?
- Have you attached enough proof to avoid questions?
- If you can tick those off, you’re setting yourself up for smoother approvals and fewer payment delays.
Want progress claims to take minutes, not hours?
If you’re managing jobs across builders, carpentry work, or landscaping projects, the paperwork can pile up quickly.
NextMinute helps you keep job progress, photos, variations, timesheets, and costs together so progress claims are easier to prepare and easier to back up when questions come in.
If you’d like, book a quick demo and we’ll show you how Aussie construction teams use NextMinute to stay on top of progress claims, variations, and job costing, without drowning in admin.
