Progress claim template for Australian tradies (free download)
By Bailey Holdsworth, founder
Last updated · 7 min read
A progress claim lists each stage of the job, what it is worth, how much is done, what you have already claimed and the amount due now, plus GST. Download the free Excel or printable template below, fill in one claim per stage, and check your state's security of payment rules before you send it.
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Progress claim template
The Excel version works out the value done, this claim, GST and the amount due, and includes a filled-in example. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers. The printable version is a blank A4 form you can fill in by hand or save as a PDF.
A progress claim is how you get paid as a big job goes, not all at the end. You send one each time you reach a stage in your quote or contract: deposit, frame, lock-up, fit-off, completion. If the payment schedule is not set yet, start with progress claims and payment stages, which covers how to split a job and size the deposit. This page is the paperwork.
What goes on a progress claim
- Your details: business name, ABN, licence number, address, phone and email
- The client's details: name, ABN if they are a business, and address
- Claim details: a claim number, the claim date, the date the work is claimed up to, and when payment is due
- The job: site address and the quote or contract it relates to
- Each stage: its value, how much is complete, what you have already claimed for it, and this claim
- Approved variations: each one on its own line, never rolled into a stage
- The sum: work completed to date, less anything already claimed, equals this claim; then GST and the total due
- How to pay: account name, BSB, account number and a payment reference
How to fill it in: a worked example
Take a $40,000 renovation split into four stages: a $2,000 deposit, $12,000 at frame, $16,000 at lock-up and $10,000 at completion, all ex GST. The deposit has been paid. The frame is now up, and the client approved one variation in writing: $1,850 of extra bracing. Here is claim 2.
| Line | Value (ex GST) | Done | Already claimed | This claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit | $2,000 | 100% | $2,000 | $0 |
| Frame up | $12,000 | 100% | $0 | $12,000 |
| Lock-up | $16,000 | 0% | $0 | $0 |
| Practical completion | $10,000 | 0% | $0 | $0 |
| Variation 1: extra bracing | $1,850 | 100% | $0 | $1,850 |
Example only. The Excel template has this claim filled in on its Example tab.
Claim 2 summary
- Original contract sum
- $40,000
- Approved variations
- $1,850
- Revised contract sum
- $41,850
- Work completed to date
- $15,850
- Less previously claimed
- $2,000
- This claim ex GST
- $13,850
- GST at 10%
- $1,385
Amount due for this claim: $15,235 inc GST
The template does that sum for you: type the stage values once, then on each claim update the percentage done and what has already been claimed. Keep variations on their own lines, as above. Rolled into a stage with no explanation, a variation invites a dispute about the whole claim. Variations: how to price them and get them approved covers getting that written yes first.
GST on a progress claim
If you are registered for GST, add 10% to the claim and treat it as a tax invoice. The ATO treats a sale made in stages as if each stage were a separate sale, so you account for GST on each progress payment, not all up front. The ATO also lists what a tax invoice must show: the words 'tax invoice', your identity and ABN, the date, a description of what you supplied, the GST, and, for sales of $1,000 or more, the buyer's identity or ABN.
Not registered? Set 'Registered for GST?' to No in the Excel template and it drops the GST and the words 'tax invoice' from the title. To check a figure by hand, the GST quote calculator adds or strips 10% in one go, and do I need to put GST on a quote explains the rules.
What changes from state to state
Every state and territory has a security of payment Act for construction work, with a fast way to have a disputed payment decided. But the detail differs: what a claim has to say, when you can make one, and how long the other side has to respond. These are the main points from each regulator's own page, checked October 2026. Treat them as a starting point, not the full rules. For NSW in more depth, from who the Act covers to adjudication, read payment claims in NSW.
| State | What the official page says | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Claim on or after the reference date in your contract, or the last day of each month if there is none. One claim per reference date, for work done in the past 12 months. Subcontractors on work connected with a residential construction contract must include the line 'This is a payment claim made under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 NSW'. Head contractors must include a supporting statement. | NSW Government: making a payment claim |
| Queensland | A payment claim must identify the work, state the amount claimed and request payment of that amount. There is no set format. The reference date is the one in your contract, or the last day of the month the work was done if it has none, and only one claim can be given for each reference date. | QBCC: request payment |
| Victoria | The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 has new versions dated 15 April and 24 June 2026. Make sure any template, checklist or advice you rely on matches the current Act. | Victorian legislation: the Act |
| Western Australia | WA's guide to the 2021 Act covers contracts entered into on or after 1 August 2022. A claim to a homeowner needs a homeowner's notice attached, and Building and Energy publishes its own template payment claim and user guide. | WA Government: making a payment claim |
| SA, Tasmania, ACT, NT | Each has its own security of payment Act, listed in the sources below. Read your Act and your regulator's guidance before you serve a claim you intend to enforce. | Your state legislation site |
Checked 22 October 2026 against each official page in the sources below. General information only.
Sending the claim
- Save the claim as a PDF so the numbers cannot shift, and name it with the job and claim number.
- Send it in writing to the person your contract names, the day the stage is done.
- Keep a record of when they received it. NSW's page lists this as part of making a claim.
- Attach a photo or two of the finished stage. Supporting documents are optional, but they make a claim easier to approve from the couch.
- Diary the due date. If it passes, your state page explains what you can do next.
Doing it without the spreadsheet
A spreadsheet works for one job. Across five jobs it is easy to lose track of what has been claimed and what is still owing. TrackYaTradie splits each job into payment stages, shows paid versus owing per job, and sends each claim from your phone, alongside the hours and costs that tell you whether the job is still making money. The template is free either way.
Questions
Is a progress claim the same as a tax invoice?+
Often it is one piece of paper. If you are registered for GST, a progress claim that shows the GST and the other details the ATO lists is also your tax invoice for that stage. The template titles itself 'Progress claim / tax invoice' when GST is switched on.
Do I have to write 'made under the Act' on my claim?+
It depends on your state and your role. NSW asks subcontractors on work connected with a residential construction contract to include that statement. Queensland's page says a claim must identify the work, state the amount and request payment. Check your own state's page before you leave the line in or take it out.
How often can I make a progress claim?+
Usually on the dates your contract sets. If the contract has no reference date, NSW and Queensland both default to the last day of the month, and both allow one claim per reference date.
Does the template work in Google Sheets?+
Yes. Upload the Excel file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets, or open it in Excel or Numbers. The formulas are plain SUM, IF and ROUND, so they work the same in all three.