A six-figure account needs separate decisions for separate invoices

The account total hides the problem

Imagine an electrical contractor owed $118,000 across four projects. Two invoices have been acknowledged, a variation is disputed, and another invoice has not reached the right accounts team. Calling about the total produces the same answer each week: someone is looking into it. The balance needs several decisions, even though it belongs to one customer.

Check the basis for each amount

business.gov.au recommends reviewing the contract's payment conditions and confirming when payment should have occurred. Apply that check to each project. Record the contracting entity, invoice, due date and relevant payment clause. If different companies ordered different work, ask your adviser how the claims should be treated before combining them into one demand.

Source: business.gov.au: What to do when you haven't been paid

Distinguish silence from disagreement

Give each amount a factual status: acknowledged, questioned, awaiting documents or no substantive response. Do not describe an invoice as accepted merely because nobody replied. For the disputed variation, record the customer's actual objection beside your supporting approval. For the missing invoice, identify who needs the document and whether it was originally sent correctly.

Give every stream an owner

The accounts officer might resolve delivery of the missing invoice while the project manager answers the variation question. One person should oversee the whole account and record outgoing commitments. That prevents a helpful project conversation from being mistaken for authority to extend payment terms or compromise the entire balance without the owner's approval.

Choose the next step deliberately

Ask for a clear response on the acknowledged invoices while preparing the disputed component for advice. Whether these amounts can be pursued separately depends on the contract and circumstances; obtain advice rather than assuming separation is legally straightforward. Keep any proposed concession in its own record, including its scope and who can authorise it.

End the review with dated decisions

Before the next customer conversation, produce a one-page table showing each amount, its obstacle, responsible person and next review date. Preserve the supporting documents behind it. Bring that table to CRP if the account remains stuck. The useful question becomes which obstacle to address next, instead of how many reminders to send about $118,000.