An overnight labour-hire shift can fall into two invoice periods
The shift crosses the billing cut-off
Suppose a labour-hire worker starts a shift late on the final day of a billing period and finishes the following morning. One report places the whole shift in the earlier period, while another splits it at midnight. The customer's reviewer queries the invoice.
Reconcile the dates and agreed billing method before treating the query as a generic payment excuse. A period-allocation difference can produce a duplicate or an apparent gap even when everyone agrees the work occurred.
Preserve the original time records
Collect the recorded start and finish times, relevant breaks, job reference and authorised timesheet. Keep the original entries unchanged and identify any corrections separately.
Do not alter hours merely to make two reports match. If a record is incomplete, establish the facts with the appropriate people and label uncertainty rather than inventing a convenient finish time.
Check the customer billing arrangement
Read how the agreement allocates work to billing periods and applies the relevant rates. business.gov.au's contract guidance recommends clearly describing the work and payment arrangements.
The customer's billing treatment is separate from employee pay obligations. Have payroll specialists check employment questions; do not assume the way an invoice is split determines the worker's entitlement or permits delaying wages.
Reconcile both neighbouring periods
Show the shift in a short schedule with its total hours and the allocation used for each invoice. Check the invoice immediately before and after the cut-off to ensure the same hours are not included twice or omitted.
For example, a hypothetical shift beginning at ten in the evening and ending at six in the morning needs its actual dates visible. The example does not establish paid hours, breaks or penalty rates; those require the relevant records and advice.
Explain the difference to the reviewer
Send the agreed billing basis and the specific reconciliation to the authorised customer contact. Ask which remaining fact or approval is required rather than resending the entire payroll export.
Limit personal information to what is appropriate for the enquiry. Keep the response and any authorised invoice correction linked to the original shift and both billing periods.
Add a cut-off check to the next run
Review shifts crossing the reporting boundary before the next labour-hire invoice is issued. Confirm the allocation method is applied consistently and retain the supporting reconciliation.
This helps resolve a specific approval blockage without disguising the original work history. A clear account of one overnight shift can be more useful than another broad reminder about the unpaid invoice.