Separate demand arithmetic from a disputed deduction

The balance looks wrong for more than one reason

You receive a statutory demand and say it is overstated. Part of the difference may be a duplicated invoice, while another part is money you believe the creditor owes you. Separate those issues for urgent legal advice. A calculation error and an asserted deduction can require different evidence and legal assessment, even if they produce the same total in your spreadsheet.

Create distinct reconciliation lines

Imagine a company identifying one invoice twice in the demand and also claiming costs caused by delayed delivery. Show the duplicate calculation separately from the delay-cost claim. Retain the demand as received. Do not replace its total with one net figure that hides which part is an apparent arithmetic problem and which depends on establishing a separate entitlement.

Use the agreement for the disputed claim

business.gov.au recommends clear contracts explaining responsibilities and dispute arrangements. Give the lawyer the relevant terms and correspondence supporting the alleged delay costs. A business estimate of loss does not automatically establish a right to deduct that amount. Ask the adviser what the documents and circumstances support rather than treating the internal adjustment as a settled credit.

Source: business.gov.au: Prepare a contract

Provide evidence appropriate to each issue

For the duplicate, identify the repeated reference and calculation. For the delay claim, preserve the underlying instructions, event records and actual cost evidence. In the example, a simple invoice copy may establish duplication but say nothing about responsibility for the later loss. Avoid attaching a large unsorted file and expecting the lawyer to infer which document supports which argument.

Do not choose the legal ground yourself

Ask the lawyer to assess the demand, available grounds and strict procedural requirements promptly. Keep service information and response instructions prominent. Do not assume that a sufficiently large spreadsheet deduction automatically defeats the demand, or that sending the creditor your reconciliation is the same as taking any required formal step.

Keep the resulting position traceable

Record which factual points the adviser accepts as supported and what remains uncertain. Retain revised calculations without deleting earlier versions. A separated reconciliation helps the legal response address the real issues in the demand, rather than allowing an apparent accounting error to obscure a much more complex disagreement about liability or another claim.