The builder wants a paid platform account before releasing your invoice
Assess a builder request to join a fee-charging payment platform for an existing invoice, including actual cost and proposed contractual changes.
Corporate Recovery Partners
01 / 06
Getting paid appears to require another purchase
A builder says your overdue invoice can be processed once you register with a platform that charges a subscription or transaction fee. Before paying to join, establish what is being requested and why. A new administrative tool may be useful, but the request can also involve costs or conditions that were not part of your original understanding.
Verify the request through an established builder contact. Find out whether the platform is used to submit documents, receive payments or provide another service. Obtain the applicable terms and pricing directly from a verified source. Do not create an account from an unexpected link simply because the message refers to a genuine overdue invoice.
Business.gov.au's contract guidance includes payment arrangements among matters to specify. Check whether the actual contract addresses the proposed platform or fee. Ask an adviser about any disputed change rather than assuming either that the builder can impose it or that the request has no effect. Keep the existing invoice and proposed new arrangement distinguishable while the question is resolved.
Imagine a hypothetical platform charging a monthly subscription plus a transaction fee. The contractor wants payment of one overdue invoice and does not expect further work from that builder. The cost decision differs from a business already using the platform for many accounts. Use the actual verified prices and conditions; the example does not suggest a standard fee or an entitlement to deduct one.
Discuss whether an established submission or payment method remains available under the agreement. Clarify what information the builder genuinely needs to process the account. Avoid agreeing to recurring charges or wider terms just to bypass a conversation about an unpaid invoice. If the platform is adopted, confirm who may authorise the account and how ongoing charges will be managed.
Record the request, your response and any agreed arrangement. Continue checking the payment position and relevant formal timing with advice. Joining software does not guarantee the builder has approved the invoice or can pay it. The objective is to remove a legitimate administrative obstacle on understood terms, without accidentally buying a continuing service as an unexamined condition of collecting an existing debt.
