They want another job finished before paying.

The old invoice is tied to a new favour

A landscaper finishes paving a courtyard. The customer says it will pay only after the landscaper completes an additional garden bed, although that work has not been priced. The landscaper wants the overdue money and considers sending a crew immediately. It first needs to know whether this is an existing obligation or a new condition being proposed.

Separate the two scopes

Compare the accepted quotation with the additional request. Check whether the garden work was included, later added or merely discussed. Mark genuinely incomplete original work separately.

If the scope is unclear, obtain a contract assessment. Neither party's current description should replace the records of what was actually agreed.

Ask why payment is being linked

Request the basis for withholding the original account until the additional work is done. It may be a completion dispute, a proposed trade-off or an attempt to obtain extra work without funding it.

Business.gov.au recommends reviewing payment conditions. Establish the existing entitlement before considering a commercial compromise that changes the sequence.

Source: business.gov.au - What to do when you have not been paid

Price the exposure of proceeding

Calculate labour, materials and time for the additional task. Add those costs to the overdue balance and consider whether any further payment would be reliable.

Do not assume another completed job strengthens collection. It may simply leave more work unpaid, especially if the customer continues adding conditions. Check existing obligations before deciding to decline or postpone.

Document any agreed exchange

If a workable compromise is reached, specify the separate work, price, payment timing and treatment of the old balance. Have any release or settlement conditions reviewed.

Confirm what happens if the new task cannot start or access is delayed. An arrangement intended to unlock payment should not create a new indefinite dependency on another job. Check whether the new job belongs to the same contracting entity before combining the two accounts in any proposal.

Source: business.gov.au - Prepare a contract

Keep the old debt and new work visible

Identify whether the extra task is already contracted and calculate the additional exposure.

Document any agreement before committing staff or materials to another unfunded job.

Call CRP today about debt recovery and coordinating the appropriate professional support.