The manual
How to use Paydate
You did the work. You sent the invoice. They have not paid. This page shows you exactly what to do, in order. It takes about five minutes.
What this app does
In New South Wales there is a law that forces builders to pay you. It works fast — but only if you do certain things by certain dates. If you miss one of those dates, you lose the right to use the law for that invoice. Most tradies have never been told the dates exist.
Paydate is a countdown. You tell it when you sent your invoice. It works out every date that matters, tells you the one thing to do next, and writes the letters for you.
Three things to have ready
Using it
Add the claim
On the home page, press New claim. A blank claim opens straight away. Nothing is sent to anyone — this is just your own record.
Fill in the details
Scroll down to The claim and fill in every box. Your business, the builder’s business, the site address, the dates and the amount. It saves as you type, so there is no Save button to look for. These details get printed on your letters, so spell the builder’s company name exactly as it appears on your contract.
Read the clock
At the top of the page is a big number. That is how many working days you have left before the next deadline. Under it, in plain English, is the one thing to do next.
Below that, The clock lists every deadline in order, with the date and the section of the law it comes from. You do not need to understand the section numbers — they are there so a lawyer can check the app’s work.
Send the payment claim
Open The payment claim. If any detail is missing, the app tells you what and refuses to write the letter — that is on purpose, because an incomplete claim is not valid. When it is happy, press Copy and paste it into an email to the builder, or press Print and post it.
Then come back and set Claim served on to the day you sent it.
Tick off what happens
Under What has happened there are three boxes. Tick them as things occur:
They sent a payment schedule — a letter back saying what they will pay. Enter the date and the amount they offered.
You served a s 17(2) notice — tick this only after you have sent the notice from step 6.
Paid in full — the money arrived. You are done.
Each tick changes what the clock tells you next.
If they ignore you, send the notice
This is the step people miss, and missing it ends the claim.
If the builder sent you nothing and paid you nothing, you must send a notice of intention before you can take it further. Open The s 17(2) notice, set the date you are sending it, then Copy or Print. The app will refuse to write it if you are too early or too late, and it will tell you which.
After you send it, tick the box in step 5.
Lodge for adjudication
If they still do nothing, the clock will show a final date to lodge for adjudication. That is where an independent adjudicator decides how much you are owed, usually within a few weeks.
Paydate tells you the date. It does not lodge for you — that goes to an authorised nominating authority, and it is the point to get a construction lawyer involved.
What the numbers and labels mean
Words you will see
- Payment claim
- Your invoice, in the form the law expects.
- Payment schedule
- The builder’s written reply saying what they will actually pay, and why. If they do not send one in time, they lose the right to argue about the amount.
- Respondent
- The builder — whoever owes you the money.
- Claimant
- You.
- Reference date
- The date your right to claim for that period starts. Usually the end of the month, or whatever your contract says.
- Adjudication
- A fast, independent decision on how much you are owed. Cheaper and quicker than court.
- Head contractor / subcontractor
- If the builder hired you, you are the subcontractor and you get paid within 20 business days. If you hired others and are claiming from the owner, you are the head contractor and it is 15.
Do you need to sign in?
No. Everything works signed out — you can track claims and write both letters without an account. Your claims are stored in this browser only, which means they are private to this device, and they disappear if you clear your browsing data or switch to your phone.
Signing in is what gets you reminded. Without an account there is no email address to warn, so nothing can tell you a deadline is coming — and this whole product is about being told. With an account you get an email 5 business days out, 2 business days out, on the morning of the deadline, and once if one passes.
Signing in also copies your claims to your account so they follow you between devices. Anything you already tracked signed out moves across automatically the first time you sign in. Nobody else can see your claims either way.
What Paydate will not do
Paydate works out dates and writes letters. It cannot tell you whether your claim is a good one, whether your contract is covered by the Act, or what to do if the builder disputes the work. It is not legal advice.
Get a construction lawyer if a deadline has lapsed, if the builder disputes the quality of your work, if the amount is large enough to matter to your business, or if anything here does not match your contract.