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How to Add Payments

Complete step-by-step guide for recording invoices and progress claims in construction project management

Use payments to record invoices and costs against approved contracts and variations, so your project finances stay accurate and up to date. You can use AI to pull the details from a PDF, or enter them manually from an Excel spreadsheet or another source.

Before you start

  • You need access to the Cost module.
  • Have your invoice or progress claim PDF ready (for AI Pre-fill), or your payment details from Excel or another source (for manual entry).
  • Contracts must be approved, and variations must have an Approved or In Principle status before you add payments.
  • AI Pre-fill and AI Review are not available on Gov instance workspaces. If you're on a Gov workspace, use manual entry to add payments.

Note: New variations or line items added to your contract after a payment has been created won't automatically appear in that payment. To include them, use Payment Refresh on your last payment. See How to Edit and Delete Payments for steps.

Open the Add Payment form

  1. Click Cost in the left-hand navigation bar.
  2. Click Payments in the top navigation to view the Payment Register.
  3. Click the blue + Add Payment button in the upper left corner.

The Payment Register is the main list view where you can see all your payments, add new ones, and manage existing entries.

Animation showing the Advanced Project Dashboard for Greenfield Sports Pavilion with budget and schedule tiles

Tip: You can also add a payment from the Overall page by clicking the blue + Add button and selecting + Payment. Another option: on the Overall page, click the Action button (three dots) next to the contract and select + Add Payment.

Choose how to enter the payment

Once you're in the form, choose one of two options.

OptionWhen to use it
Add Payment via AI Pre-fillThe fastest method if you have an invoice or progress claim PDF. AI extracts payment details including title, dates, amounts, line items, and contract references.
Add Payment with Manual EntryYour invoice data is in an Excel spreadsheet, or you need to enter details manually.

Add a payment with AI Pre-fill

Upload your document

  1. Find the Fill details with AI box in the payment form.
  2. Click Upload File and select your progress claim PDF, or drag and drop your file onto the drop area.

Note: Your uploads are private. See our AI Product Terms.

Add Payment form Fill details with AI section with the Upload File button for a payment PDF

Let AI extract the details

Wait for Mastt AI to scan the document and extract payment details, including title, line items, amounts, dates, and contract references. This typically takes a few seconds.

If AI Review is enabled on the linked contract, compliance items are also identified, which may take additional time. See How to Use AI Compliance for Contracts and Payments.

Animation showing the Add Payment form with the Fill details with AI box, Upload File button and payment fields

Verify and edit the extracted details

  1. Review all fields the AI has filled in.
  2. Click into any field to correct it.
  3. Verify critical information is accurate before you continue.
  4. Change the Status from Draft to Submitted, Approved or Paid.

Check AI Review (if available)

If the linked contract has AI Review enabled:

  1. Open the AI Review Beta tab.
  2. Review the compliance items the AI identified.
  3. Update the status of any compliance requirements as needed.

Animation showing the Update Payment form AI Review tab with the AI Payment Review Checklist and findings

Add a payment with manual entry

Enter the basic information

  1. Enter a Title for the payment (for example, "Progress Claim 4").
  2. Select the Month.

Set the payment status

  1. Select the Status from the dropdown: Draft, Submitted, Approved, Paid, or Rejected.
  2. If you select Approved, the Date Approved fills in automatically. Change it if the approval happened on a different date.
  3. If you select Paid, the Date Approved and Month Paid fill in automatically. Change the Month Paid if the payment was made in a different month.

Link the payment to a contract

Note: Only approved contracts are available for selection. If you can't find your contract, check its status in the Contract Register.

  1. Click + Add Contract to open the contract selector.
  2. Choose the contract from your list of approved contracts.

Enter line item details

  1. For each line item, enter the Amount Approved, or enter the % Complete (Mastt calculates the amount automatically).
  2. Click + Add Contract again if this payment covers multiple contracts.
  3. Use the Variation Display dropdown to choose how variations appear.
Variation DisplayWhat it does
Group at BottomLists all variations together at the end of the form
Show InlineShows variations under their related line items

Variation Display dropdown with Group at Bottom selected and the Show Inline option below it

Record the difference between claimed and approved amounts

Use this to document the difference between what was claimed and what you're approving.

  1. Turn on Submitted amounts in the payment form.
  2. Enter the claimed amount in the Submitted Amount field.
  3. Enter the amount you're approving (after deductions) in the Amount Approved field.
  4. Click the comment button next to each line item to document the deduction and calculation.

This creates a clear audit trail of what was claimed versus what you're paying.

Payment form with the Submitted amounts toggle and Submitted Amount column highlighted next to Amount Approved

Paste amounts from Excel (optional)

To enter many amounts at once, copy a single column of amounts or percentages from Excel and paste it into the Amount Approved or % Complete column. Mastt fills the values down the column. Paste from Excel shows a guide to this. It doesn't import new line items.

Add payment period and letter text (optional)

  1. Click the Additional Fields tab.
  2. Enter the Payment Period From and To dates.
  3. Turn on Customise your letter's text to add your own text to the Payment Certificate.

Finish and save the payment

  1. Add comments in the Notes field (only visible to users within this project).
  2. Upload attachments if needed. Documents are attached automatically when you use AI Pre-fill.
  3. Click the Add button to save the payment. Your payment is now recorded and linked to the contract.

Note: The Notes field is for internal comments only and does not appear on the payment certificate. To customise text on your payment certificate, go to Additional Fields and toggle on Customise your letter's text.

Edit a payment after creation

You can update payment details at any time. Go to the Payment Register, click the Action button (three dots) next to your payment, and select Edit Payment. For more details, see How to Edit and Delete Payments.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Why isn't a variation showing in my payment certificate?

Make sure the variation's status is set to Approved or In Principle. Only variations with one of these statuses are available in the Payments module.

If the variation was added to the contract after the payment was created, it won't appear automatically. To include it:

  1. Open the last payment via Action > Edit Payment.
  2. Look for the Payment Refresh banner in the Line Items tab and click Refresh.
  3. Click Update to save.

This pulls in any new variations or line items without needing to delete and recreate the payment. See How to Edit and Delete Payments for full steps.

Why doesn't my Payment Recommendation Letter's variation total match what's actually approved?

The variation total reflects the Amount Approved entered against each variation line item within that specific payment, not the full amount approved on the contract.

  1. Open Action > Edit Payment.
  2. Check the Variations section and compare Amount Approved against Amount Remaining for each line.
  3. Update the Amount Approved field to the correct value and regenerate the letter.

If a variation shows $0.00, it's left out of the letter. If it shows a partial amount, only that amount is included, whatever the variation's status.

Can I import invoices from Excel into Mastt?

You can't bulk import invoices directly from Excel. Instead, use the payment form to add each invoice individually.

  • If you have a PDF invoice, use AI Pre-fill to extract the details automatically.
  • If your data is in Excel, enter the details manually using the payment form.

The Actuals module is for importing ERP transaction data for reconciliation, not for invoices.

How do I change who appears as Authorised by on payment certificates?

The signature on payment certificates pulls from the Roles section in your contract settings.

  1. Go to the Contract and edit it.
  2. Select a Contract Standard.
  3. Open the Roles tab.
  4. Use the toggle to choose which role should display as Authorised by on certificates and letters. The available roles depend on your contract standard.
  5. Update the role's name and title, then click Update to save.
  6. Regenerate your payment certificate.

How do I handle retention amounts?

Retention is entered once in the Retention field at the bottom of the payment form, not per line item. Enter it as either a dollar amount or a percentage, and Mastt automatically calculates the net payment amount. See How to Set Up Tax and Retentions in Mastt.

What's the difference between Amount Approved and Submitted Amount?

Submitted Amount records what the contractor or consultant requested in their progress claim. Amount Approved is the actual amount you're paying after applying any deductions. Always add a comment documenting the variance and your calculation to maintain a clear audit trail.

Need help?

Contact Mastt Support for additional assistance with payments in Mastt.