How to Add Payments

Payments in Mastt help you record costs against approved contracts and variations, keeping your project finances accurate and up to date. This guide covers accessing the payment form, using AI to extract payment details from PDFs, and entering information manually.

Before you start:

• Ensure you have access to the Cost module
• Have your progress claim PDF ready (for AI Upload method) or payment details available (for Manual Entry)
• Confirm contracts are approved and variations are either approved or in-principle before adding payments

Adding a Payment

Step 1: Access the Add Payment Form

• Click the Cost module from the left navigation bar
• You can add payment in three ways:
  • From the Overall page, click the blue + Add button then select + Payment, or
  • Locate the contract you want to add a payment to, click the Action button next to it, and select + Add Payment
  • Click Payments in the top navigation to view your Payment register, then:
    • Click the blue + Add Payment button in the upper left corner, or
    • Select Add Your First Payment in the centre (only visible if you have no payments)

Result: The Add Payment form will open, ready for you to input your payment data.

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

Step 2: Enter Payment Details

Once in the form, select between two options:

• Add Payment via AI Pre-fill – fastest method if you have a progress claim PDF. AI extracts payment details including title, dates, amounts, line items, and contract references.
• Add Payment with Manual Entry

Add Payment via AI Pre-fill

Step 1: Upload your document

• Click Upload File in the Fill details with AI box and select the progress claim PDF file you want to upload, or drag and drop your PDF file directly onto the drop area

Note: Your uploads are private. See our AI Privacy Policy.

Step 2: AI extracts payment details

• Wait for Mastt AI to scan the document and automatically extract payment details including title, line items, amounts, dates, and contract references. If AI Review is enabled, compliance items will also be identified (see How to Use AI Compliance for Contracts and Payments).

Note: AI extraction typically takes a few seconds, but AI Review analysis may take additional time to complete.

Step 3: Verify and edit extracted details

• Check all fields that were automatically populated by the AI
• Edit any fields that need correction
• Ensure all critical information is accurate before proceeding
• Once satisfied with the extracted data, update the Payment Status from Draft to the appropriate status (Submitted, Approved, or Paid)

Step 4: Check AI Review (if available)

Mastt AI automatically checks your payments against contract requirement.

• If the contract has AI Review enabled, open the AI Review Beta tab
• Review compliance items identified by the AI
• Update statuses for any compliance requirements as needed

Add Payment with Manual Entry

Step 1: Enter basic payment information

• Enter a Title for the payment (e.g., "Progress Claim 4")
• Enter the Payment Date

Step 2: Set payment status

• Select the Payment Status from the dropdown: Draft, Submitted, Approved, Paid, or Rejected
  • If you selected Approved - enter the Date Approved
  • If you selected Paid - select the Cash Flow Month

Step 3: Link to contract

• Click + Add Contract to open the contract selector
• Choose the contract from your list of approved contracts
• Expand Additional Fields if needed to add Payment Period From/To dates or to toggle on Customise your letter's text for adding custom commentary to the Payment Certificate

Step 4: Enter line item details

• Input the Amount Approved or enter the % Complete (Mastt auto-calculates the amount)
• Click + Add Contract again if this payment covers multiple contracts

To record a variance between claimed and approved amounts:

1. Toggle 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

Result: This creates a clear record of what was claimed versus what you're paying, with documented reasons for differences.

Step 5: Add additional line items (optional)

• Use Copy+Paste from Excel for bulk entry if you have multiple line items

Step 3: Finalise and Save the Payment

• Add comment in the Notes field (only visible to users within this project)
• Upload attachments if needed (documents are automatically attached when using AI upload)
• Click Add button to add payment

Result: Your payment is now recorded and linked to the contract, ensuring accurate cost tracking and maintaining a complete audit trail for financial compliance and reporting.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: What if the AI doesn't extract my payment details correctly?

Click into any field and edit the information manually. Always review AI-extracted data before saving.

Q: Why can't I select a contract when adding a payment?

Only approved contracts are available for payment. Check that your contract status is set to "Approved" in the Contracts register.

Q: 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 percentage, and Mastt will automatically calculate the net payment amount.

Q: 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.