An architecture practice in Auckland: a good payer, slow for now

Paid once the consent comes through

The practice is a group of architects in Auckland. It does residential and commercial work for homeowners, developers and larger organisations.

The usual terms are about a month from the invoice date. Developers are a case apart: some hold off paying until the resource consent is through.

“...they just simply put their checkbooks away until they get resource consent.”

From a call with the FundTap team, November 2025

Even the good payers slowed down

By late 2025 the waiting had grown. Invoices that once took under a month to be paid were taking well over one.

In November 2025, the business manager told the FundTap team the week’s wages were due while a large amount of invoiced work sat unpaid. The business manager also mentioned that a client that usually paid quickly had slowed, because its payments were coming from overseas.

Picking the good payer’s invoice

They signed up in November 2025, connected Xero and funded their first invoice that month.

That first invoice was owed by the client paying from overseas, a client the practice trusted to pay. The practice picks which invoices to put forward and sees the fee before it commits.

The client settles with the practice directly, on the terms it already had.

“...I know they’re a really good payer. They’re just slow at the moment...”

From a call with the FundTap team, November 2025

Wages paid without the wait

Funding that invoice covered the week’s wages while the practice’s clients paid in their own time. The work carried on, and the wages came out of an invoice already issued rather than out of the wait.

By Christmas the practice could see the next one coming. Another invoice was due to go out to the overseas-paid client, and it was likely to be paid late over the holidays.

With FundTap in place, a late payment over Christmas was something the practice could plan around.

“...there’s one particular client who have become slow payers from overseas. We’re about to issue another invoice...”

From a call with the FundTap team, December 2025

Another stretch of slow payers

In September 2026, the business manager told the FundTap team they’d had another stretch of slow payers.

Seven invoices have been funded since November 2025: one in 2025 and six in 2026 to September, with August 2026 the busiest month at two. The stretches in between cost the practice nothing.

In a public review, the practice described its dealings with FundTap as thoroughly professional.

The timeline

1. November 2025 Signed up with wages due and a run of invoices unpaid, including a large one from a client paying from overseas.
2. November 2025 Funded their first invoice, from a good payer that had gone slow.
3. December 2025 Another invoice about to go to the overseas-paid client, likely to be late over Christmas.
4. February 2026 Asked to fund another invoice to the overseas client.
5. August 2026 The busiest month so far, with two invoices funded.
6. September 2026 Another stretch of slow payers, and an invoice funded, the most recent in the records.

In numbers

• 30 days after the invoice date: the practice’s usual terms
• 40 days clients were taking to pay, up from under a month
• 7 invoices funded since November 2025
• 2 invoices funded in August 2026, the busiest month

Sound like your business?

Your good clients are paying slowly and the wages are due. Fund the invoice you trust most, and pay nothing on the ones that land in time.

Fund a specific invoice when the timing doesn’t work. Pay nothing when it does.

Invoice finance for professional services  •  All case studies