A mechanic on the mine roster
The owner is a heavy diesel mechanic who works on site at a mine in regional Western Australia, keeping the mining company’s machinery going. The business is young, and until recently it was just the owner.
The work runs on a swing roster. At the end of each swing an invoice goes to the mining company, and the one-off jobs are invoiced on their own. The terms are a month from the invoice date, and the mining company usually runs a bit past that.
“...like all my invoices, I’ve never had an invoice not paid...”
From a call with the FundTap team, February 2026
Another mechanic to pay
The business was about to take on another mechanic. A new hire is paid from the first swing, long before the invoice for that swing is paid, and a mining company’s month can stretch further still.
For a business that had only ever paid its owner, that’s the step that matters most and the one the timing makes hardest. The work at the mine was there for another person. The money for the early swings would arrive after the wages for them were due.
“...I’m just about to take another guy on, so I’ll obviously have to pay his wages and that.”
From a call with the FundTap team, February 2026
Funding the swing invoices
Before signing up in February 2026, the owner asked the FundTap team whether FundTap picked the invoices, and whether the mining company would end up paying FundTap instead.
The answers settled it. The business picks which invoice to fund, sees the fee before it commits, and the mining company keeps paying the business exactly as it did. They signed up in February 2026, connected Xero and funded their first invoice that month.
Room to take someone on
With a swing invoice funded, the new mechanic’s wages come out of work already invoiced, not out of a wait on the mining company. The business could take someone on without waiting for the mining company to catch up first.
That’s the difference between the owner doing every swing alone and a business that can grow. The work at the mine was there for both of them. The timing was the only thing in the way.
As the work grows
They’ve funded six invoices since February 2026. In May 2026 their funding limit was raised, and that was the busiest month so far, with two invoices funded. The most recent were two in August 2026.
A swing that’s paid on time doesn’t need funding, and there’s no fee on it. The ones that fall before a payday are the ones that get funded.
The timeline
- February 2026 Signed up with another mechanic about to start and the mining company paying a month after each invoice.
- February 2026 Funded their first invoice, with the new hire’s wages to cover.
- May 2026 Funding limit raised, in their busiest month so far, with two invoices funded.
- August 2026 Funded two invoices, the most recent in the records.
In numbers
- 30 days from the invoice: the mining company’s terms, usually run a bit past
- 6 invoices funded since February 2026, chosen swing by swing
- 1 increase to their funding limit, in May 2026
- 2 invoices funded in May 2026, the busiest month
Invoices funded each month, as a table
| Month | Invoices funded |
|---|---|
| February 2026 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 2 |
| June 2026 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
Sound like your business?
You’re about to take someone on, and the mining company pays a month after the swing. Fund that invoice and the new hire’s wages are covered from work you’ve done.
Get paid now for work you’ve already done.
Invoice finance for construction and trades • All case studies
