Deposits first, finals at the end
Most of the work is residential plastering and painting around Canterbury. On a bigger job the owner asks for a deposit, and the final invoice goes out when the job is finished.
The deposit depends on the client. Some pay it on the first day, some once the work is under way, and a few won’t pay one at all.
The final invoice is where the wait sits. The owner won’t ring a client the day before it’s due, so they only find out on the day whether it’s been paid. Plenty of clients pay late, and on a big job that hurts.
“So even though the invoice is due, they’re just shocking for late payments.”
From a call with the FundTap team, August 2026
Saying no to the 20th of the following
Commercial work is where the business could grow. But commercial firms pay on the 20th of the month after the invoice, and that’s a long time to carry the cost of a job.
So the owner had been saying no. Commercial work has stayed a small share of the business, and the owner can point to the jobs that rule has cost them.
In August 2026, the owner told the FundTap team the final invoice on a big painting job was about to go out. The deposit had come in a month before.
“...I’ve lost out on work by just saying, no, I’m not doing 20th of the following.”
From a call with the FundTap team, August 2026
Funding the final invoice
The owner signed up in August 2026, connected Xero, and chose that final invoice as the first one to fund.
Going in, the owner asked how the fee would work for a trade business. The answer settled it: they pay only on the invoices they fund, there’s no lock-in, and the fee shows before they commit.
Their client still pays the business directly, as they would have anyway.
“...I’m stoked with how it all worked.”
From a call with the FundTap team, August 2026
Pricing in the commercial job
The plan from the start was the commercial work. With funding there for the slow invoice, the owner can quote on 20th-of-the-month terms and build the cost into the price.
Nothing was funded in September 2026, and nothing was charged. The next invoice gets funded when a job needs it, not before.
“So having the ability to be able to go, oh, cool, I can actually price to this work and just put a little bit of a markup on it.”
From a call with the FundTap team, August 2026
The timeline
- August 2026 Signed up and connected Xero, with the final invoice on a big painting job about to go out.
- August 2026 Approved, with nothing to pay until an invoice is funded.
- August 2026 Funded that final invoice, the first one they chose.
In numbers
- 20th of the month after: when commercial customers usually pay
- 1 invoice funded so far, the final invoice on a big painting job
- 2 months as a customer, to September 2026
Sound like your business?
The commercial job is there, but it pays on the 20th of the month after. Fund that invoice when you need to, and the answer can be yes.
Get paid now for work you’ve already done.
Invoice finance for construction and trades • All case studies
