Tools · Claim schedule
The whole contract,
claim by claim.
Enter the contract sum, the deposit and the stage percentages from your contract, then retention and GST. The calculator lays out every claim in order, with the running total and the retention held, and gives you a text version to paste into the contract schedule or a spreadsheet. Every percentage is one you enter.
Written by Brad Caldon, Founder, VIABUILD. Licensed builder (NSW) · Registered Building Practitioner (Class 1 to 9) · B.Construction Management (Hons) · Last reviewed 20 September 2026
01 / The calculator
Lay out the schedule
Two required figures to start, the contract sum and at least one stage. Rename the stages to match the contract, add or remove them, and the table follows.
The claim schedule
Enter the contract sum and at least one stage percentage (or a deposit) to start. Retention and GST add columns as you enter them.
02 / Reading the result
What the schedule tells you before the job starts
A claim schedule is the contract sum turned into a sequence of cash events, and seeing it laid out is the fastest way to judge whether the sequence funds the build. Each row is the value the contract lets you claim at that point, less the retention the contract lets the client hold back, plus GST. The running total shows how much of the price has been claimed after each stage, which is the figure to set against the cost you will have incurred by then.
The gap between the two is the working capital the job needs from you. A schedule that pays most of the price at lock-up and completion means the frame and the slab are funded from your own account or your trade terms, and the construction cash flow reference explains why that gap, multiplied across live jobs, decides how many homes a builder can safely carry.
Retention held at the end of the schedule is the amount that comes back in two later events, practical completion and the end of the defects period, on the terms in the contract. It is a receivable with a date attached rather than a discount, and the retention calculator tracks it against a cap claim by claim.
03 / Common mistakes
Where schedules go wrong
- Percentages that do not add up. A schedule copied from an old contract with one stage removed can leave part of the price with no claim. The calculator shows the total and the unallocated amount for that reason.
- Stage names that do not match the contract. The claim must name the stage the way the contract defines it, or the client has a reason to query it. Rename the stages here to the contract wording before you copy the schedule out.
- Forgetting that variations move the claims. The schedule is the plan at contract time. Approved variations are claimed with the stage they belong to, and the progress claim calculator builds each actual claim with them included.
- Treating retention as lost. It is money owed to you on a future event. Record it per contract and chase the release when the event arrives.
04 / FAQ
Common questions.
The list of claims a residential building contract lets the builder raise, each one tied to a stage of the work and expressed as a share of the contract sum. A typical schedule names a deposit and a handful of construction stages, and the contract fixes both the stage definitions and the percentages. The schedule is what turns a lump sum into cash flow, which is why the percentages are negotiated rather than standard: front-loaded stages fund the work, back-loaded ones fund the client. This calculator takes the percentages from your contract and shows the dollars each claim produces. It states no percentages of its own.
Because the schedule is the whole contract sum, divided. If the percentages fall short, part of the price has no claim to carry it and is either forgotten or argued over at the end. If they exceed 100%, a claim will be rejected when the running total passes the contract sum. The calculator shows the total percentage and the unallocated amount rather than hiding either, so the gap is visible before the contract is signed rather than after the last stage.
That is a contract term, and contracts differ, which is why the calculator asks. Many residential contracts withhold retention from progress claims and not from the deposit, because the deposit secures the contract rather than paying for work done. Others apply the rate to every payment. Read the retention clause and pick the option that matches it. A cap on total retention, where withholding stops once a ceiling is reached, is handled by the retention calculator on this site rather than here.
On the base the contract nominates, and the two bases give different figures on the same claim. Where retention reduces the amount claimed, GST follows the reduced amount. Where the full stage value is invoiced and retention is deducted from the payment, GST follows the full value. The calculator does the arithmetic for whichever you choose. Confirm the treatment for your contracts with your accountant against current ATO guidance; this page is general information, not tax advice.
Yes, and they are set by state and territory domestic building legislation rather than by the contract, so the figure to use is the one your contract states within the rules of your jurisdiction. The calculator applies whatever deposit percentage you enter and states no limit of its own. The written building contract guide and the contracts reference on this site explain how deposits and stage payments are regulated, as general information rather than legal advice.
Paste it. It is laid out in fixed-width columns with plain numbers, no currency symbols and no thousands separators, so it reads cleanly in an email, a contract schedule appendix or a spreadsheet cell range. It carries the contract sum, each claim with its value, retention and GST, the totals and a note on whether the percentages balance. The copy button puts it on the clipboard; the box is selectable if the clipboard is blocked.
The progress claim calculator builds one claim, for one period, from work completed, variations and credits. This one builds the whole schedule in advance from the contract sum and the stage split, so you can see the cash the contract will produce claim by claim before the first stage is reached. Use this at contract time and the other when a claim is due. Variations approved during the job change the individual claims, which is why the schedule is a plan and the claim is the record.
05 / Keep reading
The references behind this calculator
The contract and claims references, the companion calculators, and the software that raises each claim from the schedule already on the contract.
06 / Cite this
How to cite this page
To reference this page, use the wording below and link the page rather than copying it, so readers reach the current version. Corrections to hello@viabuild.au.
Citation
Brad Caldon, VIABUILD, Progress claim schedule calculator, https://www.viabuild.au/tools/progress-claim-schedule-calculator, last reviewed 20 September 2026.
Or let the contract carry the schedule.
VIABUILD holds the claim schedule on the contract, raises each claim when its stage is reached with the approved variations already on it, takes it to the client for approval and pushes the invoice to Xero without re-keying a figure.