When an invoice is rejected or a payment is late

It happens to everyone eventually. An invoice comes back with a one-line reason you don’t understand, or nothing comes back at all and the money just doesn’t arrive. Here’s what works, in order.

1. Find out exactly what’s wrong

If it was rejected, read the reason closely and ask for it in writing if you only got a phone call. “Non-compliant” isn’t a reason. Ask: Which part of the invoice needs to change, and what wording do you need?

If it’s late, ask: Has this invoice been received? What is its status, and when will it be paid? Get a name and a reference number.

Check the money is there. Sometimes nothing is wrong with the invoice at all: the client’s budget for the quarter has run out, and the provider holds or refuses payment. Ask the provider where the budget stands, and tell the family. Next quarter, agree the hours so the budget lasts.

2. Fix it once, properly

Make the change they asked for, give the corrected invoice the same number with a letter on the end (for example 0042A) so it’s clearly a replacement, and say in your email what you changed. Then change your template so it doesn’t happen next week. The invoice checker helps here.

3. Follow up on a schedule

Note the date you sent it. If there’s no answer in a week, follow up. Keep it short and friendly, and include the invoice number, date and amount. Our claims tracker writes the follow-up email for you and counts the days.

A good follow-up looks like this:

Hi, I’m following up invoice 0042 for $165.00, sent on 17/10/2026, for services to Pat Example. Could you let me know its status and when it will be paid? I’ve attached a copy. Thanks, Jo.

4. If you’re the family, speak up too

A provider listens to its client. If your worker’s invoices keep getting stuck, ask your care partner (the provider’s care manager) to sort it. It’s part of the care management your budget already pays for.

5. Escalate, in this order

The provider’s own complaints process. Every registered provider must have one. Ask for it, use it, and keep a copy of what you send.

OPAN, the Older Persons Advocacy Network. Free, independent and confidential, for older people and their families. Call 1800 700 600 or visit opan.org.au. They can help you talk to the provider.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. If the provider doesn’t resolve it, you can complain to the Commission on 1800 951 822 or online. The Commission now has powers to order refunds where a provider has overcharged.

Workers who aren’t paid for work that was agreed and delivered may also have options through their state’s small business commissioner. In Victoria that’s the Victorian Small Business Commission.

Keep the paper trail

Every step is easier with a record: the invoice, when you sent it, who you spoke to, what they said. It turns “I think I sent it” into “I sent it on the 17th to accounts, and Sam confirmed it on the 20th”. That’s usually enough to get things moving.