Quick answer
To cover wet weather delays, add up what each lost week costs you (wages, hire, finance, overheads), work out when the next progress claim will actually be paid, and borrow only for that gap. Rain costs you days, but the cash squeeze comes from payment timing, which stretches over Christmas. Short unsecured funding can be possible within days; property-secured funding can be quicker for bigger amounts. Speeds are possible, never promised.
Key points
- Rain stops your work but not your wages, hire bills or repayments
- Progress claims only cover work done, so lost days leave a gap with no claim attached
- In Queensland and (reportedly) Victoria, 22 December to 10 January doesn't count as business days for security of payment, so summer claims run slower
- Size the gap weekly, then borrow for the gap only
- Give your extension-of-time notice on time, or you can lose the right to claim
How do you cover wages when rain shuts the site?
Put a dollar figure on each lost week, then fund that gap and nothing more. The rain itself isn’t the problem. Your wages, plant hire, vehicle finance, insurance and rent keep running while the crew sits in the ute, and the money that would normally cover them, your next progress claim, shrinks because there’s less finished work to claim.
That’s the trap: a wet fortnight costs you twice. Once in costs with no output, and again in a smaller, later claim. This guide gives you a simple way to size the hole, shows why the summer break stretches it, and covers the fast funding that suits a short, known gap.
What does a wet week actually cost?
Most owners guess. Do the sum instead, once, and keep it for every storm season.
Fixed weekly costs while work is stopped:
- Wages and on-costs for staff you’re keeping (including super)
- Plant and equipment hire, and finance repayments on your own gear
- Vehicle costs, insurance and rent
- Subcontractors you’re contractually committed to
- Your own pay, because you still have a mortgage
Add it up and you have your weekly burn. Call it $14,000 for a small crew. Now look at what’s coming in: the claims you’ve already lodged, their due dates and what you’ll realistically be able to claim next.
The gap is simple:
Weekly burn × weeks lost, minus cash you can safely spare, minus claims you know will land.
If you want a quick way to run it, the cash gap calculator does the arithmetic for you.
Why do payments slow down just when you need them?
Three things line up in the wet.
1. Less work to claim. A progress claim covers work completed. Lose ten days to rain and the next claim is smaller than the cost of running those ten days.
2. Contracts treat rain differently from your costs. Many contracts build in an allowance of wet days. You usually get extra time for weather beyond that allowance, if you ask correctly, but not always extra money. The Master Builders ACT warns that an extension of time that isn’t issued correctly or on time can leave a builder exposed to liquidated damages, so notice deadlines matter as much as the rain does.
3. The Christmas break stretches the clock. Security of payment laws count in “business days”, and the definition is not the same everywhere:
| State | Days that don’t count as business days over summer |
|---|---|
| Queensland | 22 December to 10 January, plus weekends and public holidays (per the QBCC) |
| Victoria | Reforms from 15 April 2026 reportedly add the same 22 December to 10 January exclusion, and cap payment at 20 business days from the claim |
| New South Wales | 27 to 31 December, plus weekends and public holidays |
Check the current Act or the regulator for your own state, but the practical message is the same: a claim you serve in mid-December may not be due until late January. If the wet is already biting in November, the cash you’re waiting for might be ten weeks away, not four.
How do you protect the claim before you fund the gap?
Funding buys time. Paperwork protects the money. Do both the same day:
- Keep daily records. Date, weather, whether work was possible, who was on site. Photos with timestamps help. Bureau of Meteorology rainfall records can back up a claim, but the rain must have actually stopped work on your job. Internal work once a roof is on is harder to claim for.
- Read the notice clause. Find out how many days you have to notify of a delay and who gets the notice. Put the deadline in your phone.
- Serve notice in writing. State the cause, the dates lost and the time you’re claiming.
- Lodge your payment claim on time. In Queensland the payment schedule is due within 15 business days of a claim, and in NSW and Victoria within 10, so the clock starts the day you serve it. Serve it early, especially before the break.
- Talk to the client or head contractor. Some will bring a milestone forward if you ask early.
None of this makes the rent due sooner. That’s where funding comes in, and if you’d like to know where you stand while the paperwork is going out, you can check your options here in about a minute.
Which funding fits a wet-weather gap?
The best fit is short, quick to arrange and sized to the gap. In rough order of how often it suits:
Unsecured cash-flow funding. For a trading business with decent turnover and clean bank statements, fast unsecured business loans are typically $5k to $500k, and smaller amounts can be possible within a day or two. It suits a three-to-eight week gap that you can see the end of.
Cash-flow loans against incoming claims. If the problem is purely timing, fast cash-flow loans are built for it: you borrow now and repay as the claims land.
Property-secured funding. If the shortfall is larger, or the business is thinner on paper, borrowing against property is a different conversation. Amounts from $20k to $5m are possible, with $20k to $250k possible same day and up to $5m within 24–48 hours. It takes more paperwork, but it can carry a bigger gap. Our guide on borrowing against your home for business explains the trade-offs.
If you’re not sure which fits, the speed checker gives a quick read on timing.
A worked example
This is an illustration, not a real client. A three-person concrete and civil crew on the Sunshine Coast has a weekly burn of $14,000. A run of storms costs them nine working days over three weeks. Their next progress claim, normally $58,000, comes in at $31,000 because of the lost days, and it won’t be paid until after the Queensland holiday exclusion, about six weeks away.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Six weeks of fixed costs | $84,000 |
| Claim income expected in that time | $31,000 |
| Cash the owner can spare | $15,000 |
| Gap to fund | $38,000 |
They borrow around $40k on a short-term basis, which covers wages, hire and the gap, leaving a small buffer. When the claims clear in late January, they repay it. The loan didn’t pay for rain. It paid for the wait.
What should you line up before the next storm?
A short pre-wet checklist saves days when it counts:
- Last three to six months of bank statements, saved and ready to send
- A current list of claims lodged, amounts and due dates
- Your weekly burn figure, written down
- Copies of your contracts with the weather and notice clauses highlighted
- Details of any property you own, in case a secured option is the better fit
Documents ready is the single biggest reason one funding request moves faster than another, and our document checklist covers the rest.
Is this the right time to borrow?
Funding makes sense when:
- the gap has an end date you can name;
- there are real invoices, claims or contracts behind it;
- the work you’ll do afterwards covers repayments comfortably.
It’s the wrong answer if the business can’t cover its costs even in dry weeks. Then you’re borrowing to postpone a pricing or cost problem, and it’s better to talk it over with your accountant first. Our guide on cash gap warning signs lists the early signals.
When should you act?
Before the end of the month rather than after. Rain forecasts change, so the useful thing is to know your weekly burn, your notice deadlines and your options before you need them. The Bureau’s long-range forecasts are worth a glance each month, and a good habit is to have your numbers ready by the time the first big storm arrives.
If the sites are already wet and the claim is still weeks away, that’s what we’re here for.
Ready to cover the gap?
Wet weather isn’t a sign of a badly run business. It’s one of the oldest cash-flow risks in construction, and most owners in your position just need a few weeks of breathing room. If that’s you, a short enquiry is a good place to start, and it only takes about a minute. We don’t run a credit check when you first enquire, so asking won’t touch your credit file.
We also don’t send your details to a pile of lenders, so your phone won’t light up with calls you didn’t ask for. A real person reads what you’ve sent, looks at your sites, claims and cash needs, and rings you with a sensible way through. To help us match you with the right option first time, please fill the form in accurately: your real turnover, what’s owed to you and any property you own.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim wet weather costs from the client?
Often you can claim extra time, and sometimes costs, but it depends on your contract. Many contracts give time for wet weather beyond an allowance but not extra money. Check the clause and the notice deadline, and keep daily site records.
How long do I have to give notice of a weather delay?
It's set by your contract, and it varies between forms. Some give you days, others weeks, and a late notice can cost you the claim. Read the notice clause the day the rain starts, and put the deadline in your diary.
Why do progress payments slow down over summer?
Rain means less work to claim, and in some states the Christmas break doesn't count as business days. In Queensland, 22 December to 10 January is excluded for security of payment timing, and Victoria's reforms from April 2026 are reported to do the same, so a claim lodged in mid-December can take until late January.
How much should a wet-weather loan be?
Roughly the number of dry weeks you expect to lose multiplied by your fixed weekly costs, less any cash you can safely spare, plus a small buffer. Borrowing for the known gap keeps repayments manageable.
Can I get funding quickly if I'm a sole trader or small crew?
It can be possible. Smaller unsecured amounts sized on turnover and bank statements can move within days, and property-secured amounts from $20k can be possible in 24–48 hours. Speeds depend on your documents and are never promised.
Does weather insurance cover the lost days?
Standard contract works insurance is generally about damage, not lost trading days. Ask your broker whether any delay or business-interruption cover applies to your policy before you rely on it.
