diff --git a/__tests__/dues-payments-logic.test.ts b/__tests__/dues-payments-logic.test.ts
index b6284e4..2660933 100644
--- a/__tests__/dues-payments-logic.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/dues-payments-logic.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   DUES_PLATFORM_LABEL,
   isDuesLinkPlatform,
   isSafeDuesUrl,
+  resolveDuesAdvance,
 } from '@/lib/dues-payments-logic'
 
 describe('DUES_LINK_PLATFORMS', () => {
@@ -57,3 +58,47 @@ describe('isSafeDuesUrl', () => {
     expect(isSafeDuesUrl('https://')).toBe(false)
   })
 })
+
+describe('resolveDuesAdvance', () => {
+  const older = '2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'
+  const newer = '2026-06-01T00:00:00.000Z'
+
+  it('advances when there is no prior payment and marks current', () => {
+    expect(resolveDuesAdvance(null, newer)).toEqual({
+      last_paid_at: newer,
+      payment_status: 'current',
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('advances (and marks current) when the new payment is more recent', () => {
+    expect(resolveDuesAdvance(older, newer)).toEqual({
+      last_paid_at: newer,
+      payment_status: 'current',
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('advances (and marks current) when dates are equal — the common re-pay case', () => {
+    expect(resolveDuesAdvance(newer, newer)).toEqual({
+      last_paid_at: newer,
+      payment_status: 'current',
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('does NOT regress: a backdated payment keeps the newer date and omits payment_status', () => {
+    const result = resolveDuesAdvance(newer, older)
+    expect(result.last_paid_at).toBe(newer)
+    expect(result).not.toHaveProperty('payment_status')
+  })
+
+  it('compares by instant, so a +00:00 offset and a Z suffix for the same time still advance', () => {
+    // existing came back from PostgREST with an offset; incoming is toISOString()
+    expect(resolveDuesAdvance('2026-06-01T00:00:00+00:00', newer)).toEqual({
+      last_paid_at: newer,
+      payment_status: 'current',
+    })
+    // and a backdated one expressed with an offset still does not regress
+    const back = resolveDuesAdvance(newer, '2026-01-01T00:00:00+00:00')
+    expect(back.last_paid_at).toBe(newer)
+    expect(back).not.toHaveProperty('payment_status')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/lib/actions/payments.ts b/lib/actions/payments.ts
index dcced2f..c5191f0 100644
--- a/lib/actions/payments.ts
+++ b/lib/actions/payments.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   linkPaymentSchema,
   importPaymentsCsvSchema,
 } from '@/lib/validations'
+import { resolveDuesAdvance } from '@/lib/dues-payments-logic'
 import type { Enums, TablesInsert } from '@/types/database'
 
 type PaymentPlatform = Enums<'payment_platform'>
@@ -53,12 +54,17 @@ export async function logCashPayment(formData: {
   if (error) return { error: error.message }
 
   if (v.data.member_id) {
+    // Advance-only: a backdated cash payment must not move dues state backward.
+    const { data: existing } = await supabase
+      .from('space_members')
+      .select('last_paid_at')
+      .eq('id', v.data.member_id)
+      .eq('space_id', member.space_id)
+      .single()
+
     await supabase
       .from('space_members')
-      .update({
-        last_paid_at: transactionDate,
-        payment_status: 'current',
-      })
+      .update(resolveDuesAdvance(existing?.last_paid_at ?? null, transactionDate))
       .eq('id', v.data.member_id)
       .eq('space_id', member.space_id)
   }
@@ -100,13 +106,19 @@ export async function linkPaymentToMember(paymentId: string, memberId: string) {
 
   if (error) return { error: error.message }
 
-  if (payment) {
+  if (payment?.transaction_date) {
+    // Advance-only: linking a historical payment must not move dues state
+    // backward if the member has a more recent payment on file.
+    const { data: existing } = await supabase
+      .from('space_members')
+      .select('last_paid_at')
+      .eq('id', v.data.memberId)
+      .eq('space_id', self.space_id)
+      .single()
+
     await supabase
       .from('space_members')
-      .update({
-        last_paid_at: payment.transaction_date,
-        payment_status: 'current',
-      })
+      .update(resolveDuesAdvance(existing?.last_paid_at ?? null, payment.transaction_date))
       .eq('id', v.data.memberId)
       .eq('space_id', self.space_id)
   }
diff --git a/lib/dues-payments-logic.ts b/lib/dues-payments-logic.ts
index ec6907c..be2b737 100644
--- a/lib/dues-payments-logic.ts
+++ b/lib/dues-payments-logic.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,29 @@ export function isDuesLinkPlatform(p: string): p is DuesLinkPlatform {
   return (DUES_LINK_PLATFORMS as readonly string[]).includes(p)
 }
 
+// Advance-only dues state for a logged/linked payment. A payment — especially a
+// backdated or historical one being reconciled — must never move a member's
+// dues state backward. Given the member's current last_paid_at and the incoming
+// payment's transaction_date, keep whichever date is later, and only mark the
+// member 'current' when the incoming payment is actually the most recent one on
+// file. A payment older than what's already recorded changes nothing: we return
+// the existing date and omit payment_status so the caller leaves it untouched.
+// Both inputs are full ISO timestamps; comparison is by instant, not string,
+// so PostgREST offsets (`+00:00`) and toISOString `Z` never disagree.
+export function resolveDuesAdvance(
+  existing: string | null,
+  incoming: string,
+): { last_paid_at: string; payment_status?: 'current' } {
+  if (existing !== null) {
+    const existingT = new Date(existing).getTime()
+    const incomingT = new Date(incoming).getTime()
+    if (Number.isFinite(existingT) && Number.isFinite(incomingT) && incomingT < existingT) {
+      return { last_paid_at: existing }
+    }
+  }
+  return { last_paid_at: incoming, payment_status: 'current' }
+}
+
 // A payment link is only safe to render as a member-clickable anchor if it is
 // an absolute https URL. http (plaintext) and any non-web scheme
 // (javascript:, data:, mailto:, etc.) are rejected so an admin-entered value